If there’s an avenue that rumbles through the hearts and histories of San Francisco, it’s the Embarcadero. From its working wharf to its touristy terrain, it’s a road that runs through worlds both old and new.
“We’ve got the Ferry Building, the Giants, Fisherman’s Wharf, we've got the Ferry Terminals,” Executive Director of the Port of San Francisco Elaine Forbes said, looking over all seven and a half miles of waterfront.
She’s getting a unique chance to show it off during the APEC conference.
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“We’re so excited to welcome the people from APEC to come to our beautiful waterfront,” Forbes said. “It’s so safe, clean and vibrant.”
The one official APEC gathering on the Embarcadero is set for the evening of Dec. 15, with dignitaries visiting the Exploratorium museum. The city will shut down traffic and streetcars north of the Ferry Building to the wharf that evening.
But throughout the week, the port will also offer visitors a deeper dive into the Embarcadero’s story.
One of the road’s many stories is climate change. Its aging sea wall is already no match for rising sea levels, though there are plans to rebuild it in the works.
On the other hand, some new ferry docks were recently redesigned with rising sea levels in mind.
“It is raised and prepared for 2100 projections of sea level rise,” Forbes said.
The thriving destination is one of transformation.
The roadway was famously shrouded beneath an elevated roadway until the 1989 Loma Prieta earthquake brought about its doom.
The promenade that emerged from the shadows now tells the story of building for climate change, the power of urban renewal, and historic preservation. All global themes which Forbes is excited to share with a global audience.
“Having world leaders see for themselves what’s happening in San Francisco is really important,” she said.
Anchored by its historic ferry building, which will have its scaffolding removed by the time of the conference, the Embarcadero will offer APEC visitors a look at the San Francisco Forbes knows it to be.
