SAN FRANCISCO | Salesforce Transit Center

[SFBuildings888]

I’m really looking forward to checking out the roof top park and the transit center itself. Looks gorgeous. My only criticism about it is they miscalculated on the rail aspect big time. Imagine if both the bus and rail service opened at the same time? That would be a lot better. Now, they would have to spend at least a additional $6 billion just to get the rail service going and wait another 10+ years? That is wasting a lot of time and money. It shouldn’t be called the “Grand Central Station of the West” right now because it is only a bus station.

[viewguysf]

What would you have done in the meantime, left the old building there? It didn’t have rail service in it for decades prior to being demolished. The Center is the heart of an entirely new and vibrant neighborhood, which shouldn’t be discounted.

[Zerton]

Really amazing. I love the rooftop park and the light-well "tree".

I do wonder how painted white steel will hold up as a bus terminal. Are all the busses electric without exhaust?
Right now it looks clean but white paint shows everything.

[mt_climber13]

Could somebody with a Chronicle subscription post the entire article please?

Even as SF transit center opens, officials figuring out how to pay bills

[pseudolus]

Originally Posted by mt_climber13

Could somebody with a Chronicle subscription post the entire article please?

Even as SF transit center opens, officials figuring out how to pay bills

In Firefox, "Open Link in New Private Window" will get around the paywall.

[Busy Bee]

Originally Posted by Zerton

I do wonder how painted white steel will hold up as a bus terminal. Are all the busses electric without exhaust?
Right now it looks clean but white paint shows everything.

It's something much harder to find in American transit systems, but regular "maintenance" should take care of that problem. Hey I guess it's Salesforce's responsibility for the next 25 years.

[gillynova]

Walking tour of the Salesforce Transit Center for those who are interested. It's just me walking 1 whole lap + walking downstairs with a stabilized camera.

• Video Link

[mt_climber13]

Originally Posted by pseudolus

In Firefox, "Open Link in New Private Window" will get around the paywall.

thanks, I didn't know that would work for Chronicle paywalls.
so based on the article, they're expecting a majority of the revenue to pay for operating the terminal/ park to come from Bay Area bridge tolls.

[gholgado]

Originally Posted by gillynova

Walking tour of the Salesforce Transit Center for those who are interested. It's just me walking 1 whole lap + walking downstairs with a stabilized camera.

• Video Link

awesome video!!! just curious, around what time during the day was this?

[gillynova]

Originally Posted by gholgado

awesome video!!! just curious, around what time during the day was this?

Took this at 8 am today

[1977]

Great video, gillynova!

I like this pic from Sergio Ruiz as well:


Salesforce Transit Center, San Francisco by Sergio Ruiz, on Flickr

[Jerry of San Fran]

I like these lights very much! It is on the ground level. I look forward to seeing it when complete. Look forward to seeing the building at night.

Salesforce Transit Center - San Francisco

[Pedestrian]

I went down there today. It's truly beautiful, I almost want to say it's worth $2.2 billion even if no train ever enters the lower level . . . almost. The feeling of urbanity in the roof garden surrounded by modern skyscrapers--and somehow the Salesforce Tower seems even taller from up there than from the sidewalk--is awesome (in the true sense of the word).

It deserves to be well used. I just wish at least some of the businesses were open so I could get a feel for their popularity. Most of the people in the garden today seemed to be doing what I was doing: Checking it out. Who knows how many will become regulars or even how many are from SF? But certainly it is a wondrous place.

Which brings up my one complaint: I entered the building from mid-block on Mission between 1st and 2nd Sts--walking between the Salt House and 530 Mission. I looked for an escalator and found one that took me only as far as the upper bus level. I looked for a way to the roof and found an elevator but no escalator. I never did see the escalator to the roof garden. Couldn't find it to come down either. With the cable car not yet ready for prime time and seemingly only one escalator that goes all the way to the roof, it seems a little off-putting to go up there which has always been a concern of mine. Why they didn't put escalators that go all the way at either end of the building as well as the one somewhere in the middle I can't say--seems like for over $2 billion they could have.

[ozone]

^^^^ My "one" complaint?

[gillynova]

Originally Posted by Pedestrian

I went down there today. It's truly beautiful, I almost want to say it's worth $2.2 billion even if no train ever enters the lower level . . . almost. The feeling of urbanity in the roof garden surrounded by modern skyscrapers--and somehow the Salesforce Tower seems even taller from up there than from the sidewalk--is awesome (in the true sense of the word).

It deserves to be well used. I just wish at least some of the businesses were open so I could get a feel for their popularity. Most of the people in the garden today seemed to be doing what I was doing: Checking it out. Who knows how many will become regulars or even how many are from SF? But certainly it is a wondrous place.

Which brings up my one complaint: I entered the building from mid-block on Mission between 1st and 2nd Sts--walking between the Salt House and 530 Mission. I looked for an escalator and found one that took me only as far as the upper bus level. I looked for a way to the roof and found an elevator but no escalator. I never did see the escalator to the roof garden. Couldn't find it to come down either. With the cable car not yet ready for prime time and seemingly only one escalator that goes all the way to the roof, it seems a little off-putting to go up there which has always been a concern of mine. Why they didn't put escalators that go all the way at either end of the building as well as the one somewhere in the middle I can't say--seems like for over $2 billion they could have.

For sure the people around the area who work there will visit and eat their lunch at the park. I can guarantee that.

Also, did you notice all of the signs in the area of the future events? I really do hope people will check it out and support it like Silent Disco or free yoga events

[Pedestrian]

Originally Posted by ozone

^^^^ My "one" complaint?

Yeah, my one complaint as far as the building itself goes.

Sure, I've got plenty of complaints about the project as a whole, starting with whether we needed a new terminal in this location in the first place. And yes, I remain dubious as to whether the decision to substantially depend on revenue from retail rents to generate funds to pay for maintenance so long as it remains essentially a grand bus station and park works out.

But assuming we did need a new $2 billion bus terminal/park in this location, or at least that the decision was to build one whether we needed it or not, when it comes to the matter of "did we build a good one", yeah--I think we did except for the matter of access to the beautiful roof garden which could have been designed to be easier which would, I believe, make it used more than otherwise (whether otherwise, meaning as it is, is a lot or not we will see). I'm also waiting to see how well the cable car works--that is, how fast it gets people to the roof and returns for more; whether there's much of a wait to use it and therefore whether it turns out to be really practical access or whether significant numbers of people decide not to wait and go use the escalator or elevators or just eat their lunches elsewhere once the novelty wears off.

I've always loved Buena Vista Park because you can just stroll in off the street on 3 sides, stroll in one side and out the other and so on. It sits there enticing you as you walk by. This park is not that way. It has to be your primary destination, at least for a period of time, rather than a casual diversion. With more escalators that could have been incrementally easier but we'll see if it's easy enough as is.

Originally Posted by gillynova

Also, did you notice all of the signs in the area of the future events? I really do hope people will check it out and support it like Silent Disco or free yoga events

Yes but I sort of discount all that stuff and the game and book reading carts and so on as well. They made me wonder how long it will be before all the games and books get stolen. And I think there's a limited market for organized activities in a place like this. One thing I saw was a guy having moved one of the plastic chairs and plopped himself down in the middle of an area surrounded by signs reading "Reseeding area--Please keep off grass". It seemed such a San Franciscan thing to do: Ignore the signs and take care of the desires of #1. And that, alas, may be what the park has to contend with in the future.

[viewguysf]

Pedestrian, I’m glad you got down there to behold the wonders of the place. Enter through the main doors off of the plaza or the side ones on Fremont and you will easily find the escalators. You can also take an elevator from the plaza side of Salesforce Tower or one in 181 Fremont. There are elevators on both ends as well as in the middle and I was left with the impression that stairways will be accessible too.

Bear in mind that the first floor is not finished, so walking in from the west end is apparently not a good idea now. I’m surprised you didn’t make a grand entrance like the rest of us.

I need to go back soon to see it under less crowded conditions.

[Pedestrian]

^^I specifically wanted to check out the other entrances than the apparent main one off the plaza next to Salesforce Tower. This thing is 3 blocks long and I assume quite a few people won't bother going to the main entrance if they are coming from up (west) Mission St or the other end (Beale or east of there). I wanted to see what their experience of it would be and how easy it will be for them to find their bus or visit the park.

Another thing I couldn't figure out is that it appeared there's nothing happening yet on the second floor. Muni busses are on the street level and one has to go up 2 levels, to what I would call the third floor, to find AC Transit busses. What's supposed to be on the second floor and why's it not yet there?

[SFBuildings888]

I haven’t checked out the place yet, which I will, but maybe they should have made the building taller but less wide. Maybe that will make the building even more attractive looking. Also, why do they have the bus service on the 3rd floor? Wouldn’t it be better if it was on the main floor or 2nd floor?

[Busy Bee]

I think instead of the gondola, a glass enclosed helical escalator would have been pretty damn cool and probably would be more successful in encouraging people to visit the park.