Up first is the effort from official Mayor Ed Lee lickspittle CW Nevius:
Click to expand
Mmmm…
I’ll reserve comment else I’ll get Blocked from his Twitter feed (again. You know, for calling him an SFGov lickspittle last month, which he totally is.)
"UPDATE (3:47pm): The Richmond District Police Station just sent out an advisory about fireworks at the event: Major League Baseball and the San Francisco Giants will be hosting a brief fireworks display in Golden Gate Park tonight. The fireworks presentation will take place sometime between 10:15 pm and 10:25 pm. The display is in connection with a private welcome event hosted by the San Francisco Giants and Major League Baseball for out of town visitors and other guests. Access to the music concourse and other areas of Golden Gate Park will be limited for the evening for safety reasons."
That's a little late, right? Area homeowners might go apoplectic over this one. And the Texas Rangers, those strangers, are invited, but you're not? Oh well]
According to the always-reliable Richmond District Blog, the big shindig at the Music Concourse in front of our California Academy of Sciences tonight is a VIP party for the San Francisco Giants, what with them being in the World Series and whatnot. See?
Now check it, they’ve got fireworks all set up ready to go, but these incendiaries are placed a little too close to some trees according to local arborealists. And I’ll tell you, there’s nothing touchier than a Golden Gate Park tree hugger. Let’s hope for the best, let’s hope the trees don’t turn orange as well…
(And the NIMBYs? Are they going to have heart attacks and start up dialing 911 and 311 and Carmen Chu and Eric Mar? Let’s hope not.)
Grand View Park will be a good place to see the short fireworks show, but the Strawberry Hill area might work as well, as might Lone Mountain.
This will be the biggest party near the concourse since the 1800′s:
Tonight we’re (they’re, actually) going to party like it’s 1989.
I’ll tell you, I’m impressed with this free event in the East Bay that’s coming up tonight.
This joint isn’t for me but check it out if you’re in the area, why not? (One of these days, I’ll get a chance to explore around in that historic Ford Motor Company Assembly Plant…)
The Craneway Pavilion and the Oakland East Bay Symphony Announce the July 3rd ‘Target Independence Day Celebration’
Live Music, Food And Fireworks – Free To The Public
RICHMOND, Calif., July 1 — The Craneway Pavilion, inside the historic Ford Point Building on the waterfront in Richmond, will host a patriotic celebration for the whole family featuring live music, food and fireworks at 6:30 p.m. on Saturday, July 3. Located on 25 waterfront acres, Craneway Pavilion delivers incredible views of the San Francisco skyline featuring floor-to-ceiling windows throughout the entire event space as well as a 20,000 square foot patio, perfect for viewing the City of Richmond’s Firework Display. The event is free to the public and has been made possible thanks to the generous support of Target.
The live music line up will feature local opening acts including Khalill Shaheed and Oaktown Jazz Workshops and the Hilltop Community Church Choir beginning at 6:30 p.m. At 8 p.m. the Oakland East Bay Symphony, conducted by Michael Morgan will begin their ninety-minute set that will include Disney classics, Broadway favorites and a medley of works by John Philip Sousa and other American composers. The Symphony’s set will end as the city of Richmond’s Firework Display launches over the water. The Oakland East Bay Symphony is currently celebrating the 21st anniversary of Music Director Michael Morgan and launches their 22nd season on November 19th at Oakland’s Paramount Theatre.
The Craneway Pavilion is located at 1414 Harbour Way South in the Marina district of Richmond and can be accessed from the 580 freeway. Gates and parking (general and premium available) open at 5:00 p.m and the Pavilion will open at 6:30 p.m. There is limited seating available on a first come first serve basis and guests are encouraged to bring their own blankets and chairs.
The Craneway will offer an Independence Day themed concession menu. The adjacent The Boiler House restaurant will also be open starting at 5 p.m. for full-menu dining and service prior to and during the July 3rd event. Reservations are highly recommended. Beer, wine and additional beverages will be available. No outside liquor will be allowed.
This free Independence Day celebration is made possible by the generous support of Target with additional support from Chevron, The City of Richmond, media sponsors KDFC and NBC Bay Area and contributors Kaiser Permanente, Point Molate Destination Resort, a Project of Upstream Point Molate LLC and the Guidiville Tribe.
Oakland East Bay Symphony was founded in July 1988, when musicians from the former Oakland Symphony joined community leaders to form a new orchestra. Michael Morgan was appointed Music Director in 1990 and began guiding the Symphony in the musical and philosophical direction it pursues today. OEBS has achieved distinction nationally as a leading regional orchestra, noted for its unique convergence of artistic excellence and community service. The Symphony’s mission is to make classical music accessible, particularly to those individuals in the community who might otherwise never hear live symphonic music.
About the Craneway Pavilion
Craneway Pavilion is a world-class and sustainably designed event, concert and production facility centrally located in one of the planet’s most iconic destinations. Located on 25 waterfront acres, Craneway Pavilion delivers awe-inducing views of the San Francisco skyline and surrounding environs — matched only by the inventive programming and infrastructure options available inside.
As state-of-the-art as it is historic, Craneway Pavilion offers an expansive 45,000 square ft facility in an architecturally significant building dating back to 1932. It also features an adjoining, 20,000 square-foot open-air wharf patio, seamlessly blending indoor and outdoor environments for the best of both worlds. Craneway’s unparalleled atmosphere and amenities set the stage for special occasions, meetings and cultural highlights — of every size and every stripe — that are as unforgettable as San Francisco itself.
As seen from Cole Valley, with a #37 bus rolling by.
St. IgnatiusChurch looks really close but the Panhandle of Golden Gate Park is in between, so this building (or at least the dome at the back of it, anyway) is fully three-quarters-of-a-mile away:
It almost looks Disneyesque when Sausalito sets off fireworks, like on the Fourth of July:
Tonight’s Fourth of July fireworks show had a fairly high fog ceiling, so it would have to rate as better than average. Better than last year anyway, but not as good as 2007.
When they tell you “Fog could shroud S.F. fireworks“ up in Fishermans Wharf at 9:30 PM on the Fourth of July 2009, what they really mean is Fog WILL shroud S.F. fireworks, barring some Act of God, or Gaia, or Whomever.
Sometimes the weather is good, sometimes not. This year, not.
This is by no means the worst case scenario. So when they talk about special low-level fireworks and let’s cross our fingers, they’re spinning. And spinning is just the polite term for lying. So, what do you do? Head on over to the Mission District, where they’ll have oodles of Yelp-rated, illegal, illicit, MUY PRO HI BI DA DO (now I say that in Spanish because that’s how exotic and not allowed it is) fireworks, fog-free, for free. Just check out this screen saver album from 2007.
Of course, you can always go with the flow and follow the madding crowd northward into la niebla, le brouillard. And who knows, maybe it will be clear the way it was in 2007. Thusly:
This is the view you had from Crissy Field on 7-4-2007 – those lights at the bottom have something to do with Fishermans Wharf.
But dude, don’t drive up there. Even if they didn’t block off the streets and you already had a parking space waiting for you, you’d still have to drive out of there in a traffic jam when the show’s over at 10:00 PM. Of course, you could always hang out at all the places that will be open up in the Wharf after the show, but maybe you’d be better off driving into the City with your bikes in tow and parking South of the 101 near the Giants’ AT&T Park. Then you could ride up the flat, flat Embarcadero (on the sidewalk – it’s legal) back and forth.
Can you dig the colors, man?
But if that doesn’t pan out, you could follow the cable cars on Hyde (that’s the one north-south street they don’t block off, in my experience) and drop off the brood. Whatever you do, stay off of Van Ness. Or you could BART it to the Embarcadero Station and then hoof it up to Pier 39. But forget about MUNI, ’cause walking would be faster.
And most likely it will be foggy anyway, you’ve been warned.
“PIER 39 invites you to enjoy a fun-filled Independence Day celebration. Rock out with ‘Take 2′ from 1-4pm followed by San Francisco’s favorite 80′s cover band, ‘Tainted Love’ from 6-9:30pm. Immediately after the entertainment look to the sky as the City of San Francisco lights up the night with it’s Firework’s Spectacular, accompanied by a musical simulcast from KISS FM 98.1. PIER 39 has the best viewing area on the bay! In addition, 39 of PIER 39′s businesses will remain open after the fireworks so that guests can miss the traffic, enjoy the PIER, have a drink, get a bite to eat, and shop. Click here for the list of locations open after the fireworks. Sponsored by Crystal Geyser ALPINE SPRING WATER, DeLoach Vineyards, Dreyer’s Grand Ice Cream, The San Francisco Examiner, Tawain Tourism and Asus.”
