Tomorrow, Sunday May 17th marks Bay to Breakers 2015, the annual cross-city, half-sober footrace that carries thousands of people back and forth through the Haight and floods the neighborhood with celebrants.
Whether you plan to flee the area, weather it out indoors or join the festivities, you can expect a crush of visitors in the neighborhood and the Panhandle. The weather is supposed to be favorable but on the cool side.
Local transit will be impacted largely by the closure of Fell from Divisadero to Stanyan; for the curious or concerned, here is a full list of traffic closures. Public transit lines through the Haight will remain on their usual routes, impacted only by delays where the 33-Ashbury crosses Fell at Stanyan and where the 43-Masonic crosses Fell at Masonic.
Other city-initiated preparations for the mayhem include three supplemental cell towers planted at McLaren Lodge, Cole and Ashbury to keep emergency services online during the event, as well as stacks of hurricane fencing and dumpsters on JFK Drive in Golden Gate Park to manage traffic on the racecourse.
We chatted with some local merchants to test the waters and see what they're expecting. The consensus: it's going to be the same as every year: crazy, but manageable.
Bobby Vardakastanis, from the Haight Street Market, said his shop is always a mess during Bay to Breakers. "Ah, it's once a year," he said. "We'll deal with it. People want cheap beer, cheap wine, we'll give it to 'em."
Antony, longtime bartender at Trax Bar, echoed the sentiment. "Sunday? Yeah, it's going to be a total shit show, man. Same as every year, but you know, nothing we can't handle. Big crowd, a bunch of costumes, it's going to be crazy."
Firras Zawaideh, the owner of Liquid Experience, said, "Basically all hell's gonna break loose. I like it, actually, especially since this city is turning into a no-fun zone. There's going to be amateurs anywhere, but Bay to Breakers showcases the street."
If you have advice for enjoying (or avoiding) tomorrow's action, let us know in the comments.
