Super Bowl City

We hied over to San Francisco to see what all the fuss was about. Apparently a tent city had sprung up in Justin Herman Plaza, overflowing onto Market Street and the Embarcadero.

It was in the same place held by Occupy SF four years ago, but these "occupiers" came from different circumstances.

Super Bowl City was built to celebrate Super Bowl 50, which is going to be held this Sunday, 45 miles south in Santa Clara.

Parking lots along the Embarcadero had doubled their all-day parking fees to $40 (we found a $20 garage a block inland). We passed through security and strolled by large corporate booths (Verizon, Chevron, Levi's) and many smaller ones serving food and drink.

There were also sizable media tents (CBS and ESPN). We had poor views, and loudspeakers piped out what was going on inside. One had to wait for night time to catch a glimpse of celebrity athletes and media personalities, not to mention hear the live music.

After a couple of hours of wandering around, we treated ourselves to dinner at a restaurant along the Embarcadero. Nothing like seafood and sourdough to dispel the disappointments of the day.

[Update - 2/5: The Streets of San Francisco: Super Bowl City Meets Tent City]