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Justin Herman Plaza
Category: Public Services & Government Landmarks & Historical Buildings Landmarks & Historical Buildings [Edit]
Embarcadero Plaza1 Market St
San Francisco, CA 94101
Neighborhood: SOMA
Cobra K. said: "Super Touristy...indeed...but something you have to see. I don't know anywhere else in San Fran to see the sea lions. Parking is fairly easy if you have a car. There's a parking garage across the main road...I don't recall the…" read more »
39 reviews for Justin Herman Plaza
Review Highlights
"Hooray for the ice skating again."
(in 6 reviews)
"This is a great place to people watch."
(in 5 reviews)
"The ginormous pillow-fight is held here every Valentine's..."
(in 3 reviews)
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39 reviews in English
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Review from Matt G.
1/1/2011 1 Check-in Here
I've been working New Years Eve for the last fourteen years. But last night, I had a RARE night off. Therefore I wanted to spend the final night and hours of 2010 with my daughter. We've decided to spend New Years Eve at busy Justin Herman Plaza.
As always, the Embarcadero is always busy every NYE. Every year while on-duty prior till the 2010 year, I only watched people scattered around looking for a spot to count down the New Year following with a firework show to begin the New Year. Last night, my daughter and I were among those people as well. A change I've ever not often encountered in reverse.
Last night, we counted down the seconds to end 2010 and begin 2011. As soon as the clock turned midnight, many people cheered and couples kissed, hugged and embraced. While my daughter and I, hugged and kissed as a father/daughter couple.
We've enjoyed the fireworks show. "Baby, you're a firework!" I'm not going to sing Katy Perry's song!
Normally my daughter would've been asleep by 11pm. But she gutted out and stayed up late just to spend a New Years Eve and also my birthday with the now "old man". -
Review from Eric B.
5/11/2011
Justin Herman Plaza lies in between the Ferry Building (and the Embarcadero) and the start of Market Street. It was named after Justin Herman, who was once the head of San Francisco's the Redevelopment Agency in the 1960s.
During my occasional visits over the years, I have gone ice skating in the winter, hung out at the nearby Hyatt and Embarcadero shopping area, watched the skateboard crowd bust their moves, and climbed around that weird fountain. It's a nice place to hang out on a nice day or to meet someone to start yet another San Francisco adventure. -
Review from norris t.
8/10/2011 24 Check-ins Here
Great spot to walk around or veg out on the stone steps. check
Alot of fun booths and random events like the annual pillow fight and the wintertime ice skating rink. check
cheap places to get a bite for lunch or a treat for dessert. check.
Oh and the classic water sculpture that you can walk across....check.
Did I miss anything? -
Review from Christina S.
San Francisco, CA
8/11/2011 1 Check-in Here
This is where I get my vitamin D fix. It's glorious.
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Review from Mike G.
1/14/2011 1 Check-in Here
Pros:
Great location in the center of the city with ice skating and other fun stuff. Lots of restaurants all around although the best restaurants are in the Ferry Building.
Cons:
Vagrants roaming around the plaza can scare people some times.
Fun:
I think they had Peter Pan here, ziplining, and they do other crazy things some times. -
Review from Maria G.
San Jose, CA
5 STARS:
Was here yesterday for the Sanrio 50th Anniversary - Small Gift Mobile Pop-Up Shop Tour; met Hello Kitty =)
Very spacious, Great place to take pics of the buildings for artwork reference. They had vendors selling artwork; jewelry; knitted hats; and etc...
2 STARS: BEWARE OF VENDORS - Especially the lady selling the knitted hats/beanies!
My friend had a bad experience with one vendor selling knitted hats, The lady was selling her hats for $20; and my friend bargained with her and the lady said 2 for $28! great deal?! we thought so... till the lady came looking for us (that was 5-10 min after purchasing the hat - she found us in line waiting for Hello Kitty) and told us that she made a mistake and it should have been $38! .... Isn't it once you sell something final price?!?! The lady kept saying that she made a mistake and that she was losing money! hello?!?! is that our problem?!! ... We kept telling her that was not our problem. I told my friend to just give her back the hats and ask for her money back!... My friend really liked one of the hats, so she kept one and returned the other and the lady gave back her $8....
Seriously lady, you left your little kiosk looking for us to tell us that you made a mistake??!?! what if someone stole a hat while you were gone?!?! -
Review from Joni M.
Sausalito, CA
11/16/2010
I am very happy that the ice skating rink is open again! I am not the best skater in the world, but I have a LOT OF HEART and I have a good time out on the ice. Once the lights are lit on the buildings around EC it will be really nice to skate at night.
Hooray for the ice skating again! -
Review from Herra Chink y.
San Francisco, CA
5/2/2007
I spent my lunch today at Justin Herman Plaza because my friend told me Conan O'Brien was going to be there. I didn't see Conan - was he there? I saw a bunch of dorky NBC11 people and corporate sponsors and marketing douches. God, if they want to highlight the best of San Francisco, why the hell are they at Justin Herman Plaza smackdab at lunch hour in the middle of the Financial District? Seriously, the FiDi has to be like the most boring and unimaginative part of town. Also, I hate marketing and marketers and blah blah blah. This is why Yelp works - because in its best form, it becomes a way for people you trust to tell you how a place works. Marketers appeal to the lowest common denominator - Yelp appeals to me because I get to choose who and what I want to listen to. Anyways, I'm sorry, back to the review.
Justin Herman Plaza is filled with pigeons, which is why I cannot give it more than 3 stars. I fucking HATE PIGEONS. Seriously. It's like a really huge fear of mine. The sight of them flying sends shivers down my spine. I get anxiety attacks. I scream. I jump away and cry. I can explain to you why, but let's just say that the image of a pigeon bomb flying into my torso, exploding, and me slowly crumbling to the ground has been the subject of many a nightmare and many a sleepless night. I'm not kidding. Scary ass flying rats.
So I think I might be on the Conan show. Some guy comes up to me and goes - hey, wanna be filmed? So I say sure.
Sweaty Camera Guy: Where do you live, man?
Me: I live in San Francisco.
SCG: Cool, you ever heard of Conan?
Me: Yeah, I've heard.
SCG: What's your favorite part of Conan?
Me: I don't have a TV.
SCG: What?! You don't have a TV?
Me: No.
SCG: Have you heard of Charmed School?
Me: No.
SCG: Have you heard of Lost?
Me: This guy I know, he's way into it. But no.
SCG: Damn, are you some weird hippie?
Me: No.
SCG: What do you do when you get home?
Me: This interview isn't going very well, is it?
SCG: ...
Me: [sigh] I drink. A lot. It kills the pain.
SCG: You drink? Like, you make yourself a cocktail when you go home?
Me: No, as in I go to a bar and I drown my sorrows away and wake up in an alcohol induced haze in the morning and begin the monotonous pattern of life once again.
SCG: ...
I know, I'm a bitter grumpy bitch. And before he can respond, I feel it on my ear. A burst of wind. And I see it out of the corner of my slanted eye. A PIGEON JUST FLEW INTO MY EAR. And I FUCKING SCREAM. Like, not a small yelp, BUT A GUTTURAL FROM THE BOTTOM OF MY STOMACH GROWLING SCREAM. The camera guy literally almost drops the camera to cover his ears, I'm nearly in tears, and people are crowded around me (they already kinda were, since there was a camera on me). I throw the mic down, and walk away to go sob in the Embarcadero Center and catch my breath.
Anyways, you think I'll be on Conan? I don't watch TV. Can someone tell me?Listed in: LIfe in these 46 square miles
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Review from mnypny b.
San Francisco, CA
3/6/2008
One beautiful day back when we lived in the Sacramento Valley, my sweetie, bad influence that he was (ok, and still is), inflicted a sudden change of plans which caused one of us to ditch school while the other skipped out on work. It had been announced that U2 was giving a free concert at Justin Herman Plaza at lunch time.
Having grown up in the City, my luv then proceeded to engage in a frightening demonstration of driving skill known only to SF locals which not only got us there in short order, but parked and positioned to rock. This was a rather unique crowd in my then-limited experience, which I recall included many FIDI peeps in suits on their lunch hour who didn't hesitate to jump up and down and bail on work for a very long time. And just our luck, as in 'Ferris Bueller's Day Off', this public event was being filmed ('Rattle and Hum'), but we managed to be mere specks in the crowd. Bonus.
But here is what I remember most: Bono 'complimented' the artist who created the infamous Water Sculpture by spray-painting 'rock n roll stops the traffic' on it, thus creating a little post-concert controversy in the press. Now I love art. And I kinda luv Bono (because he, along with Robin Williams and my hubby, sorta look like brothers), but wtf?! I think he eventually had to pay for that bit of graffiti removal. Overall, a memorable way to kill a day we didn't need or want to spend elsewhere.
Cut to years later and my working just shy of FIDI: I've enjoyed checking out a bit of local arts/crafts on lunch hours, watching some ice-skating around the Holidays, and that chick who plays accordion just before the Embarcadero crossing to the Ferry Building on some Friday afternoons--that cover of 'I Wanna Be Sedated' ALWAYS makes me smile! Thanks!!
Oh, and Sweetness, if you're reading this, you're still WAY hawter than Bono. For realz. ; )Listed in: I've lived.I've loved.I've…
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Review from David D.
1/9/2007
A nice open space at the foot of the Embarcadero Center. The large brick plaza makes it warmer than the surrounding territory, and the stairs flanking it become benches for the crowds that meet for lunch on sunny days. Even in midwinter it exudes an air of warmth and calm.
The best view of the park is from the top of the stairs of Embarcadero Four. The fountain on the left reminds me of an industrial sewage outfall, especially when it's running, but this is just one of the things you get when the public supports art. It's a mixed bag. Below you is the colony of lunch restaurants and the outdoor tables and chairs. Before you lies the brick plaza, the grass median and streetcar lines, and then the Ferry Building. Although you are right on the Embarcadero, a major thoroughfare, the air is remarkably quiet.
Summer or winter, noontime or evening, weekdays or weekends, it's a nice place to relax.Listed in: Play Time
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Review from Lauren F.
Oakland, CA
5/9/2007
Stuff:
1) Best lunch ever spent here with some yelpers watching a free concert. Jefferson Starship!!! They didn't even play "We built this city", but it rocked none the less...all we did was laugh...more like point and laugh
2) The start of every critical mass...I've only done one, but it was Halloween, so all the freaks lined the plaza in costume and raised hell...
3) other free shows....I saw Tea Leaf Green and i boogied.
4) its a great place to sit in the sun....during a hectic day, and just mellow.
5) there is a fountain...and weird art and people....tons of people to watch!
6) The pillow-fight I have yes to participate in cuz I'm always working on that evening, but know that i would love it soooo much. Next year i guess...stupid valentines day.
:end of stuff. -
Review from meg w.
Chicago, IL
9/26/2009
I like this place. Monday through Friday it's full of (mostly) business people meeting up, having lunch, taking a break from work. Great people watching. And unlike being in a restaurant -proper you can tell your lunch-mate secrets and not fear the table two inches from you is also hearing them.
I brought the kids through here today on the way to the Farmer's Market, I wanted them to see the fountain. But, it had no water in it. Make Lemonade: "Hey kids, look at that huge play structure!" I was their hero. -
Review from Mari A.
Concord, CA
9/26/2006
On a gorgeous San Francisco day I really enjoy spending my only free moments in the sun during the work hours.
A great spot to meet other FiDi friends for lunch! There are so many restaurants around that everyone can pick and choose what their little hearts desire and reconvene in the Plaza. LOVE IT! Almost makes me forget that I'm in the middle of a work day. :o) -
Review from Jonas T.
San Francisco, CA
5/15/2008 2 photos
A clean place to sit outside and eat your lunch.
JONASAPPROVED! -
Review from Audrey B.
6/6/2009
This is a pretty nice plaza where you can hang for lunch when it's sunny.
I wish the city would change the name, though. Not only did Justin Herman do terrible things for our city and for the African American community during his "redevelopment" of the Fillmore district in the 1960s, but he named this plaza after himself (who does that?). He truly epitomizes the racism and lack of community involvement that our city has tried to move so far beyond, and I see no reason to celebrate his memory. We managed to rename Army street, can we call this something else? -
Review from Warren R.
San Jose, CA
2/15/2010
I've only been to this place twice... each time I've had a pillow in my hand.
View the madness here - http://www.youtube.com...
So needless to say, I've got nothing but good things to say about this patch of land.
Hmmm.. how do you rate a plaza..
Roomy... Check
Pretty Setting.... Check
Cool Art.... Check
Close to the Water... Check
Interesting people sprawled everywhere you look... Check
I really need to check this spot out during the day, when I can breathe without inhaling feathers - but from what I could see its generally a good time. The area itself is really inviting. So If you're in the area getting mashed at a bar, you might as well check this place out before you go home.. AND BRING A PILLOW!. Its got a pretty sick view of the bridge at nighttime too, -
Review from Irene F.
5/3/2007
I spent about an hour trying to figure my way through a huge crowd of screaming hippies to find my friend Sara. Big antiwar/antiBush rally. Sigh. Maybe it's just cuz I'm totally politically apathetic that I could never live in San Francisco (also I don't recycle...oooohh!! Badass!!). Actually, crazed hippies kind of frighten me. But not as much as pigeons.
There weren't any of Ed's pigeons, maybe they are scared of hippies too, but I would have hated it even more if they had been there. I, too, am terrified of pigeons. You are not alone, Ed. Except hippies scare me too. -
Review from Helen L.
10/15/2010
I love that it's right in front of the Ferry Building and the Embarcadero(s) so we're close to food and shops. Pick up some cheese from the Cowgirl Creamery and some bread from Acme, instant picnic! You can see the water, but it's not exactly a fabulous view. The grassy areas are kinda gross, more trash than you'd expect for place in this location. There's a lot going on here: vendors, tourists, locals, lots and lots of skateboarders (one section is nicknamed "Skateboard Hill"). Critical Mass (if you don't know, you need to know) congregates here monthly before their journey. The ginormous pillow-fight is held here every Valentine's Day...a good time! Tons of promotional events are held here. Several marathons have their registration and gift tents set up here. That's about it.
Listed in: Earth, Wind, & Water (SF Bay)
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Review from Ben V.
San Francisco, CA
11/3/2007
You know that scene in the Planet of the Apes sequel where Charlton Heston is walking on the beach and he finds the statue of liberty in rubble, washed over by years of erosion, and he realizes what's actually happened to humanity and he starts screaming and it's pretty brutal screaming and then I think the movie ends?
Well, if I'm ever on some ape planet, and I'm walking along a beach, and I realize it's Justin Herman Plaza 4,000 years in the future, looking all fucked and cracked and destroyed, I wouldn't anticipate that I'd be very happy, either. -
Review from Be N.
San Francisco, CA
1/23/2006
A veritable dead zone in terms of landscape architecture and feng shui. I've seen eastern block housing developments with more life and design savvy. You could always seek refuge by jumping into the Bay or escaping to the darkness of the Embarcadero Theater.
It's time to go back to the drawing board with Justin Herman Plaza. -
Review from david b.
San Francisco, CA
3/26/2009
"There....was...a..pillowfight!!!!" (from the movie pillowdock saints)
This plaza is littered every year with inches of down-feather pillow snow and blood from prepubescent awkward teens swatting whoever they can with their pillowcases filled with not only pillows, but rocks, etc, and all the hormones and testosterone gone-mad you can assume would be present at such an otherwise lovely, stress-reducing event full of happiness and joy and thwapping. Other than that, this place is okay to sit down at and stare at the water, or lazily walk through, but I don't see what's so bad (I mean, good) about it. Architecturally it's not so cool.......... -
Review from Uncle Fishbits Aeneas X.
Belvedere Tiburon, CA
12/6/2007
I grew up here.... straight UP 5 stars. Justin Herman Plaza was one of the best places for skateboarding in the United States at the time... I watch all the big names rip around on that damn brick. And the fountain is sick!
In the end, I must say this: I saw a free 1995 concert from KITS (I worked for them at the time) with Trash Can Sinatras opening for an acoustic Radiohead, followed by the Mighty Mighty Bosstones.
What sort of crazy lineup is that? It was so fun... middle of the day, people looking from their offices, sunny day...
life is so good in this city I cannot help but gush a bit! -
Review from Jay V.
San Francisco, CA
12/1/2009
This place would be perfect if it weren't for the name (which needs to be changed ASAP) along with the fact that this rink is a bit smaller than other rinks I've gone to in the past (Berkeley Ice Rink, Central Park in NYC, the former ice rink at Fashion Island, and the rink at Yerba Buena Gardens). I didn't even bother to skate here since it's not hard to bump into people.
However, if you want a spot to hang out with some friends, this is the place to be. -
Review from May T.
San Francisco, CA
2/16/2008
i spent many years of my childhood here in the bay area. this was one of my favorite places to sit and watch the skaters do their thing on asphalt back in the good ol' days.
nostalgia alone for the plaza is worth 4 stars. one star less for the ban on street skating. skateboarding is NOT a crime. -
Review from Steve S.
San Francisco, CA
Great place to hang out and think about projects that I'm working on. I love the water sculptures and during the holiday's the ice rink.
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Review from David B.
Another beautiful day in the city!! Get outside and listen to the fountain. Have your lunch in the warm sun in the plaza. What a day!!
1 Previous Review: Show all »
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1/16/2009
The sun felt so nice today when I sat in the plaza across from the Ferry Building along Embarcadero.… Read more »
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Review from John B.
San Francisco, CA
2/7/2007
This is where I come to people watch and eat lunch. It's a great place to meet up with your other Fidi friends, get your grub on, and talk. Also a great place to take in a free concert, like Jefferson starship. Too bad I didn't know any of the songs they played. Where was "We built this city"?!?
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Review from Eugene G.
San Francisco, CA
9/28/2006
Good place for people watching & of course.... eating. There is plenty of seating & wandering room as well as photo ops. You can walk underneath the wells or walk behind the entire structure to overlook the stinky water.
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Review from Julia S.
San Francisco, CA
4/17/2007
Sunny day, not a cloud in sight, lunch on the steps. It doesn't get much better and yesterday happened to be one of those amazing SF days! A small escape from the work day, if only for an hour, but checking out the people in that peaceful setting and admiring the Ferry Building from across the street make the experience relaxing and refreshing.
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Review from kim n.
3/24/2007
Yet another great place to relax and people watch during a nice sunny weekend afternoon. The ferry building is always buzzing and it's a open refuge from the large close buildings of the Financial District. The Vaillancourt Fountain looks pretty ugly when it's not on but when the water is flowing it does hold some sort interesting fascination for me.
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Review from Sandy C.
12/6/2009 2 photos
An awesome place to sit down for lunch without feeling too crowded by tourists. It's a great place to read a book, photo ops, just sit and watch people and catch up with friends in their busy lives. Absolutely love this open area. The walk through the fountain area is pretty neat too!
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Review from Chard M.
San Francisco, CA
1/23/2007
This is pretty much my favorite place to take my grab-n-go work lunches and soak up some sun when its nice out. Its great for people watching and bird dodging. Sometimes you are even treated to a (mostly) amateur skate show across the road. I always come back to work with a smile on my face when I chill out here at lunch. Thank you Mr. Herman.
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Review from Kris L.
8/21/2006
The fountain in Justin Herman Plaza is really ugly. The view of the Ferry Building is awesome though. I work a couple blocks away and sometimes I meet up with my (yelper) friend to eat lunch out here so we can enjoy the sun. They could definitely make the place look better because right now, it doesn't.
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Review from Tanger T.
San Francisco, CA
9/6/2005
What better way to spend a lunch hour basking in the sun (whenever we are allowed) and to people watch? With a plethora of food choices, Birley's, Crepes, Japanese, Burritos, anything in the Ferry Building, and a great wide common space, there's no place I like best than to just relax. There's something for everyone everytime of the year, ice skating, art booth's, concerts, rallies...you name it, Justin Herman has it.
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Review from Brandy A.
Livermore, CA
4/7/2010
This is a great place to people watch. It's almost always bustling with a bunch of people and street vendors - always something going on. I enjoy sitting out here to eat my lunch and check out the people passing by or just to get out of the office for a few minutes to take in the sites and enjoy a little sunshine (or crisp air).
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Review from J H.
San Francisco, CA
11/23/2009
Good place to congregate and meet with friends before going on an adventure. Seeing as though Justin Herman was a less-than-stellar person, I propose we rename it after my self Justin H. plaza (the rest of my last name shall come out once I am awarded the title).
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Review from C R.
San Francisco, CA
7/9/2009
Perfect place for lunch in the sun and people watching!
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Review from Gelsomina L.
San Francisco, CA
10/22/2007
Pretty plaza, controversial fountain/public art, great open space in the city but holds special memories for me cause of one fateful day.
It's November 1987 and I am seriously contemplating cutting my philosophy class at SF City College (yes, I'm that old and did not go to an ivy league school thank-you-very-much). As I sit outside of the trailer that passes for our classroom, I'm telling my friend about the dream I had the night before. U2 was playing a concert in my backyard and it felt oh so real. At that point we decide to take a ride out to the beach for a little recreational something or other. We get in my 70's muscle car, turn on the radio and hear "U2 is playing a free concert at Justin Herman Plaza." She hesitates, I make her get out of the car and drive like a demon to nearest payphone (did I mention it was 1987) where I call my still-BFF. Several hours later, I have that content post-U2 show glow. Several months later, I'm at the opening night of Rattle and Hum, enjoying the scene shot during the JH Plaza free concert when my friend and I squeal in delight: There we are on screen - for a split second mind you - but we're there nonetheless. *sigh*
It's much prettier now that the Embarcadero freeway is not mucking up the sight line to the Ferry Building and The Bay. Thanks for that Loma Prieta! -
Review from Sarah L.
Berkeley, CA
8/5/2009
heck yeah! the t-mobile skydivers landed here! how exciting :)
