Auto Immune

Comments (0) By Nirmala Nataraj Wednesday, Aug 27 2008

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We city folks like to think we’re fitter than our dilatory suburban counterparts, but we rarely get the chance to take a bit of cardio without having to wait for a traffic light. In places like Hong Kong and Colombia, al fresco exercise seekers have organized in whatever space they can eke out. In fact, a two-decades-old program from Bogotá that closed more than 90 miles of road to cars is the model for Sunday Streets San Francisco, a citywide experiment in communal fitness. While San Francisco is shutting down only a small fraction of roadway with some minimal cross traffic at specific points, people-watchers, fitness buffs, and those in search of family-friendly excuses to perambulate will appreciate this opportunity to walk, bike, roller-blade, or dance across 4.5 miles along the bay. Free group events along the route offered by more than 100 community organizations include tai chi, yoga, and aerobics. Aside from being a choice occasion to enjoy the waterfront without all the vehicular congestion, Sunday Streets gives pedestrians a chance to live out their “dancing in the streets” fantasies in neighborhoods that don’t necessarily get scads of foot traffic — like Bayview, which boasts amazing vistas you’re unlikely to find gracing tourist postcards.
Sun., Aug. 31, 9 a.m.; Sun., Sept. 14, 9 a.m., 2008