SAN FRANCISCO – The children in one of San Francisco’s most historically challenged neighborhoods now have a new playground to call their own. The park has undergone its first major overhaul since it was opened in 1995, and is now officially kid approved.

Revitalized family-friendly space 

What we know:

The children of San Francisco’s Tenderloin welcomed visitors to the newly renovated Tenderloin Children’s’ Playground. Upgrades include a new basketball court, new mini-soccer field just in time for the World Cup, and a new climbing structure that will thrill a new generation of kids.

Azzam Alameri, the District 5 youth commissioner, grew up just blocks from Tenderloin Children’s Playground and he remembers the outdated old park. 

“It’s a drastic difference. Before, it was very desolate. It was very dark,” said Alameri.

Now he said the kids would have a destination. “I can relate to these kid,” Alamaeri said. “This place is like their safe spot. Their parents can drop them off and have not too many worries about the neighborhood and have them be kids, you know.”

The park reopened earlier than anticipated following a $3.8 million public private partnership. Sarah Madland from San Francisco Recreation and Parks said: “For more than three decades, Tenderloin Rec has not received a full renovation. But, with the support of our park partners, today we are celebrating this completely reimagined space.”

Upgrade ‘long overdue’

Supervisor Bilal Mahmood said the upgrade was long overdue. “This is a neighborhood with 3,500 hundred kids and it deserves to see the same love as the rest of the city does as well.”

The park drew fans big and small, including Mayor Daniel Lurie. “I want to be brief because I want to go up there,” he said, pointing to the top of the slide. 

The new park brought out the kid in Mayor Lurie who couldn’t resist a quick climb into the structure, and a slide to the bottom. The mayor says this park is only the beginning. “This community deserves all of this and so much more and so, this is just a start.”

What’s next:

  Until now, the park was only available Monday through Friday, but now it will be open on Saturdays from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. to welcome as many kids as the park can hold.

SAN FRANCISCO (KGO) — A ferry carrying passengers collided with Pier 31 while docking Sunday evening, breaking multiple windows and leaving some riders shaken.

Video of the incident shows the vessel striking the pier, with several passengers saying the impact knocked people off their feet and turned a scenic trip into a frightening experience.

“He’s like, ‘Mom, I thought this was going to be the best day, but this is just the worst day ever,’” said Olivia RiosAcuña, describing her young son’s reaction. She said she booked the City Cruises tour because of her son’s love of boats. The family spent much of the day on the deck before heading downstairs as the ferry prepared to dock.

“Next thing I know, I just heard a really loud noise and the whole boat shook,” she said.

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RiosAcuña said the vessel struck the pier multiple times, shattering windows and causing panic among passengers. One woman tumbled down a staircase during the incident, she said.

“I was terrified. I was like, what on earth is going on? And then I was like, okay, who on earth is driving this boat?” she said.

Genesis Alcocer, another passenger, said she did not immediately realize the extent of the damage but feared the worst.

“For me, I was like, oh my god, we’re gonna sink. I’m not the best swimmer,” Alcocer said.

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She said crew members did not initially communicate what was happening.

“The people that worked there were not making a big deal about it, but you could tell in their face that they were panicking,” she said.

Daniel Aburto, who was also on board, questioned the crew’s experience.

“Is it your first day? That was my thought. Like, this is your first day. There’s no way, there’s no way,” he said.

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Passengers said they were kept on board for about 20 minutes before being directed to exit the ferry. RiosAcuña said she was surprised by the tone of a staff member as they disembarked.

“This guy’s like, ‘Have a great day. You guys sure had an exciting entry,’ or something like that,” she said. “I was like, exciting? More like traumatic. My kid’s still crying.”

RiosAcuña, Alcocer and Aburto said they do not plan to take another City Cruises trip anytime soon.

No injuries were reported.

Alcatraz City Cruises provided a statement to ABC7:

On Sunday evening, an Alcatraz City Cruises vessel was involved in a docking incident upon return to Pier 31. There are no currently reported injuries, and an investigation of the incident will be conducted to determine it cause. Any impacts to service will be provided as additional information becomes available.