From Fisherman's Wharf to Chinatown, SF says it's ready to shine as APEC summit kicks off
SAN FRANCISCO (KGO) -- There is excitement on the streets of San Francisco's Chinatown.
"There's dragon dances going on over there. There's a lot of good food, and just really high energy," said San Francisco resident Ryan Klemz.
On Friday evening, hundreds flooded the streets for the new night market.
The market is meant to be one of the unofficial starts to the highly anticipated APEC summit -- the biggest international event in the city in decades.
RELATED: 2023 APEC summit: Everything to know about San Francisco road closures, security and more
As many as 30,000 people from around the Pacific Rim are expected to come to San Francisco next week.
In Chinatown, they're hoping many of them will make a stop in this historic neighborhood.
"A lot of small businesses are ready to welcome anyone, any visitor, anyone from the outside to come and enjoy the food and enjoy the gifts," said BeChinatown's Lily Lo.
It's not just Chinatown that's getting ready.
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Around San Francisco, local leaders have been organizing for weeks -- cleaning city streets, setting up road barriers and planning events for the influx of visitors.
At Fisherman's Wharf, the ferris wheel that once stood at Golden Gate Park reopened Friday, also just in time for APEC.
"I think that it's going to bring a lot of people down here so that they can see a great aerial view of how beautiful the city is," said Jennifer Monette, who is visiting from Southern California.
The city's famous restaurant week also extended, keen to try and cash in and showcase some of the best in Bay Area cuisine.
RELATED: SF leaders, community groups glam up city to wow visitors for APEC summit
"We did that because the city said, you know it would be great to extend this and have awesome offerings throughout the city. And we have the most restaurants ever," said Laurie Thomas of the Golden Gate Restaurant Association.
With the entire world watching, the APEC summit is being viewed as a way for San Francisco to help fight back against some of the negative PR post pandemic.
And after months of preparation, the city says it's ready to shine,
"Welcome to San Francisco Chinatown. Welcome to a world-class city, San Francisco."
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