APEC Summit

Ferris wheel and laser beams now on in SF but city's APEC treatment getting mixed reviews

Tuesday, November 14, 2023

Ferris wheel and laser beams now on in SF but some upset over APEC

San Francisco appears ready to host presidents and prime ministers for APEC, but some aren't happy with how the city cleaned up.

SAN FRANCISCO (KGO) -- APEC is in full swing and San Francisco will get even busier as some of the most powerful leaders in the world will arrive in the city. That includes U.S. President Joe Biden and China President Xi Jinping.

Market Street is officially lit up by a dozen 'laser space cannons', the Ferris Wheel is operating in Fisherman's Wharf, and the Exploratorium has a massive photo of the San Francisco skyline outside of it.

APEC week is here and San Francisco appears ready to host presidents and prime ministers of some of the most powerful nations in the world.

"I love it! I feel like we're starting the holiday early with the APEC conference," said Ann Estacio.

VIDEO: 'Where are the people?': Some SF restaurants feeling the impact of APEC

Some restaurant owners in San Francisco say they've noticed a substantial hit to their business due to the APEC summit.

"Haven't seen this one on a Monday before!" said Tylah Moi from Fairfield.

Monday night laser beams were turned on near the Ferry Building. Similar to the ones used during Pride month, but these have light-changing capacity. There are also double the amount as there were in the past so it's likely ships on the Pacific Ocean will again be able to see them.

"This time we're going to move to glacial pastels and try a whole new look above Market Street. It's 4.1 miles to the top of Twin Peaks I think it was at least 8 miles that we were seeing it out by the marine layer last year," said Ben Davis who is the CEO of the non-profit called Illuminate.

Along the waterside of the Exploratorium, where President Biden will host an APEC party Wednesday, a stage is already set up, although not in perfect view due to the massive cargo containers out front.

"I hope that between all the nations we can just talk and have more love and not so much hate," said Debi Rossmiller of San Francisco.

VIDEO: From Fisherman's Wharf to Chinatown, SF says it's ready to shine as APEC summit kicks off

San Francisco Chinatown says it's ready for visitors from all walks of life to visit the historical district as APEC 2023 kicks off.

We talked with several people who live in the area along Market Street and near the Ferry Building who aren't happy and say that the homeless encampments that were located along the Embarcadero were only cleared in the last week.

"I think it's good that they are cleaning it up, I'd rather have them clean up when 17 countries are coming in but it would be nice if they cleaned up rest of the year too," said a San Francisco resident.

One San Franciscan responded to Governor Newsom who defended cleaning up San Francisco last week when he said you clean your home when guests come over.

"You know a kid just got told by his mom to clean his room like 'hey there are guests coming, go clean you're room,' then he cleans the living room and puts all his clothes into the closet and the mess is still there. The homeless people have not vanished overnight just an FYI for everyone," said Shup Viregi who lives in San Francisco.

But for APEC week, the bright lights sure are bright, and the new attractions sure are busy.

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