On Saturday, the Port of San Diego will cut the ribbon on its long-awaited North Embarcadero project.
The public celebration will include a zip line, complimentary boat rides and a floating beer garden.
"We're going to have strolling entertainers, musicians, a kids zone, food trucks and it's all going to culminate with a ribbon cutting ceremony," said Marguerite Elicone, the port’s public information officer.
This has been a significant makeover year for San Diego's downtown waterfront. In May, the county unveiled its new waterfront park. The work on the North Embarcadero took two and a half years and cost $31 million. The improvements include public gardens and jacaranda trees donated by the Village Garden Club of La Jolla.
There is also public artwork and a waterfront promenade for strolling or running. San Diegans also have new places to sit down and enjoy views of the water.
"Not only did it create these beautiful open spaces, but it improved the traffic around here,” Elicone said. “We did work on West Broadway. We removed a hump, so that now people can see a view of San Diego Bay when they leave the courthouse or drive down Broadway.”
Construction of a new hotel and park is also underway across the street at Lane Field, where the San Diego Padres played back in the 1930s.
"So the new park is going to honor that tradition," Elicone added. "They're going to have the bases, the pitcher's mound and other little historical elements that will pay homage to that history.”
The free public celebration runs from noon until 4 pm Saturday at the foot of West Broadway and Harbor Drive. A formal dedication ceremony will start at 3:30 p.m.
