Justin Herman Plaza   

1 Embarcadero Ctr
San Francisco, CA 94111
415-772-0700
www.embarcaderocenter.com/

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From rock bands to street fairs, skate punks to ice skating, this popular expanse of concrete by the water's edge is a refuge for downtown city dwellers. On a sunny midday, people flock here to absorb some rays and check out the view of the Embarcadero and Bay Bridge during their lunch hour. But this space wears many hats, housing the Kristi Yamaguchi ice skating rink from November to January. It's also the "Bay" in San Franciscos famous Bay to Breakers run and walk event, and the annual Chinese New Year Treasure Hunt calls the plaza home base every February. Certainly the plaza's most noticeable feature is the controversial Vaillancourt Fountain. When the multi-level geometric composition was completed in 1971, many viewed it as an eyesore. (Public disdain was so vocal that its creator, French-Canadian sculptor Francois Vaillancourt, was laughed out of town.) The fountain (seen in the 2000 film 'Bedazzled') does have its supporters, especially those who don't mind getting wet -- at regular intervals, the fountain sprays thousands of gallons of water and large stepping stones allow visitors to actually walk through the display. The fountain had its most notorious moment in 1987: During a free outdoor concert by the band U2, lead singer Bono spray-painted "Rock and roll stops the traffic" on the fountain. His act was condemned by then-mayor Dianne Feinstein and resulted in a citation for malicious mischief. Bono responded, "We're the Batman and Robin of rock 'n' roll... I am an artist, and that was not an act of vandalism." At a later concert, Bono invited Mr. Vaillancourt to spray-paint "Stop the madness!" onstage. Freedom of artistic expression aside, the act discouraged live concerts at the Embaradero for years afterward.