San Francisco's Top Story Ideas for 2016

Special IPW Edition

SFMOMA Now One of the Largest Modern Art Museums in the World

The newly expanded San Francisco Museum of Modern Art opened to the public on May 14, 2016. Designed by renowned architecture firm, Snøhetta, the 235,000-square-foot expansion accommodates SFMOMA's extensive collection of more than 30,000 works of architecture and design, media arts, paints, photography and sculpture. SFMOMA is also home to the Doris and Donald Fisher Collection, known to be one of the greatest collections of contemporary art in the world. The seamlessly added addition also allows room for an outdoor sculpture terrace, including the largest living wall in San Francisco, made of 16,000 native plants. Admission is free for ages 18 and under and there are more than 45,000 square feet of art-filled free-access public space. The new restaurant In Situ, run by Michelin-starred chef Corey Lee, will open in June 2016. It will add another excellent fine dining option on the premises of SFMOMA to San Francisco's world class culinary scene. www.sfmoma.org.

Asian Art Museum Celebrates 50th Year with Emperors' Treasures: Chinese Art from the National Palace Museum, Taipei

2016 marked the 50th “golden” anniversary of the Asian Art Museum. The centerpiece of the 50th anniversary year, Emperors' Treasures: Chinese Art from the National Palace Museum, Taipei, presents nearly 150 imperial masterworks, many of which are making their North American debut. Visitors will discover a trove of exquisite paintings, ceramics, jades and more from one of the world's greatest collections of Chinese art. An icon of the National Palace Museum, Taipei, the celebrated Qing-­dynasty “Meat-shaped stone” will also be traveling to the U.S. for the first time, on view June 17–Sept. 18, 2016. www.asianart.org

Minnesota Street Project Offers Space for Artists and Galleries in Hip Dogpatch Neighborhood

Located in San Francisco's historic Dogpatch district, the new Minnesota Street Project offers affordable and economically sustainable spaces for art galleries, artists and related nonprofits. Inhabiting three warehouses, the project seeks to retain and strengthen San Francisco's contemporary art community in the short term, while developing an internationally recognized arts destination in the long term. Founded by entrepreneurs and collectors Deborah and Andy Rappaport, Minnesota Street Project was inspired by the couple's belief that philanthropic support for the arts today requires an alternate model—one suited to the innovative nature of Silicon Valley and the region as a whole. Their vision of a dynamic, self-sustaining enterprise that shares its economic success with arts businesses and professionals aims to encourage heightened support for the arts from newcomer and established patrons alike. Phase 1 of the Minnesota Street Project opened in March, 2016 at 1275 Minnesota St. www.minnesotastreetproject.com.  

Fourth Annual Illuminate SF Festival of Light

Artists in San Francisco are harnessing the power of light and transforming San Francisco nights into a citywide gallery with dozens of light art installations. The fourth annual Illuminate SF Festival of Light returns with neighborhood art tours, artist talks and other special events. Returning from Nov. 24, 2016-Jan. 1, 2017, this event held during the longest nights of the year spotlights permanent and temporary art works that are free and accessible by public transit. The San Francisco Festival of Light is always available at www.illuminatesf.com.  

50th Anniversary of the Summer of Love

2017 marks the 50th Anniversary of the Summer of Love, a yearlong celebration of San Francisco's tradition of counter culture with a 1960's throwback including exhibitions, performances, literary events, tribute concerts and recognition of significant moments in time. Many celebrations are now in the planning phase with overall coordination by the California Historical Society. Feel the love anytime with walking tours of the Haight Ashbury, legendary music venues, bookstores and boutiques and drumming circles on Hippie Hill in Golden Gate Park.   www.californiahistoricalsociety.org.

Culinary Update

The 2016 Michelin Guide to San Francisco awarded stars to 50 Bay Area restaurants. Michelin has been reviewing restaurants in San Francisco and the Bay Area for 10 years. Elite Traveler placed San Francisco among the top five “hottest dining destinations” in their fifth annual readers' poll. San Francisco was named the top foodie city in the U.S. by a new Infogroup study. San Francisco is also home to three of the top 50 bars in the world according to Drinks International and Bon Appétit magazine named San Francisco “The Best Food City in the Country Right Now” in its August, 2015 issue. TheWorld's50Best.com just named Dominique Crenn “the World's Best Female Chef” for her Michelin two-starred Atelier Crenn and newer Petit Crenn. Hot, new restaurants include the Italian-inspired cuisine of Jonathan Waxman in famous Ghirardelli Square, In Situ created by the partnership of Chef Corey Lee and the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art, and The Perennial known for its progressive agrarian cuisine. www.sanfrancisco.travel/explore/dining.

Moscone Center Expansion

Slated for completion in late 2018, San Francisco's iconic Moscone Center is being reimagined to deliver expanded, contiguous exhibition space, more meeting rooms and greater flexibility. The $500 million expansion will increase the size from 614,839 to 772,179 square feet of usable space and culminate in the grand reopening of the newly expanded Moscone North and South buildings. Together they offer three ballrooms, more than 80 meeting rooms and much more. www.sanfrancisco.travel/meeting-planners.

San Francisco Hotel Availability Dates Optimal in 2016-2018

San Francisco is a powerful magnet for groups of all sizes. With Moscone Center expanding, there are windows of opportunity at major properties throughout the city. A calendar of property specific hotel availability and promotion dates is also available for major convention hotels. This calendar will be updated quarterly for major convention level hotels.

New Hotel Openings in 2017 and Beyond

An estimated 6,400 hotel rooms at 15 properties from SOMA to Fisherman's Wharf have been or about to be substantially remodeled — everything from soft goods upgrades to multi-million dollar transformations. Three new properties have opened in recent months as well: the 174-room Hampton Inn San Francisco Downtown/Convention Center located just two blocks from Moscone Center; the 168-room Hotel Via opposite AT&T Park and the 166-room Courtyard by Marriott San Francisco Union Square. www.sanfrancisco.travel.

San Francisco International Airport (SFO) News

New Direct Airlift: SFO continues to see growth in the international markets with the introduction of new carriers. In 2015, SFO welcomed additional international service from Turkish Airlines nonstop to Istanbul, China Southern to Guangzhou, from Copa nonstop to Panama City, from Air India nonstop to Delhi and from Qantas nonstop to Sydney.

During 2016, SFO's service continues to expand with new service from Air Berlin nonstop from Düsseldorf; from WOW Air nonstop from Reykjavik, Iceland; from Fiji Airways nonstop from Nadi, Fiji; and from United Airlines from five destinations: Auckland, Hangzhou, Singapore, Tel Aviv and Xi'an. This summer will see continued seasonal growth, with Air China increasing service to Beijing, KLM increasing service to Amsterdam, and SWISS Air increasing service to Zurich. SFO has now the most gateways into China from all US cities.   www.flysfo.com.

Presidio Parklands to be Unveiled in 2018

A portion of the elevated highway that cut through the historic Presidio for seven decades on its path to the Golden Gate Bridge has been replaced with an at-grade roadway hidden from public view by discrete tunnels. This creates a singular opportunity to establish a magnificent 14-acre landscape that integrates the San Francisco Bay waterfront with the Presidio's historic core. James Corner Field Operations, known for New York City's much-acclaimed High Line, is the project's landscape architecture design firm.   Once completed, park visitors will enjoy an unparalleled experience of the Golden Gate. Open to all, the Presidio Tunnel Tops will welcome visitors with spectacular views, food and amenities, free public events, pathways and vista points and gathering spaces where people can create their own experiences. The site will include places for kids and adults to learn about nature and history, and will become a welcoming jumping off point for adventures in the Presidio and beyond. The Presidio Tunnel Tops project includes three sites: A dramatic new landscape to be built above the freeway, a new youth campus and learning landscape where kids can connect with nature and the outdoors and a new plaza where visitors can begin their park experience, including a new Presidio Visitor Center. The project will be completed in 2018.   www.newpresidioparklands.org

Rugby Sevens Coming in 2018

Rugby players and spectators are excitedly buying their tickets to the United States to attend the 2018 Rugby World Cup Sevens in the San Francisco Bay Area in late July 2018. The competition has a complete line up of 24 men's teams and 16 women's teams which will combine to a grand total of 105 matches to be played over the course of three days. The points will rack up in two locations: San Francisco's AT&T Park and San Jose's Avaya Stadium. www.usarugby.org

San Francisco Tourism Reaches Record Levels

San Francisco welcomed a total of 24.6 million visitors in 2015, an increase of 2.7 percent from 2014.   This included 18.9 leisure visitors (up 2.7 percent from 2014) and 5.8 million business travelers in 2015 (also up 2.7% from 2014). In 2015, the 24.6 million visitors brought $9.3 billion in spending to San Francisco, up 3.4 percent from the previous year. An additional $723 million was spent by meeting planners and exhibitors for goods and services for their meetings. For the year, total spending in San Francisco related to meetings and conventions reached $2 billion. Of the 24.6 million people who visited the city last year, 10.183 million were overnight visitors and spent $7.4 billion dollars. International overnight visitors totaled 2.85 million and spent $4.65 billion, which represented 63 percent of all overnight spending. www.sanfrancisco.travel/article/san-francisco-travel-reports-record-breaking-year-tourism.

The San Francisco Travel Association is the official destination marketing organization for the City and County of San Francisco. For information on reservations, activities and more, visit www.sanfrancisco.travel, read the Visitors Planning Guide or call 415-391-2000. San Francisco Travel also operates Visitor Information Centers at Hallidie Plaza, 900 Market Street at the corner of Powell and Market streets and on the lower level of Macy's Union Square. For more information, visit www.sanfrancisco.travel.

American Express® is the official Card partner of the San Francisco Travel Association.

San Francisco International Airport (SFO) offers non-stop flights to more than 40 international cities on 34 international carriers. The Bay Area's largest airport connects non-stop with 77 cities in the U.S. on 13 domestic airlines. SFO offers free upgraded Wi-Fi with no advertising. For up-to-the-minute departure and arrival information, airport maps and details on shopping, dining, cultural exhibitions, ground transportation and more, visit www.flysfo.com. Follow SFO on www.twitter.com/flysfo and www.facebook.com/flysfo.

# # #

Note to editors: Press releases and other media resources are available at www.sanfrancisco.travel/media.

The San Francisco Travel Photo Video Library is available at http://barberstock.com/sanfranciscotravel.

For news and story ideas, follow @SFMediaRelation on Twitter and @OnlyinSF on Instagram.