Excelsior

Excelsior runs along Mission Street, south of the 280 and north of Geneva Avenue. This neighborhood was once home to Grateful Dead singer/guitarist Jerry Garcia, and today hosts the annual “Jerry Day,” drawing thousands of celebrants to John McLaren Park and the lovely Jerry Garcia Amphitheater. The Excelsior Festival, for the purpose of drawing people together in a family-friendly environment, pays homage to this neighborhood’s cultural diversity. Another claim to fame is the filming of Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner, the award-winning 1967 movie. The Excelsior Playground boasts vivid murals along with the tennis courts and recreation center, and the 56-acre Crocker-Amazon Park offers basketball, tennis and bocce ball courts as well as baseball and soccer fields. Local businesses, such as the acclaimed Tortas Boos Voni eatery and the hip Broken Record Bar, sit comfortably alongside young families and old-time residents.