1996 Olympic Torch Relay

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1996 Olympic Torch Relay

     
On 4 May 1996 the Olympic flame passed through San Francisco on its way to the Atlanta games.
KFOG radio, 104.5 FM, announced the stopping points. I happened to hear the news. I'd never before seen the torch relay in person; only snippets on television. So Rose and I drove over to the Stonestown Galleria on 19th Avenue (near San Francisco State University) to be parked well before the event. When we arrived the streets were empty, as you can see.
The first indication that we'd not made a mistake and gone to the wrong location was the appearance of a San Francisco Police Department (SFPD) cruiser. It parked in the north-bound lane that's usually used for visitors to the shopping mall.
For some reason both sides of 19th Avenue were closed off. At right you see the southbound view. I walked up toward Ocean Avenue and stood in the middle of four lanes of stopped traffic. A party atmosphere surrounded me. People had turned their radios up and many got out of their vehicles to talk and to look for the runners.
Soon several police officers on motorcycles came into view, followed by some support trucks, and then the runners. In the panorama below you'll see the runners at left (the torch-bearer is in the middle) followed by a Georgia State Police cruiser. In the distance you can see two SFPD vans on the side of the road.
The next scheduled stop was at Mercy High School, near Stern Grove. The Georgia police provided a ring of security around the torch. They were part of the spectacle, and graciously answered the many questions from those who had stopped to gaze. The two panoramae below show the scene.
The torch-bearer then took off up 19th Avenue. Traffic began to flow. And we walked to our car, musing over this bit of Olympic impact in our lives.

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