The walk up to the park was an event unto itself. RVs decked out in Dead murals lined the Panhandle, and a few blocks later JFK Boulevard was the site of nearly 100 vendor booths, selling everything from cheeky Ts mashing up the Steal Your Face logo with iconography of Southern country store chain Buc-ee's,

The Grateful Dead's 60th anniversary celebration is doing more than drawing tens of thousands of fans to Golden Gate Park — it's breathing new life into San Francisco's hotel industry.

Led by founding Grateful Dead members Bobby Weir and Mickey Hart, the group launched its three-night run in San Francisco's Golden Gate Park with a bang.