Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
books about them),
A Different Light
(489 Castro St., at 18th;
%
415/431-0891;
www.adlbooks.com)
has perhaps a diminished stock—people are buying their
queer-studies and gay lit at Borders and the like—but it's worth a browse.
Is it shameful to admit that I dash into
Borders
(400 Post St., at Powell;
%
415/399-1633; www.bordersstores.com)
to browse the wares even if I don't
always intend to buy anything? I'd be upset if I saw someone doing that to my own
books. But its cafe overlooks Union Square and a scenic stretch of Powell, and I
just can't resist. There's another Borders a few blocks south in the
Westfield mall
(845 Market St., at Powell;
%
415/243-4108).
I have, I admit, made substantial
purchases at both. The city's main
Barnes & Noble
(2550 Taylor St., at Bay;
%
415/292-6762; www.bn.com)
is located 2 blocks inland at Fisherman's Wharf.
NEW CLOTHING
Some of these places also sell used stuff, but enough of their stock is fresh to jus-
tify inclusion as new-clothing stores.
Union Square, Tenderloin & Civic Center
The discount chain
H&M
555
(150 Powell St., at O'Farrell;
%
415/986-4215;
www.hm.com)
has steadily been spreading across America, so it's not the fashion
revelation that it used to be, but it's still worth popping into the IKEA of cloth-
ing to browse its terrific selection of wearable, well-cut, and incredibly affordable
duds. Offerings could be better fabricated, but for great-looking stuff you may
only wear a year or two and then not feel guilty about tossing, H&M is hard to
beat.
Another location (150 Post St.)
sells only women's clothes, and a third loca-
tion inside the
Westfield mall (845 Market St., at Powell)
also has a kids' section.
From new and designer pieces and heaps and heaps of denim to wearable shoes
and even a bunch of vintage,
American Rag Cie
(1305 Van Ness Ave., at Bush;
%
415/474-52143; www.amrag.com)
seems to have casuals to please everyone.
Everything is organized by vintage or by the type of clothing it is, making perus-
ing easier. Cheap? No. But much of what's on the racks will not be duplicated at
other stores.
Cow Hollow, the Marina District & North Beach
The Marina's
City Clothing
(3251 Pierce St., at Chestnut;
%
415/345-9326)
has
a dull presentation to match its uncreative name, but it's one of the best places in
town to score attractive trendy-casual basics from the likes of James Perse, Ella
Moss, and Juicy. The owners are honest about how clothing fits you and they
don't blow smoke. Prices can be a little high, but not early in the year, when sales
of 20% to 50% off are thrown.
The closest thing San Francisco has to a “sample sale” warehouse is
Porto
55
(1770 Union St.;
%
415-440-5040; www.portoboutique.com),
an American out-
let for fashions by up and coming Italian designers (there's also a store in Milan).
The clothes are only for women and can be unusual—shirts often have purpose-
fully asymetrical hems, pants are less likely to be brown or black than deep pur-
ple or rust—but the fabrics used are so rich, and the cuts so flattering, even the
most conservative dresser should be able to find something tempting. Best of all,
prices are very reasonable as you're buying the samples that were either worn by
