Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
231
a twice-weekly treat. The F-Market streetcar will bring you here, as well as to the Embar-
cadero Center.
Civic Center/Hayes Valley Although most stores along Hayes Street will appeal solely
to grown-ups with trendy, often locally designed fashions and furniture, you'll find cute,
unique attire for babies and young children at a few shops like Lavish and Fiddlesticks.
If you have the kids, r eward their patience with a hot chocolate at Christopher Elbow
Chocolates. Take any streetcar to the Van Ness Station to get within walking distance,
or hop on the no. 21-Hayes bus from Market Street to ride down Hayes.
Marina/Cow H ollow The best-kno wn neighborhood shopping str eets ar e Union
Street in Cow Hollow and its counterpart Chestnut Street in the Marina. Take the no.
41-Union/Stockton bus for U nion Street and the no . 30-Stockton for Chestnut S treet.
Both streets host a variety of restaurants, cafes, and shops, including national chains and
locally o wned stor es, specializing in home decor , fashion, cosmetics, accessories, and
more. These lo vely lanes attract tr endy, y oung urbanites as w ell as families pushing
strollers—but Chestnut Street is a marginally more kid-friendly and it's close to an excel-
lent playground in case a little one needs a br eak.
Pacific Heights The well-to-do living in this neck of the woods do their shopping on
Fillmore Street, between Jackson and S utter streets. You'll find plenty of clothing bou-
tiques for women, but not as many for men and childr en. Unenthusiastic shoppers can
park themselves in one of the many coffee houses or patisseries, or ev en head over with
a parent to Alta Plaza Park. The no. 22-Fillmore bus travels the entire length.
Presidio Heights This family-oriented, high-income neighborhood has two main shop-
ping areas. Sacramento Street between Spruce and Divisadero streets is leafy and intimate,
with many of its ex clusive stores tucked inside old Victorians. You'll find children's furni-
ture, shoes, clothing, and accessories, as well as antiques, women's fashion, and housewares.
At Spruce and California streets, 1 block south, y ou'll spot Laurel Village, a 3-block-long
strip of markets and stores, a fair number of which cater to children. Add a prenatal center,
several pediatricians, and a pediatric dentist to the kid-oriented stor es, and the number of
children in this str etch of r eal estate r eally adds up . F ree 90-minute par king is located
behind Laurel Village and is often easier to manage than on S acramento Street. The no.
1-California and no. 4-Sutter buses stop directly across the street.
Russian Hill The stores in this fairly small shopping area centered on Polk Street north
of Pacific Street include fascinating antique v endors, furniture stores, and some French-
ified gift shops. There's not much for kids except for delectable chocolate croissants at the
patisserie Boulange de P olk (p . 140). The California S treet cable car stops at P
9
olk
Street.
The Haight This grungy, colorful piece of San Francisco real estate is a mecca for teens,
who will lo ve the rich selection of vintage clothing stor es, alternative music stor es like
Amoeba Music, and fashion that can set them apar t from the herd. The city's best cos-
tume shop, which has a line out the door in the days befor e Halloween, is also her e.
Prices are reasonable, and inexpensive cafes dot every block. It's simple to get to H aight
Street on either the N-J udah str eetcar or the no . 6-P arnassus, no . 7-H aight, or no .
71-Haight-Noreiga buses from Market Street.
The Castro/Noe Valley The Castro, with few exceptions, pampers male shoppers with
excellent or interesting taste. The one store that's fun for kids is Cliff 's Variety. Just over
the hill is Noe Valley's retail corridor, 24th Street. The J-Church streetcar stops at Church
Search WWH ::




Custom Search