Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
49
Center,
a set of fiv e multi-use to wers
along Drumm Street beginning at Mar-
ket Street, houses upscale chain stor es,
restaurants, a movieplex, and a seasonal
outdoor ice skating rink.
The few hotels that grace the area are
priced in the high-moderate to luxur y
range, but dining options run the gamut
from very inexpensive to big-night-out.
Just slightly off the beaten tourist path,
this would be a fun, conv enient area in
which to stay with kids of any age.
Nob H ill
Along California S treet
from Leav enworth to S tockton str eets,
Nob Hill is one of the oldest and most
fashionable neighborhoods in to wn. It
was once the ex clusive turf of the rail-
road bar ons Leland S tanford, M ark
Hopkins, Charles Crocker, and Collis P.
Huntington—collectively known as the
“Big Four.” The properties where their
mansions once stood now support fancy
hotels, a priv ate club, expensiv e apar t-
ment buildings, and the striking G race
Cathedral. This is a wonderful place for
families to stay: The largely r esidential
feel of Huntington Park provides a nice
respite from the congestion of the city
center, y et it 's just a 5-minute walk
from Union Square. Also, the Califor-
nia cable car line r uns right by most of
the hotels. The downside for those on
foot is a steep uphill walk fr om Union
Square to get back to the hotel. There's
also cost: M ost of the hotels her e ar e
lovely, but also quite pricey.
Financial D istrict
E ncompassing
prime r eal estate r oughly betw een
Montgomery S treet and the E mbarca-
dero on the w est side of M arket Street,
the F inancial D istrict is the business
center of San Francisco. The once-con-
troversial Transamerica P yramid at
Montgomery and Clay str eets is a sky-
line landmark, wor th a closer look for
the miniatur e for est of r edwood tr ees
planted next to the building on the east
side. Eating lunch ar ound here is easy:
Belden Place, an alley betw een Kearny,
Bush, and P ine str eets, offers outdoor
dining in good w eather and E uropean
ambience all y
ear r ound, and the
Crocker G alleria betw een Post, S utter,
and M ontgomery str eets offers good
fast food, in addition to upscale shop-
ping oppor tunities. You'll also find a
growing collection of informal, organic,
and healthy lunch spots gear ed to the
working crowd.
Despite these perks, this wouldn't be
my first choice of a neighborhood to
stay in. The str eets ar e practically
deserted at night, ex cept for homeless
people. B ut, on the upside, it
's r eally
quiet.
Civic Center and Hayes Valley
W ith
the Asian Ar t Museum and impr essive
buildings in the B eaux Ar ts ar chitec-
tural style, Civic Center is a worthwhile
stop for visitors. Bound b y G olden
Gate Avenue and F ranklin, Hyde, and
Market str eets, this is home to City
Hall; the opera, ballet, and symphony
stages; the ne w main librar y; and the
Civic Center Plaza. However, as a meet-
ing ground for much of the city's home-
less population, the neighborhood is
less than ideal after dar k. It's busy dur-
ing the performing arts season, but even
then, take a cab at night. The area has
some hotels, but families should think
twice before lodging around here.
Hayes Valley,
w est of Civic Center
and tucked between Franklin, Webster,
Grove, and P age streets, is dotted with
hip boutiques featuring local designers,
gift shops, and r estaurants that leav e
you feeling like you've discovered some-
thing cool. As a transitional neighbor-
hood, this isn 't the safest place to stay ,
but it might be wor th a trip during the
day for some shopping.
The Marina and Cow Hollow
T rendy
single urbanites and young families call
these picturesque neighborhoods home.
The commer cial blocks of the M arina
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