Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Books, Music, Art and Antiques
Hundreds of shops cater to the many writers, artists, and
collectors living in and visiting San Francisco. Residents decorate
their houses with items from local art and antiques galleries.
Visitors who love shopping for fine and unusual objects - from
that rare one-of-a-kind piece to distinctive contemporary ethnic
arts - are sure to find a treasure in one of San Francisco's shops.
drawings, sculpture, and
photography.
SF Camerawork
sells limited-edition prints by
renowned photographic artists,
while
The Shooting Gallery
located in the Tenderloin shows
edgy, interesting art pieces.
Art
Haus Gallery
is a top boutique
gallery with museum-quality
contemporary fine art. New
works by American artists are
hung at
Gallery Paule Anglim
,
while realism is the theme at
the
John Pence Gallery
.
For affordable art by local Bay
Area artists, visit
Hang
gallery.
At
Vista Point Studios Gallery
there are amazing photos of
the Bay Area and beyond.
General Interest
Bookstores
The artists of the Beat
Generation once gathered to
talk about America's emerging
1960s social revolution at the
City Lights Bookstore
(see p88)
,
a famous San Francisco
institution. It stays open till late,
making it a favorite hangout for
students.
Book Bay Bookstore
(see p175)
, at the Fort Mason
Center is a great place to relax
and peruse the topics.
Green
Apple Books
has both new and
used books, and is open until
10:30pm, or 11:30pm on Fridays
and Saturdays.
Folio Books
is a
neighborhood bookshop
situated in the heart of Noe
Valley that also sells new and
used books, while
The
Booksmith
, located in Haight
Ashbury, is notable for its stock
of foreign and political
periodicals. The
Alexander
Book Company
located in the
downtown SoMa district has
good selections of children's
and general interest books.
Obscure sounds are available at
Recycled Records
on Haight
Street, where new and used
recordings are bought, sold,
and traded as eagerly as stocks
in the Financial District.
Established in 1970,
Aquarius
Records
is the oldest
independent record store in
San Francisco, carrying a range
of genres, from psychedelic
and indie rock to reggae and
bluegrass.
Amoeba Music
has
the largest selection of CDs and
tapes in the country. It has
500,000 titles, both new and
secondhand, including jazz,
international blues, and rock
music. A music collector's
paradise, this is
the
place to
go if you are looking for hard-
to-find music at low prices.
Ethnic and American
Folk Art
Good collections of ethnic art
are at several galleries.
Folk Art
International, Xanadu, &
Boretti
in the renovated Frank
Lloyd Building has masks,
textiles, sculptures, and jewelry.
Find beautiful handmade
African masks, jewelry, and
textiles at
African Outlet
.
Pottery and masks from Japan
are hard to resist at
Ma-Shi'-Ko
Folk Craft
. Traditional and
contemporary works by local
artists can be found at
Galeria
de la Raza
.
Sheet Music
For all your musical needs, pay
a visit to
Sunset Music
Company
, a one-stop shop
selling sheet music, music
books, instruments, and music
accessories. They also offer
services such as lessons,
rehearsal room rental, and
instrument hire. All types of
music and books of collections
can be found at the
Union
Music Company
.
International Antiques
San Francisco's Barbary Coast
area
(see pp28-9)
has been
transformed into a shopping
district for antiques, and is now
called
Jackson Square
(see
p112).
More antiques can be
found at the vast
San Francisco
Antique and Design Mall
.
Aria Antiques
offers true finds
in its eclectic shop and
Lang
Antiques
has all kinds of items
from the Victorian, Art Nouveau,
Art Deco, and Edwardian
periods.
JRM International
sells a unique assortment of fine
art and antiques from world
cultures. All sorts of antique
books, prints, and maps can
be seen at
Prints Old & Rare
-
although you will need to
make an appointment.
Specialty Bookstores
If science fiction, mystery, and
horror are what excites you,
head over to
Borderland
Books
for the most extensive
selection of titles in these
genres. If your interests include
the environment, politics, and
sustainability,
The Green
Arcade
is the place to visit.
Omnivore Books
is a food-
lover's dream, filled with a wide
range of cookbooks and other
types of food-inspired books.
Art Galleries
New enthusiasts as well as
serious art lovers will find
something to their liking in the
hundreds of galleries. The
John
Berggruen Gallery
(see p40)
has
the biggest collection in San
Francisco of works by both
emerging and well-established
artists. The
Fraenkel Gallery
is
known for its collection of 19th-
and 20th-century photography.
The
Haines Gallery
, in the same
building, stocks paintings,
New and Used Music
Streetlight Records
offers a
varied selection of new and
used music as well as bargain
DVDs, CDs, and video games.
