QuickNav 
Or check out the
Store for our full San
Francisco selection!
|
|
|
 |
If Fishermans Wharf is the tourist shopping centre in the city, then Union Square is the real shopping centre! Rather conveniently the two areas are also linked by the Powell/Mason & Powell/Hyde Cable Car lines which pass by Union Square on the way to their turnabout at Powell and Market. Surrounding Union Square you'll find San Francisco's largest department stores, including all the major US chains such as Nieman Marcus (allegedly the 'crown jewel' of the shopping district) at Stockton and Geary, Saks 5th Avenue on the Post Street (Northern) side of the square, and Macy's, which has a huge store occupying pride of place along the Geary Street (Southern) side of the Square and pretty much filling the block up to Stockton to the East, as well as a separate menswear store on the other side of Stockton Street.
In the surrounding streets you'll find clothing stores to match all budgets - including, in no particular order, Gap, Levi's, FCUK (check the spelling - that's a fashion store not an expletive!) Emporio Armani and I could go on forever. Just get down there and take a look, or failing that check out the SF Gate Union Square page which features an exhaustive list of stores in the Union Square area!
|
 |
A couple of blocks down either Powell or Stockton and you reach Market Street, which runs from the Ferry Building and through the Financial District and on all the way to 17th Street for more than 3 miles in a straight line! Market Street cleanly separates the city from the South of Market (no real surprise where that is) area in a specific way - all streets North of Market run pretty much East-West or North-South, whilst those to the South run parallel or perpendicular to Market - which runs from South-West to North-East. I hope that's clear - if not just have a quick look at the map page!
Anyway, the Union Square shopping area spills over to Market Street, with a Virgin Megastore (to name but one) on the North side, and the San Francisco Center on the South - which is worth a visit if only to ride the escalators - they run in semi-circles around the inside of the atrium! Market Street is OK, at least from the Union Square area and towards the Ferry Building, but the further the other way you go the less pleasant it gets as you drift along the edge of the Tenderloin District. The number of adult shops increases, as does the number of low cost, long stay hotels, and along with it more of the relatively large number of homeless people who live in San Francisco.
|
 |
Union Square is also the home of most of the business class hotels (with the exception of the Fairmont + Mark Hopkins Hotels hotels on Nob Hill) as well as a huge number of tourist class (for want of a better description) hotels, that unlike their breathren down at Fishermans Wharf are slightly more reasonably priced. Be warned though, many of these hotels are older properties, which in itself is nothing bad, but might feature smaller rooms and thinner walls than the newer ones down at the Wharf. There are also a lot of places that find themselves close to Tenderloin, and getting back to them after dark may not be that pleasant. That said, if you're in the market for some more adult themed stores and theatres, this might be the place for you - although you could also try Broadway - which in addition to the above also features some bars that don't serve alcohol (if you know what I mean!!!)
Market Street is pretty much the main transport hub of the city, from the Ferries arriving at (surprisingly) the Ferry Building at the Northern End, to the streetcars (including the historic 'F' Line) that run along most of it's length, to the BART trains that run under most of it's length! Check out our How to get around San Francisco page for more information on transportation options in the City.
|
Other Images of Union Square & Market Street....
(Just click on the image for a full-size version) |
|
|
