There is an incredible array of shopping
centers, malls, and shopping districts in San Francisco. There are vast
tourist shopping areas selling everything from electronic equipment to
post cards. When I have been playing tourist south of Union square,
Chinatown, and south of Market street, I am often amazed by the great
number of shops all selling the same items. As you walk through these
shopping sections soon every store will look the same. You will often
see electronic equipment behind glass counters. If you look towards the
back of the store you will usually see shady looking salesman. The
stereotype of these people is a male, 35 to 55 years of age, wearing
blue pants, a black leather jacket and they are sporting a thin
mustache. They always look bored out of their minds. I enjoy pricing
various items from store to store and then arguing with the sales people
over their outrageous prices. Purchasing post cards is a hobby of mind
and in these parts of The City I have been able to get some great deals.
Never buy postcards at the entrance to a shopping section. Always wait
until you are towards the end or away from the main tourist section
before you purchase post cards. The most inexpensive post cards I have
ever found were priced at 15 postcards per $1, located in the seedy
shopping areas south of Market street (a 10 to 15 minute walk south of
Union Square).
These shopping areas, for the most part, do not sell fancy items, rather
they sell electronics and touristy items. It depends on your shopping
taste but if you generally do not enjoy tourist traps these shops are
not the place for you.
Union Square has many upscale shops some affordable, some quite
expensive. This square is the heart of The Cities shopping district.
Some of the shops here are Macy's, Saks Fifth Avenue, Neiman-Marcus,
Brooks Brothers, and Gucci and Hermes. Gumps is a fancy store that sells
fine china, pottery and jade among other things. This store and others
have fancy Christmas time window displays. Some will have live animals
running around in their front windows. There is a small park in the
center of this square. I enjoy sitting on one of the many benches here
and watching many different people walk by. There are often painting
exhibits and other shows being held in this park. There are the usual
homeless sitting in their same corners or standing in "their
area" asking for money or playing a variety of musical instruments.
If you look up and around the square you will see large buildings, some
with outside glass elevators that whisk people up to the top of the
buildings. Parking is tough and traffic is tight in this part of town. I
recommend parking in O'Farrell Street Garage. After 6pm at certain times
of the day, parking is a flat $6. You pay after you park - there is a
ticket booth on the first floor of this garage next to the entrance on
O'Farrell Street. You *must* have your ticket with you in order to pay.
Also consider parking in the Union Square garage which is built directly in
the middle of the square underneath the park. Website:
www.unionsquareshop.com
I also recommend shopping at Crocker Galleria if you like upscale
fancy shops. This center was modeled after the Galleria Vittorio
Emmanuelle in Milan, Italy. This center is worth seeing even if you do
not go for the shopping experiences. The reason I say this is because
the building is a multi storied glass dome. There is 3 pavilion levels
and a rooftop garden. Website:
www.shopatgalleria.com
If you like fancy hotels, check out the St. Francis lobby and
accompanying area - it faces Union Square. The center of Union Square
was totally remodeled and designed around the turn of this century. The
new look is quite nice - very spacious and modern looking.
Ghirardelli Square is a nice place to take the family for
shopping and it is also a good place for a picnic lunch (although you
may soon be surrounded by aggressive seagulls!). This center is made
mostly from brick and features small quaint specialty stores. The main
walkways are open air and there are stores and either side. This
shopping center and also on the streets near Fisherman's Wharf, are good
places to view mimes. If you are not planning on putting any money in
their cap or tray, I recommend watching them from a distance. I found
that when you stand in front of them and watch and don't offer them any
money, they will display frustration and walk away. There are also some
great photo opportunities of Angel Island or Alcatraz Island from
Ghiradelli Square. I was able to frame Alcatraz between some of the
buildings which made some nice photographs. Website:
www.ghirardellisq.com
The Embarcadero Center contains some nice shops, although nothing
quite as fancy as some of the shops in Union Square. This center is
composed of 4 stories which contains the Hyatt Regency, a movie theatre,
shops, restaurants, offices and galleries. There is one neat business
that offers free walk in internet access for a few hours a day or a
week. I was able to access my E-mail. There are some good views of the
financial district from the upper story in the Embarcadero Center. I
also recommend when you need a break from shopping to walk over to the
Yerba Buena Center across from the Moscone Center (The Moscone Center
often holds large shows and exhibits). This can be a great area for a
picnic lunch because there are many benches with great views of the
financial district of downtown San Francisco. When I have eaten here I
always find it a challenge to pick out certain streets and name certain
buildings. Website:
www.embarcaderocenter.com
Japan Center contains several small shopping areas. These are the
Kintetsu, East, and Kinokuniya. These shopping areas have many art
galleries, antique stores, and restaurants. The shops specialize in
Japanese goods. Japan Center is bordered by Post, Geary, Laguna, and
Fillmore streets.
Pier 39 (also discussed in the
Attractions
section) is a touristy shopping center. They sell the usual tourist
items such as shot glasses, postcards, magnets, T-shirts, and much more.
There are many shops scattered along the pier, and then also along the
main street that parallels the marina.
Fisherman's Wharf is another family shopping and sightseeing
area. Fisherman's Wharf and Pier 39 are located right next to each other
and both have a similar feel. If you enjoy fresh seafood and wonderful
San Franciscan French bread, this is the place for you. Besides the
several museums and attractions in this area, there are many souvenir
shops and good restaurants. Parking can be very hard, especially along
Beach Street (the street the parallels the water), but you can also find
parking on North Point, Bay and Francisco streets.
Website:
www.fishermanswharf.org
