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This travel article is dedicated to Herb Caen the late San Francisco columnist who used to wax poetically about his favorite city.

SAN FRANCISCO, CA

Dave
2004-02-21 18:05:34

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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.

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.