Top 10 San Francisco Traveler
Top 10 Shopping in San Francisco
10. Stonestown
Located directly north of San Francisco State University, Stonestown Galleria offers more than 160 unique shopping experiences. Anchored by Nordstrom and Macy's, the mall includes everything from Sports Authority to Trader Joe's. Dining opportunities include Blue C Sushi, Cocola Bakery and the Nordstrom Café. Of course, you'll find all of your favorites from Chipotle to Panda Express at the extensive food court. Hours: Mon thru Sat 10 AM - 9 PM, Sun 12 - 6 PM.
9. Haight & Ashbury
Shopping in the Haight Ashbury District can be a trip back in time. But the area also offers hip boutiques and high-end vintage clothing stores. When the munchies hit, try the Blue Mediterranean Café for home-cooked fare from the middle east or the Squat & Gobble for a sumptuous portion of all your San Francisco Top 10 favorites. Whether it's burgers in the morning or breakfast at night, Squat & Gobble's got you covered!
8. Fillmore Street
Running through the center of San Francisco's affluent Pacific Heights neighborhood is Fillmore Street. From coffee shops to clothing boutiques and bookstores, Fillmore Street has it all. For all things knitted warm and cozy, check out Margaret O'Leary's. Make sure you stop in at Jane cafe for a splash of tea and a scone after a morning of Top 10 San Fransisco shopping.
7. Embarcadero Center
Along with boutique shopping, outstanding restaurants and art exhibits, the Embarcadero Center hosts an independent film theater, as well as professional offices in its towers. With unique stores offering everything from apparel to shoes and accessories to housewares, this San Francisco Top 10 shopping center completes the experience with fine restaurants like Osha Thai and even a wine bar, Blanc et Rouge. Hours: Mon thru Fri 10 AM - 7 PM, Sat 10 AM - 6 PM, Sun 12 - 5 PM.
6. Ghirardelli Square
Built in 1893, this is a National Historic site filled with unique shops and restaurants. Beware chocoholics: the complex was originally the home of the Ghirardelli Chocolate Company. It’s transformation into a Top 10 San Francisco retail complex was the first major adaptive reuse project in the US. Open 10 AM to 6 PM weekdays, 9 AM to 6 PM weekends.
5. Pier 39
Since the area was transformed into an iconic sea-side shopping galleria in 1978, Pier 39 has offered visitors and locals a unique bay-side collection of shops, restaurants, a video arcade, street performances, the Marine Mammal Center, the Aquarium of the Bay, and virtual 3D rides. It's the only location in The City where you can shop and dine while looking out at Angel Island, Alcatraz, the Golden Gate and Bay Bridges, and a cadre of napping sea lions who have called Pier 39 home since the late 1980s. A Top 10 San Francisco shopping icon, Pier 39 opens daily at 10 AM. Closes 10 PM Fri & Sat, 9 PM weeknights and Sun.
4. Chinatown
Sure to make anyone's Top 10 San Francisco shopping list, the largest Chinatown outside of Asia, the area located between Broadway, Bush, Powell and Kearney Streets is home to fine oriental architecture, restaurants, hotels and herbal shops, Lunar New Year celebrations, and much more...
3. City Lights Books
Don't leave before treating yourself to a once-in-a-lifetime Top 10 San Francisco shopping experience: a leisurely stroll through City Lights Bookstore. In 1953, painter, poet and intellectual activist Lawrence Ferlinghetti founded City Lights Bookstore, the first all-paperbound bookshop in the country and paved the way for the emergence of Beat Generation in the 1950s. Ferlinghetti's A Coney Island of the Mind is still the most popular poetry book in the U.S. Open daily 10 AM - Midnight.
2. Westfield SF Centre
Gleaming beneath its landmark dome, the shops, spas, restaurants and movie theater that inhabit the Westfield SF Centre are anchored by Bloomingdale's West Coast flagship store and Nordstrom. In 2009, the galleria was one of nine finalists vying for the title of World’s Best Shopping Center as part of the International Council of Shopping Centers Inc.’s inaugural Best of the Best awards, the epitome of Top 10 San Francisco shopping. Hours Mon thru Sat 10 AM - 8:30 PM, Sun 10 AM - 7 PM.
1. Union Square
No Top 10 San Francisco shopping excursion would be complete without an afternoon spent amid the finest shopping district in The City, Union Square. Named for the patriotic rallies held here in support of the Union Army during the Civil War, this California Historical Landmark is now a beautiful urban park surrounded by boutique and luxury stores, grand hotels, theaters, restaurants and night clubs. Enjoy free WIFI in the park, which happens to sit upon the world's first underground parking garage. Store Hours