Neighborhoods of San Francisco

There is a place for everyone in San Francisco. The diverse ethnic enclaves, fashionable neighborhoods, and areas unique to its own characteristics where people come from afar just to experience.


Golden Gate District

Within the fashionable Golden Gate district is the neighborhood of Pacific Heights. The main commercial area is situated along Fillmore Street which has a good variety of local boutiques, cafes, and restaurants.

 






Venturing off Fillmore Street, we walked along Broadway Street and were greeted with more steep hills (but this is San Francisco, after all) and beautiful homes of the upper class.

 

 
 


One of the notable homes at Pacific Heights include the Spreckles Mansion, home of novelist Danielle Steel.

The area is peaceful and once atop the hill, we had beautiful views of the bay and the Palace of Fine Arts.

 



Cow Hollow

Another neighborhood located within the Golden Gate District is Cow Hollow where most of the action take place along Union Street where we could find art galleries, more boutiques, antique stores, cafes, bakeries, and restaurants.

The area is known for its Victorian and Edwardian architecture that are visibly noted in homes and commercial establishments.

 

One famous building with an impressive architectural influence is the Vedanta Temple, which was designed with just not one design type but combined with a mixture of architectural influences including Oriental, Edwardian, Queen Anne, etc. The combination of various architectural influences was said to reflect the architect's philosophy that all roads lead to one God.

Castro

Castro, the gay mecca of the world, authentically represents what San Francisco values are all about: liberal and progressive. We were there on a rainy day and managed to duck for cover at some of the stores. Mainly centered on Market and 19th Streets, Castro is visibly noticed by the unmistakable rainbow flags.

Haight-Ashbury

Conversations about the 1960s hippie movement often evoke the famous intersection of Haight-Ashbury. As the main stage of the hippie revolution, about a hundred thousand people came from around the world and gathered at this intersection looking for creative expression and free love, while also giving birth to the counterculture phenomenon and alternative lifestyles among the people. Today The Haight is a stark reminder of its past with the strong bohemian culture still reflected in the area.

Alamo Square

Considered the most photographed site of San Francisco, a visit to Alamo Square with these Victorian homes against the skyline backdrop is enough to remind me of my childhood days of watching Full House where this exact location was filmed for the TV show's opening credits. This picturesque view is tremendously unique with the combination of both classic Victorian architecture and the modern buildings in downtown that make up the skyline in the background.

Union Square

Not a exactly a neighborhood, this area in Union Square is worth the time even for those who are not into chain stores and departmental stores. The colonial architecture buildings are gorgeous and deserve any photographer's attention.

 

San Francisco really is a great playground for photographers.