SAN FRANCISCO'S FAMOUS
UNION SQUARE

As Portsmouth Square is the Heart of Chinatown, and Huntington Park is the Heart of Nob Hill, Union Square is definitely the Heart of San Francisco!

The park itself dates back to the Civil War era and, in fact, was named for the numerous and frequent pro-union rallies and demonstrations that took place there.

But today, Union Square in San Francisco is more than just the 2.6 acre plaza that's bordered by Stockton, Powell, Post, and Geary Streets.

It's first and foremost, The City's major shopping area, an important cultural center, and San Francisco's main theater district, and it extends for many blocks beyond the plaza.

UNION SQUARE SHOPPING

The San Francisco Union Square shopping district is where the elite meet to shop and the "ladies who lunch" come to do lunch!

Here are just some of the stores you'll find surrounding the plaza itself:

• The largest Macy's outside of New York City with several floors of clothing, jewelry, housewares, shoes, cosmetics . . .
• A beautiful Neiman Marcus with its elegant rotunda & stained-glass ceiling high above you - both of which were part of the Gold Rush Era City of Paris store . . .
• Gucci's - always unique for product and service . . .
• Arthur Beren's designer shoe store . . .
• Saks Fifth Avenue, with six floors of sophisticated and elegant shopping . . .
• Some great stores are just off the plaza on side streets, like Gumps Department Store which has been around since 1861, and Xanadu Gallery on Maiden Lane (it's in San Francisco's only Frank LLoyd Wright building) . . .
• At one end of the plaza you'll find a lovely little restaurant with outdoor seating called Emporio Rulli - order a coffee and pastry, or a glass of wine and something a little more substantial, and do some serious people watching . . .
• At the other end of the plaza you'll find TIX where you can purchase same day, half-price tickets for plays and shows . . .
• And the plaza itself often provides entertainment in the form of artists' booths, or musical and dance performances . . .

OTHER SAN FRANCISCO UNION SQUARE HIGHLIGHTS

Surrounding this San Francisco attraction you'll also find

• Galleries of fine arts (Xanadu for tribal arts & Christopher Clark Fine Art for Chagals & Picassos & Toulouse-Lautrecs)
• Hotels that range from boutique to personality to luxury
• Restaurants like Michael Mina in the Westin St. Francis & Rotunda at Neiman Marcus (a good "ladies who lunch" spot)

And there's theater - the Union Square area is San Francisco's premier theater district

• Catch a local production at the American Conservatory Theater or Actors Theatre
• Or how about a traveling Broadway show at the Alcazar Theatre
• Or musical productions like Stomp or Love, Janis at Marines' Memorial Theater

You'll find your choices on any given evening are myriad!

Follow one of the links below to explore other famous San Francisco attractions:

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