Gumps Founded
in 1861 by German immigrants, this homegrown department store is an
institution. It has the largest collection in the US of fine china and
crystal, selling famous names such as Baccarat and Lalique. The store is
also celebrated for its Oriental treasures, rare works of art, and its
window displays.
Gumps
Nordstrom Located
on the top five floors of this gleaming center, the fashion emporium is
known as the “store in the sky.” Impeccable service, a vast selection,
and a refined atmosphere featuring live piano music make this a very
upscale shopping experience. San Francisco Shopping Center
Nordstrom
Neiman Marcus Perhaps
the highest of the high-end stores, this one overlooks Union Square
from a plum spot once occupied by the City of Paris building,
constructed in the 1890s but torn down to build this modern structure.
Part of the original remains, however, by way of the huge stained-glass
dome. Neiman’s boast is that it can get anything you might want –
private jets, elephants, you name it. Saks Fifth Avenue For
decades, the name has been synonymous with high style and this branch
of the New York mainstay is one of the best embodiments of the store’s
mythic elan. You’ll find just about every international designer of note
here. Macy’s This
old-guard department store has now become an all-purpose emporium
carrying merchandise in all price ranges. Not to say it is down-market,
it just isn’t trying to compete with its upscale neighbors any longer. Crocker Galleria In
the 1980s, when an old office building was truncated, architects put
together some of the vintage elements to create this sparkling indoor
mall. Its three floors are under a dramatic glass dome built around a
central plaza, creating an open-ended arcade. US and European designer
stores vie for attention with local shops, cafés, and restaurants.
Crocker Galleria
Embarcadero Center These
four skyscrapers are primarily office towers, but on the lower and
promenade levels there are over 125 shops and restaurants, from
newsstands and coffee bars to a Gap. The choice tends toward the major
chains.
Embarcadero Center
Ghirardelli Square Housing
over 70 restaurants and shops, this former chocolate factory has become
one of the most frequented destinations in Fisherman’s Wharf. The
stores range from tourist T-shirt shops to fine jewelry boutiques . Metreon This showcase for Sony products and similar paraphernalia is a high-tech heaven for kids. Westfield Shopping Center An awesome center with ten levels and nearly 400 stores, including a Bloomingdale’s and a nine-screen movie theater.
Top 10 Shopping Areas
Union Square Traditionally
the focal point of all the best stores, including Tiffany & Co,
Armani, Prada, Cartier, Yves St Laurent, Chanel, and more . Union Street Converted Victorian homes house a charming assortment of boutiques, bookstores, antiques shops, restaurants, and a cinema. Grant Avenue The
southernmost four blocks are chic shopping off Union Square; then you
enter eight blocks of exotic Chinatown emporiums; finally, Upper Grant
is all about North Beach hangouts. Upper Fillmore Street A colorful choice of cafés, restaurants, and boutiques, all geared to a high-end Pacific Heights clientele. Market Street A good place to find cut-rate electronics shops, as well as outlet shops like Old Navy clothing store. Hayes Valley These blocks offer shopping with an avant garde feel . Chestnut Street Clothing boutiques, health-food shops, and an old-fashioned cinema. The Mission Plenty of super-discount stores and funky home furnishing shops . Castro Street Fine shops, gay bookstores and erotic boutiques . Haight Street This is still hippie-central – secondhand clothing and esoteric emporiums .
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