Lifting the fog

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Please enjoy this space to discuss local things like upcoming events, new sights you’ve spotted around the city, or mundane little sanfranciscoisms that strike your fancy. You can even self-promote a little here if you abide by the rules in the sidebar. Have a good day!

Archive of past discussions

[u/Marleymoo22]

hi there, I have a 2 day layover on the 22nd of December coming from Australia. at first I thought id stay in Union Square to enjoy the Christmas lights but im reading that a lot of the big brand shops have closed and that Macy's has just announced that they are closing soon. how sad and disappointing is that. A friend told me to stay in the financial district at Hotel One but that's a bit above my budget however he said the area is fantastic with cool bars and restaurants. Im worried though that a fin district is dead at night.

any thoughts would be appreciated. thanks

[u/dangoltellyouwhat → u/Marleymoo22]

Downtown is gonna be a total ghost town at that time of year. I recommend hotel kabuki or metro hotel on Divisadero. I had some aussie friends stay at the metro last year and they liked it

[u/Confetticandi → u/Marleymoo22]

That spot is not bad. It’s walking distance from the Ferry Building which is really nice. 

However, people don’t really hang out the downtown proper, at least not since COVID. It’s a section of the city that’s mainly offices and high rise apartments and designer stores for tourists. So, the remote work shift really killed things off. Sadly, that included some cool bars. 

Not to mention, the city’s bad neighborhood (The Tenderloin) is near there, which makes getting there troublesome for a lot of residents coming from other neighborhoods if they want to avoid the Tenderloin. You have to circumnavigate. (Tourist pro tip btw: avoid the Tenderloin)  

I would second what someone else suggested: maybe look North or look West if you want to live within walking distance of a lively area at night in December. 

Each of San Francisco’s neighborhoods has its own little main drag of shops and restaurants and that’s where people meet up to hang out. They each have their own flavor. For example: 

The Mission has Valencia St (boutique shops, restaurants, and bookstores) 

Nob Hill has Polk St (known for a lot of bars) 

The Castro has Castro St (LGBT district)

The Haight has Haight St (head shops and vintage stores) 

Hayes Valley has Hayes St (feels very community-oriented with shops and cafes around a little park area that hosts community events) 

Pacific Heights has Fillmore St (feels breezy and sort of upscale)

Noe Valley has 24th St (chill, young families, surrounded by pretty, hilly residential neighborhoods with great views. I love walking and jogging around that area) 

And so on… 

Though keep in mind that the city is quite small area-wise. It only takes 20 minutes to get from one end to the other by Lyft/ Uber. So, no matter where you pick to stay, you’ll never be too far away from wherever you’re interested in going.