San Francisco Relocation Guide - Antevia
San Francisco Relocation Guide - Antevia
San Francisco Relocation Guide - Antevia
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Union Square, <strong>San</strong> <strong>Francisco</strong>, California<br />
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia<br />
Looking down into Union Square from Macy's<br />
Union Square is the central shopping, hotel and theater district in <strong>San</strong> <strong>Francisco</strong>,<br />
California. Its name is derived from the one-block park situated between Post, Geary,<br />
Powell and Stockton Streets, but its importance as the largest collection of large<br />
department stores, swank boutiques, tourist trinket shops and salons in the West<br />
continues to make Union Square a major visitor draw and downtown <strong>San</strong> <strong>Francisco</strong> a<br />
vital, cosmopolitan place. Grand hotels and small inns, and repertory, off-broadway and<br />
single-act theaters contribute to the area's dynamic, 24-hour character.<br />
While Union Square proper dates from the United States Civil War era, the park has<br />
undergone many notable changes: the 1906 <strong>San</strong> <strong>Francisco</strong> earthquake leveled most of the<br />
buildings that surrounded it, a large underground parking garage was installed in the early<br />
1940s and relocated the park's lawns, shrubs and landmark statuary to the garage "roof,"<br />
and in the 1990s, the square was remodeled again to create more paved surfaces (for<br />
easier maintenance) with outdoor cafes. Union Square today retains its role as the<br />
ceremonial "heart" of <strong>San</strong> <strong>Francisco</strong>, serving as the site of many public concerts,<br />
impromptu protests, speeches by visiting dignitaries, and the annual Christmas tree and<br />
Menorah. Two cable car lines pass the Square on Powell Street, and public views of the<br />
park can be had from such high places as the St. Francis Hotel tower, the Sir Francis<br />
Drake Hotel, Macy's top floor, and the Grand Hyatt hotel.