San Francisco/Hayes Valley
From World travel guide
Hayes Valley, a district of San Francisco, is generally considered to be the area around Hayes Street, west from Fillmore Street (near Alamo Square) and to Gough, Franklin or Van Ness to the east. Northward and southward, it extends a few blocks away from Hayes Street in either direction.
Hayes Valley is getting rapidly gentrified. It has a curious, very urban, mix of boutiques, high end restaurants, hip stores, condominiums and Victorians coupled with public housing and some mixed, probably one-time rough, neighborhood.
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Understand
At one time the Central Freeway ran though the neighborhood, but it was closed and later demolished after the 1989 Loma Prieta earthquake. In 2005, a section of the freeway branch from US 101 was rebuilt to exit at Market Street, with a boulevard running north from the exit at Market Street through the Hayes Valley along Octavia Boulevard to Hayes Street.
Get in
Hayes Valley starts just west of the Civic Center, which has many choices of transportation. The number 5 bus runs from downtown through Hayes Valley, up to Golden Gate Park, terminating at 6th Avenue in the Inner Richmond.
To the east of Hayes Valley is a mainly residential area, called North-of-the-Panhandle [1], continuing East one gets to Golden Gate Park. Going East and South one gets to the Haight-Ashbury district.
When coming by car from U.S. 101 towards the Golden Bridge one gets on Octavia Boulevard after Market street. It is important to escape the main traffic flow by turning east or north. Most restaurants provide valet parking. To park your own car it may be wise to go a few blocks further to the Civic Center just to the north and east, where there some parking garages and lots.
See
The primary attraction in Hayes Valley is window shopping. Walking west one will encounter many pretty Victorian, Edwardian, or mixed style houses. The well-known Alamo Square is 5 blocks west of Octavia and Hayes, a bit uphill.
For monumental architecture, walk east and north a few blocks to the Civic Center. The modern St.Mary's Cathedral is 10 blocks north along Gough, also a bit uphill.
Do
Buy
Eat
Since Hayes Valley restaurants are much used by people go to the music and theater venues in the Civic Center many eating and drinking places are listed there.
- Absinthe (398 Hayes at Gough, tel. 415-551-1590) Restyles the rustic foods of southern France into sleek urban classics. Wonderful (expensive) cocktails based on 100-year old recipes. Not the cheapest place in town, but affordable and the quality of the food is an excellent value. A pretty, white-tablecloth setting and excellent service make this a lovely lunch spot. Avoid Weekend evenings before 8:00 pm, when crowds from the nearby theater district can mean a wait. No absinthe; have a pastis instead.
Drink
Sleep
Contact
External links
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