We are going to San Francisco this weekend and want to shop (amoung other things). Where are some good places to shop including outlet stores. We won't have a car and therefore will be restricted to the downtown core. Thanks for the help.

The entire Union Square area is nice for shopping....I don't just mean the Nordstrom Center, but also down some of the streets like Grant. If you have time & energy, take the Bart from Nordstrom Center out to 24th St. Get out, turn LEFT up the hill (do NOT turn right!!) and it will be a little bit of a hike upwards. This will land you in Noe Valley, where there are lots of cute boutiques.

I don't live in SF but do visit occasionally. Union STREET (not Square)
is a lovely place to go shopping--all kinds of one-of-a-kind boutiques. Outlets are mostly in SOMA (south of Market)but I don't have details. Go to some local websites for the city or the San francisco Chronicle and you should get the details you need. Have fun! (There are also entire books about outlet shopping or bargain shopping in the Bay Area I believe it's called.)

Linda,

I would not recommend Union Square as a place to shop. I found all of the same chain stores that you see in a typical mall. The worst part about my recent shopping trip there were all the panhandlers that would hassle us as we walkes the streets between stores. It was one of the worst experiences having someone who wreaked of urine in your face begging for money. If I were you I would consider shopping at Stonestown Galleria on 19th Avenue. It is right off one of the M streetcar line.

I know I must sound so naive, since I have read a bazillion posts on this board regarding the aggressive panhandlers in San Francisco. But I've never been hassled by any, and I've been going there and enjoying it since 1968!

As for "typical mall"--I guess it depends on what you have at your mall, Linda. I don't have Club Monaco, Crate & Barrel, Sur La Table, Express or even Victoria's Secret in my city, so for me the Union Square area is always one of my shopping options. If you already have those, then head over to Noe Valley!

I dont know if this will help, but try ROSS or Macy both are within walking distance from Market St. or Powell St. Both are dept. stores.

Outlet stores for clothing and some household items - Burlington and Ross. Burlington on Howard @ 5th, bus 27 (what hotel are you staying at?). Ross on Market @4th. Don't bother to go to Ross on Van Ness close to Hard Rock - small, limited selection.

We will be staying at the Palace Hotel. Do we have far to go to shop? If we take the subway is it safe? Thanks for the help.

Union square has very high end stores mixed in with few common ones. Such as Gumps, Laura Ashley, Saks, Hermes. Maiden Lane has many of the nice ones.

You are within walking distance to Union Square from the Palace Hotel. You can also walk to the Cable Cars, the Embarcadero, Chinatown, the Moscone Convention Center, Pac Bell Park, Sony Metreon, Yerba Buena Park, SF Museum of Modern Art, and the Theater District. BART or Bay Area Rapid Transit, stops at Montgomery Station located in front of the hotel.

Here are some distances :
Museum of Modern Art (MOMA) 1 block
Sony Metreon Entertainment Center 2 blocks
Union Square 3 blocks
Chinatown 4 blocks
Theater District 5 blocks
Pac Bell Park 6 blocks
North Beach 11 blocks
Coit Tower 12 blocks
Underwater World Aquarium .25 mile
Pier 39 1.25 mile
Fisherman's Wharf 2 miles
Ghirardelli Square 2 miles
Golden Gate Park 4 miles
Exploratorium/Palace of Fine Arts 5 miles

Fillmore and Union Streets are my favorites. Don't miss the Ferry Bldg. Farmer's Market on Saturday and have tea or a cocktail at the beautiful lobby of the Palace. For serious outlet mall shopping you would need to rent a car and drive down to Gilroy, the Garlic Capital of the World, about 1 1/2 hours south on 101. There's a pretty good Loehman's--near Union Square, think it might be on Kearny St.