When you say "downtown" San Francisco, what areas do you mean?
Jan 16th, 2008, 08:57 AM
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When you say "downtown" San Francisco, what areas do you mean?
Been reading through lots of the posts regarding San Francisco, and was hoping someone could clarify what most San Franciscoians mean when they say "downtown". Which neighborhoods are considered downtown and which aren't?
Jan 16th, 2008, 05:53 PM
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I consider the downtown area to be the Union Sq area - not the financial district and certainly not the Civic Center or much of SOMA. Kearny is the dividing line between Downtown & the Financial District.
IMO, if someone says that they work in the Financial District and another says that they work Downtown, I assume they work in different areas.
Stu Dudley
IMO, if someone says that they work in the Financial District and another says that they work Downtown, I assume they work in different areas.
Stu Dudley
Jan 16th, 2008, 09:16 PM
#9
ditto dmlove.
The answer would be different depending on who is asking. A local talking about where they work or live, then maybe Stu's response makes sense. But for a tourist/visitor J_Correa's is about it.
The answer would be different depending on who is asking. A local talking about where they work or live, then maybe Stu's response makes sense. But for a tourist/visitor J_Correa's is about it.
Jan 16th, 2008, 10:04 PM
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On this map I've altered, the area inside the red highlight is roughly what I consider "downtown" (e.g. if I hear on the radio of, say, a gas leak or police activity as being 'Downtown' then I assume it's likely in this zone.) The expanded area inside the purple might liberally be considered as downtown by some, esp. by hotel booking sites, business advertising, etc.
http://preview.tinyurl.com/2hxq5y
http://preview.tinyurl.com/2hxq5y
Jan 17th, 2008, 07:58 AM
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I would agree that downtown and the Financial District can be one in the same for many. However, if I asked a taxi driver to drop me off in the middle of the Financial district, I bet he/she would not drop me off west of Kearny.
Perhaps better designations would be the Union Square area and the Financial district.
I would still not consider the Civic Center to be downtown - the taxi driver wouldn't drop me anywhere close to City Hall if I asked for a middle of downtown drop. Perhaps the confusion (maybe I'm the only one confused) is that if you say "downtown" you're referring to a very large area - east of Franklin, south of Broadway, northeast of Harrison, and west of the Embarcadero.
I think I like the Union Sq, SOMA, Civic Center, Tenderloin, etc designations - and I'll drop the Downtown reference unless we're talking about a Downtown vs Wharf, vs neighborhood (Marina, Haight, etc).
SAB - I was born pretty close to where you live - at the old St Francis hospital site in Buena Vista.
Stu Dudley
Perhaps better designations would be the Union Square area and the Financial district.
I would still not consider the Civic Center to be downtown - the taxi driver wouldn't drop me anywhere close to City Hall if I asked for a middle of downtown drop. Perhaps the confusion (maybe I'm the only one confused) is that if you say "downtown" you're referring to a very large area - east of Franklin, south of Broadway, northeast of Harrison, and west of the Embarcadero.
I think I like the Union Sq, SOMA, Civic Center, Tenderloin, etc designations - and I'll drop the Downtown reference unless we're talking about a Downtown vs Wharf, vs neighborhood (Marina, Haight, etc).
SAB - I was born pretty close to where you live - at the old St Francis hospital site in Buena Vista.
Stu Dudley
Jan 17th, 2008, 09:45 AM
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Hey Stu, Do you mean St. Joseph's the one they converted to condos sometime ago? As with trying to define downtown, I guess that area would be considered Buena Vista versus Ashbury Heights. According to Wikipedia there are 91 neighborhoods in SF--some of which I have never heard of--Safeway Heights? Some just real estate hype--Lower Pac Heights formerly known as the Western Addition.
Jan 17th, 2008, 09:53 AM
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Hey again Stu didn't mean to imply I live in Ashbury Height, although I would love to if I didn't like Cole Valley so much--just making the distinction. For such a geographically small city, we certainly have a lot of neighborhoods!!!
Jan 17th, 2008, 09:54 AM
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We were having a discussion not long ago on another forum about this very subject because of the rebirth of Soma and the Giant's Baseball Park:
Hi ya, John King. we were having a discussion about SF, and it seems we
all had different ideas of what DT SF constitutes.
Is there an official city designation, and/or do you have a definition
for yourself? Clear to Van Ness? 6th St?
thanks,
Bill in Southern Oregon
Bill:
Always changing, and hard to say. I'm more comfortable with the notion
of the center of the city, which definitively reaches Van Ness and these
days goes down to the ballpark (or beyond).
All the best,
John King
Hi ya, John King. we were having a discussion about SF, and it seems we
all had different ideas of what DT SF constitutes.
Is there an official city designation, and/or do you have a definition
for yourself? Clear to Van Ness? 6th St?
thanks,
Bill in Southern Oregon
Bill:
Always changing, and hard to say. I'm more comfortable with the notion
of the center of the city, which definitively reaches Van Ness and these
days goes down to the ballpark (or beyond).
All the best,
John King
Jan 17th, 2008, 10:08 AM
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My birth certificate says St Francis - and I'm pretty sure that the complex that's now condos is where that hospital was formerly located. The SF Historical Society had a Buena Vista tour a couple of years ago & they went through that building. I tried to see some of the rooms but only the public rooms & chapel (could have been a cafeteria) were open. If it's really St Josephs, let me know because I've been telling people for years that the building that's visible from about everywhere in eastern SF & from Twin Peaks is where I was born.
SF City City Guides had a booth at the Polk Street fair about 9 years ago. Gavin Newsome was working the crowds because he was running for mayor. He walked up to the booth & stated that he was a 5th generation SF Native. My wife asked him if he knew where the Fairmount Neighborhood was, because City Guides conducts a tour of that area in May & October. He said "oh sure - it's on top of Nob Hill". It's not - it's the neighborhood between the Noe Valley & Glen Park.
I knew that you live in Cole valley.
Stu Dudley
SF City City Guides had a booth at the Polk Street fair about 9 years ago. Gavin Newsome was working the crowds because he was running for mayor. He walked up to the booth & stated that he was a 5th generation SF Native. My wife asked him if he knew where the Fairmount Neighborhood was, because City Guides conducts a tour of that area in May & October. He said "oh sure - it's on top of Nob Hill". It's not - it's the neighborhood between the Noe Valley & Glen Park.
I knew that you live in Cole valley.
Stu Dudley
Jan 17th, 2008, 10:30 AM
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Some just real estate hype--Lower Pac Heights formerly known as the Western Addition.
Many years ago, I lived on California Street between Laguna and Buchanan -- the very southern edge of Pacific Heights. "Lower Pacific Heights" would have been (may still be) the area from California Street to maybe Geary? Then Western Addition? Clearly, that area isn't Western Addition, but it sure ain't Pacific Height either LOL!
It's not - it's the neighborhood between the Noe Valley & Glen Park.
My first house was as far out as you could go in Noe Valley - on Sanchez between Day and 30th (across from the Rec Ctr). I guess the Fairmount neighborhood must be the streets going up and down the hill toward Glen Park (if you continue south on Sanchez, for example)? I think I remember a Fairmount Street.
Many years ago, I lived on California Street between Laguna and Buchanan -- the very southern edge of Pacific Heights. "Lower Pacific Heights" would have been (may still be) the area from California Street to maybe Geary? Then Western Addition? Clearly, that area isn't Western Addition, but it sure ain't Pacific Height either LOL!
It's not - it's the neighborhood between the Noe Valley & Glen Park.
My first house was as far out as you could go in Noe Valley - on Sanchez between Day and 30th (across from the Rec Ctr). I guess the Fairmount neighborhood must be the streets going up and down the hill toward Glen Park (if you continue south on Sanchez, for example)? I think I remember a Fairmount Street.
