Neighborhood: Downtown

Now located in the Civic Center on Larkin Street, San Francisco’s main public library system has been officially running since 1879, just 30 years after the Gold Rush brought a new wave of readers from the east. Since then the library’s headquarters has moved several times. When the 1989 earthquake ruined its building, the library moved to its current location in the civic center, a building that the city spent almost 140 million dollars and seven years completing.

The library hosts a variety of events and classes open to the community, enjoyable to both children and adults. Children and their caregivers can attend a one-hour storytime held in the children’s branch of the library, usually from 11-12 in the morning (just in time to get home for lunch and naptime!), where they can read, sing, and play together. Grandparents are even officially invited. The younger storytime, called Laptime, runs from 10:30-11:30, offers children (infants to 3-year-olds) and their caregivers songs, stores, and fingerplays. Older children (over 12) can participate in classes such as Beyond Journal Writing, a nine-week class that give them the opportunity to develop and shard their writing in a nurturing and open atmosphere, led by a Writers Corps teacher.

Parents with children old enough to independently experience the library can settle their kids in the children’s wing, and take adult writing classes, learning such concepts as how writing in their journal can make a difference in their health and happiness. Families together can enjoy performances of Shakespeare’s “Twelfth Night”, and learning sessions on subjects like Jazz and American Pop cosponsored by the Art, Music, and Recreation Center, listening to music of an open-horn Victoria, Louis Armstrong and Duke Ellington, among others.

Forget reading. The building itself is something worth seeing. The beautiful and uncomplicated architecture, the steps leading to the front doors flanked by palm trees, the arched wooden window frames letting in plenty of sunshine. The atmosphere alone sheds a new light on reading. Plus the facility’s impressive amenities. Within the seven-floor library, readers will find room for over one thousand laptops, over three hundred computer terminals, private rooms, and the children’s wing. Children will also love visiting the large atrium and the photo collection on the sixth floor exhibiting San Francisco’s history from 1850 to the present. Children will love returning to both the atrium and the photos.

Not to mention the good old fashioned pastime of sitting and reading with family. Children can attain their own library cards, teaching them the value of choice (Corduroy or Where the Wild Things Are?), organization, and accountability. The library system, one of the city’s oldest institutions, is a pastime that can occur repeatedly, rain or shine, is always a great pastime.

Many of the locals already know that Union Square is one of the best places to shop in San Francisco, but in case you don’t, you should run, not walk to Union Square. It’s heaven for your shopping addiction. The name Union Square is in reference to the park that borders the main streets of the square; Geary, Post, Powell, and Stockton Streets. Though some renovation has taken place over time, and some still to come, retail is back up in Union Square and it has once again become "the" place to shop.

It is also a great meeting spot to begin to see the city when you have friends and families come to visit you. There are plenty of places to eat, both for long conversation filled dinners or short business lunches. There are even occasional dance and music performances. You can’t forget the famed Macy’s holiday tree that rolls in during the holiday season. There really is something for everyone here!

As you stroll along the streets in Union Square you’ll come across some fine art galleries as well as galleries that exhibit their work rather than selling it. New stores are popping up every day with specialized boutiques of every flavor and the streets are alive with people looking for entertainment.

When it comes to the shopping itself, Union Square offers both upscale retailers as well as big named stores such as H&M, Macy’s, Neiman Marcus, Nordstrom’s, Saks, and Bloomingdale’s. Stores account for almost 125,000 square feet of Union Square with more retailers coming in all the time. The luxury stores are rivaled by the very popular fast fashion stores that sell their clothes at a price than anyone can afford. It gives the people shopping here the best of both worlds.

Union Square is such an amazing place, not only because of all the wonderful stores set in one unique district, but because even if you don’t want to shop you can just pull up a bench and do some people watching. On a beautiful day, you'll find tons of people eating lunch on the grass or just enjoying each other’s company at a cafe.

Getting Here

Union Square is very easy to get to by way of the Powell-Hyde and Powell-Mason cable cars that serve Powell Street in Union Square. There are also numerous trolley and bus lines up and down the streets of Union Square. The Muni Metro is even planning an extension of their metro system to include Union Square to be completed by 2016. You don’t particularly want to drive because not only is it hard to find a spot, but if you park in the garage, you’ll end up handing over a hefty amount of cash for a couple of hours.

No matter how you get there, just get there! It is an amazing array of shops and department stores that will be sure to leave your wallet light but your bags heavy.