Cafe + Landmark + Neighborhood + Restaurant

Marina District

Formed in the early 20th century as a result of the city's devastating 1906 earthquake, San Francisco's Marina District is a picturesque neighborhood of Art Deco structures and pastel-colored homes built atop rubble and marshlands.

The neighborhood sits on the site of the 1915 Panama–Pacific International Exposition, staged after the 1906 San Francisco earthquake to celebrate the reemergence of the city. Aside from the Palace of Fine Arts , all other buildings were demolished to make way for the current neighborhood.

A prime waterfront location makes the Marina District a popular neighborhood for the well-off, though it's got plenty to attract visitors too — including top rated bars and restaurants, retail shopping, and spectacular San Francisco bay views.. 

The northern half of the Marina is a shoreline of the San Francisco Bay, and features the Marina Green, a park adjacent to the municipal boat marina from which the neighborhood takes its name. The neighborhood is most famous for the Palace of Fine Arts, 

Union Street

More info at UnionStreetSF.com

Since the 1950's, Union Street has been one of San Francisco's Top visitor destinations - because of its wonderful mix of specialty shops, services and restaurants in an "only in S.F." historic Victorian setting, drawing not only locals but also visitors from around the world. Today's Union Street and its surrounding Cow Hollow neighborhood, named among the top 5 best neighborhoods in the nation for young adults to live, also caters to the younger generation with gyms, cycle shops, yoga and spas and an abundance of beauty, health and fitness venues, boutiques, sports bars and coffee shops.

History

In 1776, when San Francisco’s first settlement was established on the Presidio, Cow Hollow was filled with freshwater springs, grassy meadows and sand hills inhabited by wildlife. In the mid-1800s settlers came to the area, then known as Spring Valley, and soon began farming around a large lagoon. It wasn’t long before dairy farming became the predominant activity; hence the name Cow Hollow, which has survived to the present. Union Street follows the unpaved road which once linked the developing city with the Presidio. As San Francisco rapidly expanded during the Gold Rush, the area continued to prosper and to become more fashionable. Prominent San Franciscans settled here and erected impressive mansions in the 1860s and 1870s, built in the ornate Victorian style.

Nearby Points of Interest

The Presidio: is located at the southern end of the Golden Gate Bridge and contains Fort Point, Crissy Field, and the Walt Disney Family Museum. Fisherman’s Wharf: Shops, shops, and a plethora of great seafood restaurants line the Wharf, where you still see vestiges of the old fishing crafts used by the Italian immigrants who brought the Wharf to life after the Gold Rush. Golden Gate Bridge: arguably one of the world’s most beautiful bridges, the Golden Gate Bridge is an internationally recognized symbol of San Francisco. Over 45 million vehicles cross the bridge annually!

Golden Gate Park: Where else can you see carnivorous plants, a herd of bison, centuries-old artwork, and year-round concerts? Golden Gate Park has something to offer everyone. Rent a paddleboat on Stow Lake, bike on a surrey around the park, or take a Segway tour and learn the park’s history. Whatever activity you choose, you are sure to have a blast!