While boasting the large-scale facilities and international names
you'd expect in a major city, San Francisco's shopping scene is low-key
and unpretentious. This means prices are slightly lower, and shopping
here is a pleasant, relatively stress-free activity.
If you want to run the gauntlet of designer labels, or just watch the
style brigade consume, Union Square is the place to be. The heart of the
city's shopping territory, it has a good selection of big-name and chic
stores - Neiman Marcus, whose prices have earned it the nickname "Needless
Markup," Nordstrom, Saks Fifth Avenue, Gump's and a completely
redesigned Macy's - worth a few hours if you're into serious dollar-dropping.
SoMa is home to the new Sony Metreon mall at Fourth Street and Mission,
a form of "shopper-tainment" with its technology-driven stores and state-of-the-art
movieplex
Books
The Booksmith 1644 Haight St tel 415/863-8688. Good general Haight-Ashbury
bookstore with an excellent stock of countercultural titles.
Borders Books and Music 400 Post St tel 415/399-1633. Massive, emporium-style
chain stocking over 160,000 book titles as well as a music department
with over 60,000 choices. It's a day's work getting through this lot,
but there's a café within the store to refresh yourself.
Bound Together Book Collective 1369 Haight St tel 415/431-8355. Haight-Ashbury
store specializing in radical and progressive publications.
City Lights Bookstore 261 Columbus Ave tel 415/362-8193. America's first
paperback bookstore, and still San Francisco's best. The range of titles
includes house publications.
A Different Light 489 Castro St tel 415/431-0891. Well-stocked and
diverse gay bookstore.
Good Vibrations 1210 Valencia St tel 415/974-8980. A comfortable,
decidedly unsleazy place to buy sex books and erotica, specializing in
women's sexuality. Also sells a bewildering array of sex toys, condoms
and the like.
Green Apple Books & Music 506 Clement tel 415/387-2272. In the heart of
the Richmond district, this relaxed and welcoming store features new and
used books (rare out-of-print volumes as well as standards) plus a well-priced
selection of CDs and vinyl recordings.
Modern Times 888 Valencia St tel 415/282-9246. Alternative community
bookstore in the Mission. Good selection of Latin American literature,
women's issues and hard-to-find contemporary cultural studies.
Rand McNally 595 Market St at 2nd tel 415/777-3131. Travel guides, maps
and paraphernalia for the person on the move.
Stacey's Booksellers 581 Market St tel 415/421-4687. A big store with a
big selection, yet dedicated to independent booksellers and the
community. The store sponsors author events and can order anything that
you can't find yourself. Also features a large selection of magazines.
Music
Amoeba Music 1855 Haight St tel 415/831-1200. A massive, independent
record and CD store with one of the largest and best used collections
you'll ever find (over one million new and used). They also host live
performances within the store.
Aquarius Records 1055 Valencia St tel 415/647-2272. Small neighborhood
store with friendly, knowledgeable staff and a good range of indie rock,
jazz, and things experimental and obscure.
CD & Record Rack 3897 18th St tel 415/552-4990. Castro emporium with a
brilliant selection of dance music including a few 1970s 12-inch
singles.
Jack's Record Cellar 254 Scott St tel 415/431-3047. The city's best
source for American roots music - R&B, jazz, country and rock'n'roll -
especially on LP.
Mission Music Center 2653 Mission St tel 415/648-1788. Mission store
selling music from all over the continent, but especially South America.
Rooky Ricardo's 448 Haight St tel 415/864-7526. Secondhand store
specializing in soul, funk and jazz from the Fifties to the Seventies.
Vinyl only.
Streetlight Records 3979 24th St tel 415/282-3550. A great selection of
used records, tapes and CDs. The perfect opportunity to beef up your
collection on the cheap.
Virgin Megastore 2 Stockton at Market tel 415/397-4525. Three floors of
books, videos and music.
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