Shopping at Union Square

Shopping at Union Square Related Information:

Union Square is an actual park in San Francisco and is one of the city’s commercial and cultural centers. It was designed in 1941 and was named for the many demonstrations held here in support of the Union troops in the Civil War. It is a wide open space with places for tourists and locals to sit and enjoy a respite from city life. Many department stores, hotels and restaurants, with benches and areas for street performers, surround it.

Every major department store you can think of is within easy walking distance from the hotels and if you decide to stay at a hotel in another part of the city, public transportation has regular routes to Union Square for those who want to avail of the opportunity to shop and browse. The highest quality fashions from famous designers are available in the many boutiques – Dior, Armani, Marc Jacobs, Yves St. Laurent are just a few of the designer clothes you will find here.

If you enjoy jostling through crowds when you are shopping, then you will certainly enjoy Saturday afternoons, when not only the tourists are shopping, but a major portion of the San Francisco population is shopping there as well. If you prefer less crowded shopping conditions, then maybe a weekday morning would be more to your taste. The streets are almost empty and it is fun to browse the many stores. Even if you don’t intend to buy, it is a thrill just to touch and try on designer clothes you have only heard about. You may also get a chance to rub shoulders with some of the wealthy people of San Francisco who are regular customers at these stores and who like to do their shopping before noon.

Most of the stores are open until 8 p.m., but this area does not have many bars. The main focus is the shopping and fine dining. The art galleries are closed on Sundays and Mondays and many of the smaller boutiques are also closed on Sundays. It is the premier shopping district with many department stores such as Macy’s, Nordstrum and Emporium. You can almost sense the elegance of luxury stores such as Tiffany’s and Chanel.

If you intend to do some serious shopping, you also need to have lots of money. The prices are very high and it is very easy to overspend. You also have to be careful because there are many panhandlers in the area and the square is close to not so desirable neighborhoods. Even though it is frequented by tourists and locals, it is also a desirable place for thieves because of the amount of money they perceive the shoppers to have.

Whatever you want to buy, you will find it at Union Square. You don’t have to drool over the fashions in the Victoria’s Secrets catalog anymore, because you can shop at the actual store. If jewellery interests you, then you are in for a treat. All the best jewellery makers – Amir Mozaffarian, Boucheron, Bulgari, Cartier, to name a few- can be found here. Candles, crystal, soaps, fine art, house wares and clothes – there’s no shortage of choices for your shopping dollars. You can spend several days here and still not get to see everything in all of the stores.

No visit to Union Square would be complete without an excursion to the Disney store, the San Francisco Shopping Center (with nine stores) or the Sanrio Superstore. This superstore is the fantasyland of Japanese toys and useful things, such as cell phones, watches or notebooks, disguised as toys. When you are finished shopping you can choose to have a meal at one of the many restaurants that are also part of the Square.