Geary Blvd, Central Richmond

This section of Geary Blvd in the Richmond District stretches right through the slice of SF known as “Little Russia” because of the many Russian immigrants who live in the area.

But one of the main things that brings me out to this neck of the woods is not Russian at all, but Morrocan. Aziza is just a wonderful experience which I would highly recommend to anyone who wants to experience the western coast of Africa without hopping on a jetplane. But this is just one of many Geary restaurants that you don’t need a trip to SFO to experience. Geary is also home to the Hong Kong Lounge, Kappou Gomi (a Japanese place), Swamp (a Cajun seafood joint) and, of course, the Russian Renaissance Restaurant.

Geary, itself does get a fair amount of traffic, being one of the main traffic arteries flowing east-west through the Richmond District. On its far eastern end, Geary comes off Park Presidio (Highway 1). At this point it is a wide street with a tree lined center divider. The buildings are somewhat typical of the city, with bottom floor stores and two levels of apartments above them. This is where you will find business’ such as the tattoo place, Picture Machine; Healing Center Massage; Loveliness Wedding Gowns; and Cards and Comics Central.

It’s not all materialistic businesses, however. Our Lady of Fatima Byzantine Church, Holy Virgin Catholic Church and St. Monica’s are also on Geary and Washington High marks the far eastern end of Geary in Central Richmond. By the time you get to Washington High, the storefronts have given way to first floor garage doors and apartment buildings which are more clearly meant to attract tenants.

What does it cost to live around here? For renters, a 2-bedroom will run between $2200 and $2800--not a steal by any means but relatively moderate for the northern section of the city.

As to buying, one of these 3-story walk-ups in the area will run you nearly $1 million. Again, moderate for the city, though, of course, the same walk-up in the East Bay is likely to run around half that much.

The schools in the Richmond District are also pretty amazing--some of the best in the city. Unfortunately, when it comes to crime Geary, because of its high traffic, is one of the more dangerous areas in the Richmond District, with maybe a half dozen assaults taking place on Geary every month and even higher numbers of burglaries and robberies. It isn’t as bad as many other parts of the city but should definitely be something to think about if you are going to set down roots here.