Market St, Civic Center

Market Street is really one of the most diverse streets in San Francisco - although I don't necessarily mean that in a good way, in this case. It ranges the gambit from great, high-end cafes and eateries to some of the poorest neighborhoods in the country. Starting at the Embarcadero, there are some great bakeries and cafes along the Bay. As you work your way southeast, you run into some retail shops and some of the most high-end hotels in all of San Francisco (including the Westin and the Four Seasons). But if you venture just one block south of the San Francisco Centre Shopping Center, you hit Market and 6th, arguably the worst block in all of this city.

This sketchy stretch, which undoubtedly gives Market its bad name, is a great place for sex shops and strip clubs, especially if you are a female and your ego is boosted by cat calls from homeless men. Once you hit the Orpheum Theater, the neighborhood cleans up a bit, and the street crosses the busy Van Ness Avenue and Octavia Boulevard. The Market/Church intersection is home to the big Safeway and has some great cafes and restaurants, and is the gateway to the Castro District, a fun, diverse and culturally rich neighborhood with exciting nightlife - if you are into the gay scene, or at least tolerate it.

Market continues to wind south into some more residential, very pretty, neighborhoods and eventually turns into the even more residential and commuter-friendly Portola. This street is about as unique as Broadway in New York City, boasting the good, the bad, and the absolutely ugly. It almost needs a section to review for every block, as the spread is so wide and inconsistent. Some people may also find the offset grid to be quite frustrating.

Market Street is perhaps the most popular street in San Francisco. Other than its characteristic of being a diagonal street located at downtown, Market is a fairly congested business area. Tall buildings, busy company workers, and a lot of shoppers fill this street. Perhaps because it is “Union Square,” it has become a fast paced street with bus lines running in and out all day. All underground Muni metro lines gather along Market making it extremely convenient to visit. Starting from the heart of San Francisco to the edge, Market ends when it meets Embarcadero. Passing through this street, traffic and noise is a must.

Honestly there are not a lot of things on the Brady Street but a couple of apartment buildings. But I have to say it is a pretty nice street with a clean environment and good sunshine. Also it is connected with Market Street where you can buy anything you want except drugs. lol. It is a pretty convenient neighbor.

Stayed in a hotel on market street. Its good for those who are homo-sexual becasue during gay pride week, they bring the parade through the street, it is filled with bums liqour stores and strip clubs. You can take the trolly all the way down to the pier. Its about a couple miles away from Pier 39 to get to Alcatraz. Be sure to stop by Market Stree Cinema, there famous strip club. They have arabic merchants there, with great hospitality. Ofcourse they have starbucks every where, even in the hotels.

While I know native San Franciscans who say that there are a lot of great, cheap ethnic restaurants on Market, you have to be careful not to get into the Tenderloin part of it. This is a notorious district that has a lot of crime and panhandlers. It just isn’t worth it. The strip clubs and joints are not places that attract the average tourist. My advice is to avoid this part of Market. It is a long street, though, and some parts are fine.

Market street is very well known and visited by many tourists. THis street starts from Portola Drive and runs down all the way to the piers.I have mixed feelings about this street. Some parts of Market Street are very nice and have plenty of stores and entertainment. There are also bad parts of Market Street that are more dangerous, full of homeless, drug addicts, and drug dealers. Market is not a consistently nice street and you have to be careful and try to stay in the safer parts. There is always a lot of foot and car traffic along this street since it is the center of our city's downtown. Although, this street is very convenient because it has a lot of public transportation passing through very often that can take you all over the city. I would recomment this street for couples and singles who don't mind some chaos and enjoy shopping. I would not recommend it to families with children or older people because it is an extremely hectic street.

Market St., a vibrant San Francisco street, stretches from the Castro/Noe Valley District to the Embarcadero (3-4 miles). Market St. is very accessible and is filled with public bus line and transportation. Market St. is vibrant, dynamic and infamous! Southern Market, which is the area around the Castro is filled with affordable apartments and an interesting environment of tolerance and diversity. Towards the Civic Center where Market is adjacent to City Hall all the way to Powell St. (tourist area); it is known as the Tenderloin area. This area of Market is renowned and infamous for having the largest population of homeless, drug addicts and prostitutes (it is known as the red light district of San Francisco). The area where Market intersects with Powell all the way to the Embarcadero is always vibrant and filled with tourists night and day. This area is made of powerful big businesses, malls, restaurants and other tourist attractions. The apartments and studios in this are pricey but are located in the center of everything! This area of market is one of the centers of night life in San Francisco- perfect for singles and couples!

Market street is probably one of the most busiest and crowded streets of San Francisco. This street is filled with shops and a mall. There are hundreds of thousands of stores for food, clothes, shoes, accessories, books, lingerie, the body, everyday needs, music, etc. There are usually a lot of people on the street when it is close to noon and the sidewalk is teeming with people. There is a theatre inside the mall for people to hang out and watch movies. Market street does not really have houses, it is more filled with different industries. There are hotels nearby for tourists or visitors, so it is convenient for those that love to shop. There is traffic when it is close to 4 or 5 o'clock because people are getting off work and this is the route most take to get to the highway. But there isn't a lot of traffic early in the day. This is a street perfect for friends to hang out, couples to have a romantic dinner, or families to have fun.

There is so much I can say about arguably one of San Francisco’s most famous streets. Market Street begins at the end of Portola Drive and runs all the way to the famous Ferry Building.

Starting at the bottom of Portola Drive, Market Street intersects with Castro Street and for a few long blocks lays a very bustling and busy part of the street with gay pride all around! Around this area, there are lots of stores, shops, gyms, bars, and clubs.

The night life on Market Street is bustling all the way down the street. Although some parts are more intense than others, there is almost always something happening. From bars to concert halls to strip clubs, Market Street has it all. Market is home to the famous Warfield Concert Hall which hosts some of San Francisco’s biggest performances.

The downtown portion of Market Street can get very busy. Traffic is adamant especially during rush hour and during weekend nights. Market houses some of San Francisco’s biggest hotels and skyscrapers. It is constantly bustling with shoppers, businessmen, and tourists. It is a street that never dies even during the night.

Public transportation is plentiful as there are multiple street cars that run on Market as well as buses. Market Street is a short walking distance to Union Square and Chinatown. On one end of Market lies the San Francisco bay front and allows easy access via bus to Fisherman’s Wharf and other tourist attractions.

There is little to no housing on Market Street as it’s a business street.