Page St, Civic Center

Page Street runs parallel to the infamous Haight Street; it races from the edge of Golden Gate Park, slicing through the touristy Upper Haight and not-so-touristy Lower Haight, before finally ending just above Van Ness Street and Market. I lived on Page in the Lower Haight, in a 1-bedroom apartment in the back of a lovely Victorian building. It's a typical apartment for San Francisco: a bit small; too many drafts and not nearly enough outlets; hardwood floors and a murphy bed closet ;quirky Victorian details.

Page is far more quiet than the ever-lively Haight Street; it has its own nooks & crannies that we will explore in the upcoming months, but more generally it's the perfect street to live on as it's so centrally located and literally minutes from everything. Within 15 minutes walk, I can eat Thai, Indian, Chinese, sushi, Ethiopian, falafel (so many food choices; we will spend many hours deconstructing this tasty topic); there are more cafes and coffee shops than I can count; I can go dancing, bar-hopping, or find new live music; the Red Vic Movie House is a quick bus ride away for independent movies and cult film classics; I can shop vintage or discover a new, up-and-coming designer or try on wigs and tiaras at the Piedmont Boutique.

We lived in the Haight for a number of years near the corners of Page and Cole. We moved here after getting a little tired of the Marina. Originally we wanted to live in Cole Valley, but quickly realized it was a little too expensive. We hadn't really considered the Haight but then we realized it was only a few blocks from Cole Valley. We walked all over the area and ended up on Page Street.

Although Cole Valley is still probably the nicer place, Page Street was great. We are just off of Haight, so getting any groceries, eating-out, bars, hardware, you name it - is all only a block away. If we want to go to Eos, or Crepes on Cole, it is a 7 minute walk. The biggest benefit of being on Page though is Golden Gate Park. Page is only a block from the panhandle - so with kids - it is a huge plus. We walk over to the park almost every day, something that would be extremely difficult to do from Cole.

Our biggest surpise though was how quiet the street is. You would think being near Haight would be noisy, but only a block away it is quite a difference. There is the occassionaly street-noise, and homeless people that drift over from Haight though. We haven't had any bad experiences, but if this type of thing bothers you, then it could be annoying. Although if this bothers you... what are you doing in SF?? The other drawback is parking. We have a parking spot, but some of our neighbors do not, and they complain about it quite a bit. Definitely try and get a spot if you move here.

Since we've been here the street has been undergoing an endless transformation. Virtually every home has been repainted, trees have been planted, and it seems like folks are really taking care of it. When we moved in, it was nice, but not like this. We will miss it!

Hayes Valley has always been a mecca for lovers of Italian shoes, designer furniture, and fine dining for the Theater crowd. Ever since the city removed the overpass and reconstructed Octavia St into a wide boulevard for the traffic going to and from the freeway, terminating in the adorable little Hayes Green park, Page street has been one of the best places in the city to live. Just blocks from Market & Van Ness, we have access to Muni, heading in all directions, as well as plentiful cabs. The restaurants on Hayes street range from specialty Belgian fries to excellent deep dish pizza to high-end bar & bistro. Brunch around here is amazing: Absinthe, Suppenkuche, Citizen Cake, Flippers, Home, DeLessio, Kate's Kitchen.