Fidelity National Title Company - CENTURY 21 Baldini Realty

TWIN PEAKS
There are about 12,000 people who call this neighborhood home. They are mostly white, affluent, gay or
straight, and generally mature (less than eight percent are under the age of 17). They endure the daily
climb up and down the steep roads, and bundle up against whipping winds and chilling fog. But the
rewards include the best view of the Bay Area south of Marin’s Mount Tamalpais. The view of the city
offers an opportunity for a birds-eye view of nearly all of San Francisco’s neighborhoods. The cheap tract
homes and apartment buildings that were inexplicably approved by the planners of the day are draped
across the ridges of Twin Peaks, while the homes along the northern and western sides are statelier.
These affluent areas, now home to empty nesters, include Miraloma Park, Midtown Terrace, Forest
Knolls, Parnassus Heights, and Clarendon Heights. The Peaks is a haven for walkers, hikers and nature
lovers. Several stairway walks and steep hikes are rewarded with some of the city’s last remaining
natural areas. Nestled among the winding streets of Twin Peaks is one of the city’s most enjoyable
children’s attractions, the Randall Museum. It offers kids and adults hands-on nature exhibits, a youth
art gallery, minerals, and an activity center with classes in woodworking and ceramics.
UNION SQUARE
The square is surrounded by upscale retail powerhouses such as Macy’s, Neiman Marcus and Saks Fifth
Avenue, and is just two blocks from Market Street and the San Francisco Centre, home of the Nordstrom-
In-The-Sky. The department stores are flanked by specialty shops that draw cable cars full of whitegloved
ladies and bustling tourists downtown for their shopping excursions. Well-funded shoppers visit
Union Square’s stores such as Shreve and Co., Gump’s, Rims & Goggles and, of course, Tiffany & Co.
Large and elegant hotels, led by the Westin St. Francis, the Sir Francis Drake, the Grand Hyatt and
Campton Place are nearly as famous as Union Square shops and department stores. Many of the hotels
feature magnificent lobbies with elevators that whisk you to their rooftop bars. There are many exquisite
hotel bars, perfect for pre-dinner drinks, such as St. Francis’ Compass Rose (an international art museum
disguised as a bar); the Clift Hotel’s Redwood Room (Venerably elegant old San Francisco with a great
piano man) or the Harry Denton’s Starlight Room, a 1930s deco extraordinaire with a cigar terrace at the
Sir Francis Drake Hotel.
WESTERN ADDITION
The centerpiece of the Western Addition is Alamo Square and the row of Victorian “painted ladies”
homes, which are the subject of postcards sent all over the world. On a clear day, with the Victorians in
the foreground and the downtown skyline behind, Alamo Square presents San Francisco as a livable city.
This picture is not entirely complete though, as Western Addition housing projects still attract crime
(especially on weekend nights). They are, however, receiving more attention from City Hall. As the new
housing attracted young professionals, upscale shops sprung up. The Western Addition is also the city’s
richest repository of classic San Francisco homes, such as the Archbishop’s Mansion at Fulton and Steiner
Streets (now converted into a Bed & Breakfast), the Chateau Tivoli at Steiner and Golden Gate, the
homes in the 1800 block of California Street and the 1700 block of Franklin Street.
San Francisco Relocation Guide