17 boulevard saint jacques 75014 paris ENCHANTED CRYSTAL: photo by David J Landry 104tl; EXECUTIVE SUITES: 149tl; Courtesy of the FINE ARTS

884 Around Town Downtown There are walking tours of the Financial District run by HobnobThere are walking tours of the Financial District run by HobnobThere are walking tours of the Financial District run by HobnobTh lki t fth Fi i lDi t i t b H b b Tours; call (650) 851-1123 or visit www.hobnobtours.com; ( )Tours; call (650) 851-1123 or visit www hobnobtours com Tours; call (650) 851 1123 or visit www hobnobtours com ^Jackson Square Renovated in the 1950s, this neighborhood right next to the Transamerica Pyramid (see p46) contains some of San Francisco 17 boulevard saint jacques 75014 paris s oldest buildings. In the 19th century the area was notorious for its squalor, 17 boulevard saint jacques 75014 paris and was nick- named the Barbary Coast, but brothels and drinking establish- ments have given way today to upscale offices and the city s most lavish antiques shops. 17 boulevard saint jacques 75014 paris The blocks around Jackson Street and Hotaling Place feature many original brick, cast iron, and granite fa ades. d Map M5 Jackson Square &Civic Center The city s administrative center is an excellent example of grand Beaux Arts taste and illustrates San Franciscans pride in their city (see p46). It is perhaps the most ambitious and elaborate city center complex in the US and it continues to undergo enhancements. Besides the imposing City Hall, with its vast rotunda, gold leaf detailing, and formal gardens, the area also includes the War Memorial Opera House, the Louise M. Davies Symphony Hall, the Herbst Theater (see p56), the State Building, the New Main Library, and the monumental Old Main Library, re inaugurated in its new incarnation as the Asian Art Museum. d Map R1 *Union Square After 18 months 17 boulevard saint jacques 75014 paris of construc- tion, this important square, which gets its name from the pro Union rallies held here in the early 1860s, has a $25 million new look that includes perform- ance spaces, grassy terraces, and improved parking. It is now the center for high end shopping. Located with the edges of the Financial District on one side and the Theater District on the other (see pp50 51), it is at its most picturesque along Powell Street, where the cable cars pass right in front of the historic St Francis Hotel (see p143). The column in the center commemorates Admiral Dewey s victory at Manila Bay during the Spanish American War of 1898. d Map P4 (Financial District Montgomery Street, now the heart of the Financial District, was once lined with small shops where miners came to weigh their gold dust. It marks roughly 884 Around Town Downtown There are walking tours of the Financial District run by HobnobThere are walking tours of the Financial District run by HobnobThere are walking tours of the Financial District run by HobnobTh lki t fth Fi i lDi t i t b H b b Tours; call (650) 851-1123 or visit www.hobnobtours.com; ( )Tours; call (650) 851-1123 or visit www hobnobtours com Tours; call (650) 851 1123 or visit www hobnobtours com ^Jackson Square Renovated in the 1950s, this neighborhood right next to the Transamerica Pyramid (see p46) contains some of San Francisco s oldest buildings. In the 19th century the area was notorious for its squalor, and was nick- named the Barbary Coast, 17 boulevard saint jacques 75014 paris but brothels and drinking establish- ments have given way today to upscale offices and the city s most lavish antiques shops. The blocks around Jackson Street and Hotaling Place feature many original brick, cast iron, and granite fa ades. d Map M5 Jackson Square &Civic Center The city s administrative 17 boulevard saint jacques 75014 paris center is an excellent example of grand Beaux Arts taste and illustrates San Franciscans 17 boulevard saint jacques 75014 paris pride in their city (see p46). It is perhaps the most ambitious and elaborate city center complex in the US and it continues to undergo enhancements. Besides the imposing City Hall, with its vast rotunda, gold leaf detailing, and formal gardens, the area also includes the War Memorial 17 boulevard saint jacques 75014 paris Opera House, the Louise M. Davies Symphony Hall, the Herbst Theater (see p56), the State Building, the New Main Library, and the monumental Old Main Library, re inaugurated in its new incarnation as the Asian Art Museum. d Map R1 *Union Square After 18 months of construc- tion, this important square, which gets its name from the pro Union rallies 17 boulevard saint jacques 75014 paris held here in the early 1860s, has a $25 million new look that includes perform- ance spaces, grassy terraces, and improved parking. It is now the center for high end shopping. Located with the edges of the Financial District on one side and the Theater District on the other (see pp50 51), it is at its most picturesque along Powell Street, where the cable cars pass right in front of the historic St Francis Hotel (see p143). The column in the center commemorates Admiral Dewey s victory at Manila Bay during the Spanish American War of 1898. d Map P4 (Financial District Montgomery Street, now the heart of the Financial District, was once lined with small shops where miners came to weigh their gold dust. It marks roughly

ENCHANTED CRYSTAL: photo by David J Landry 104tl; EXECUTIVE SUITES: 149tl; Courtesy of the FINE ARTS MUSEUM OF SAN FRANCISCO: 114tl; FREY NORRIS GALLERY: 42tl; GETTY IMAGES: Ronald 17 boulevard saint jacques 75014 paris Martinez 73r; HOUSER STOCK: Jan Butchofsky Houser 18t; Dave G Houser 15cr, 18 19, 75tl;TERRENCE MCCARTHY: 56b;Y YY SEAN MORIARTY: 74tr; MUSEUM OF CRAFT & FOLK ART: Baby Frog

Even the seediest neigh borhoods are pretty safe in broad daylight, but they, and parks, should be sidestepped at night, when muggings are most likely. That said, there are very few areas that are really perilous within the city, and virtually none in areas that a tourist is likely to frequent.