SOMA
You can tell you’ve reached San Francisco’s South Beach and Yerba Buena neighborhoods as soon as you set foot on the southern side of Mission Street. This thriving, if relatively compact, area of San Francisco is markedly more modern than just about every other district in the city.
One of two San Francisco neighborhoods with high-rise buildings of any type, South Beach is lined with new, sleek apartment buildings, and fancy-looking restaurant fronts.
Benefactors of the dot com boom, the South Beach and Yerba Buena areas of San Francisco have quickly turned into a tech paradise.
4th and 5th streets (depending on whom you ask) to the west, the waterfront at Embarcadero to the east, Mission Street to the north, and King Street to the south make up the rough borders of South Beach and Yerba Buena areas.
Offices in this area are diverse, and run the gamut of the technology ecosystem. Here, you’ll find everything from the smallest of tech firms, to Twitter, to IGN Entertainment, and everything in between, like tech PR firms, and websites like CNet (CBS Interactive).
The Moscone Center conference halls regularly host large tech trade shows and gatherings, including MacWorld, Cisco Live and Dreamforce.
But the growing tech landscape is not the only remarkable feature of this area of San Francisco.
AT&T Park, one of the most beautiful ballparks in the country, on 2nd and King, is home to the San Francisco Giants, as well as a number of offseason events such as international soccer competition, and 5k running races for the public. Pete’s Tavern, Pedro’s Cantina, and Momo’s are favorite haunts for Giants fans awaiting the first pitch.
The Embarcadero promenade is home to joggers and exercisers, street performers and picture-takers, coffee shops and upscale restaurants, not to mention views of the San Francisco Bay, and the new LED-infused Bay Bridge pylons.
Art abounds as well. The San Francisco Museum of Modern Art (SF MOMA) opened in 1995, and is a popular attraction, though it will be closed until 2015 for expansion remodeling. The Yerba Buena Center for the Arts, a home of many contemporary art exhibits, also borders the Yerba Buena Gardens. Yerba Buena Gardens’ four square blocks of parks and attractions feature an ice skating rink in the winter, a bowling alley, and a number of restaurants and public art exhibits.
Shoppers in this part of San Francisco will also rejoice. The Westfield Metreon features a complete movie theater with 3D and Imax experiences. The building also houses a brand new City Target store, and, across the street at the Westfield Shopping Centre, Nordstrom, Bloomingdale’s, and a number of restaurants beckon. The shopping complex also offers direct access to the Powell Street transportation hub.
Once driven by an underground rave and club scene, much of this type of nightlife has moved southwest to the seedier SOMA neighborhood. South Beach and Yerba Buena now offer a much more above ground (literally and figuratively) bar scene. But don’t look for your standard San Francisco dive here. This area is home to cocktails and sports bars, hotel lounges and waterfront happy hour favorites.
If you’re looking for chic and modern, this is the neighborhood for you. South Beach houses San Francisco’s Caltrain station, baseball stadium, and many of its and entertainment culture centers, and caters almost specifically to the tech world and its employees – commuters and otherwise.
- The Infinity, South Beach
- These astonishing cylinder shaped high rise towers clad with subtle green glass are visible from the Bay Bridge as you approach the city. The building is a landmark of modern-day design in Bay Area.
- Phone Number: 415-813-5083
- Display Address: 301 Main Street
- Bridgeview Condos, South Beach
- Bridgeview Condominiums have a gorgeous and coveted waterfront location in close proximity to the iconic Bay Bridge.
- Phone Number: 415-813-5083
- Display Address: 400 Beale Street
- Watermark, South Beach
- The Watermark is the sleekest building in South Beach, rising 22 stories from the waterfront. The exterior features clean lines and an abundance of windows.
- Phone Number: 415-813-5083
- Display Address: 501 Beale Street
- The Lansing, South Beach
- The Lansing is Rincon Hill’s premier boutique building designed by Sandy Babcock Architects
- Phone Number: 415-813-5083
- Display Address: 50 Lansing Street
- Portside, South Beach
- Portside is a distinctly nautical-style condominium building that boasts railings akin to a cruise ship, rounded corners, and porthole-type accent windows.
- Phone Number: 415-813-5083
- Display Address: 38 Bryant Street
- Oriental Warehouse, South Beach
- The Oriental Warehouse is an award-winning live/work loft conversion of a historic warehouse that was used as a distribution point for imports from the Orient.
- Phone Number: 415-813-5083
- Display Address: 650 Delancey Street
- One Hawthorne, SOMA
- One Hawthorne is a striking glass skyscraper in downtown San Francisco that sparkles in the daylight and glows in the moonlight
- Phone Number: 415-813-5083
- Display Address: 645 Howard Street
- Hills Plaza, South Beach
- Hills Plaza is a prestigious 18 story landmark condominium building located directly along the Waterfront. It is the perfect spot for urban living near the San Francisco Bay.
- Phone Number: 415-813-5083
- Display Address: 75 Folsom Street
- Harbor Lofts, South Beach
- Harbor Lofts is a 46 unit live/work loft conversion housed within one of the oldest buildings around, deemed a historic landmark.
- Phone Number: 415-813-5083
- Display Address: 400 Spear Street
- Embarcadero Lofts, South Beach
- Embarcadero Lofts is an award-winning loft conversion that was recognized in 2001 as a national historic landmark for architectural significance.
- Phone Number: 415-813-5083
- Display Address: 300 Beale Street