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San Francisco | |
Shopping |
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San Francisco,
Shopping The more interesting items are had further afield. A walk through Chinatown can pay dividends, as discounted imported jewellery, clothing and objets d’art appear down Grant Avenue, every few yards. Where else could one find pieces of priceless 17th‐century vases, which were smashed during the Cultural Revolution, converted into US$10 jewellery boxes? Or watch workers seal your fate at Golden Gate Fortune Cookies Co., 56 Ross Alley, a small fortune‐cookie‐making factory? For a counter‐culture neighbourhood, The Haight has gone somewhat corporate. But past the GAP, at the Haight‐Ashbury intersection, one can find folk art, music, and vintage clothing shops. There is a more intellectual vibe in North Beach where Beat poet Lawrence Ferlinghetti’s City Lights Bookstore, 261 Columbus Avenue, stays open until midnight. Currently in vogue, Ghirardelli Square, a former chocolate factory located at 900 North Point Street, and Cow Hollow, to the north of the exclusive Pacific Heights, are both off the beaten track but worth making the effort. Tiny Hayes Valley, west of the Civic Center, has a stretch of funky local art galleries and stylish clothing boutiques, for one‐of‐a‐kind items. Pacific Heights, particularly along Fillmore Street and Sacramento Street, has a similar yet slightly more upscale feel, with many modern houseware and high‐end gift shops. Specialist shops offer something for every taste, from Chocolate Heaven, Pier 39, with chocolates from around the world, and Sanrio, Stockton Street and Market Street, devoted entirely to Hello Kitty and friends, to Stormy Leather, Howard Street, SoMa, a fetish boutique owned and run by women, for the past 16 years. While, for the latest up‐to‐the‐minute high‐tech gadgetry, the Microsoft and Sony stores in the Metreon Centre, 150 Fourth Street, dazzle and delight. The San Francisco Farmers Market (tel: (415) 353 5650) is held on Saturday at The Embarcadero and Green Street, stocking delectable baked and packaged goods provided by small, local outfitters, as well as plenty of organic produce and plants. Confusingly, another market, held on Sunday and Wednesday, at United Nations Plaza, goes by the same name. On these two days, however, the selection focuses on Asian goods, inexpensive produce and some baked goods. San Francisco adds a 8.5% non‐refundable sales tax on every item. Discount stores, like Marshall’s on Market Street, do exist. Duty‐free shopping is available for international visitors at DFS Galleria, Union Square, where designer names like Burberry and Calvin Klein vie for attention, while Chanel and Armani are not far away. Opening hours vary widely – many shops are open well into the evening and most are open at least some hours on Sunday. |