San Francisco

  User Suggested Shopping

About 10Best's San Francisco Shopping Selections:

In San Francisco, shopping is a broadly diverse pleasure, and the city's offerings are a bonanza of goods from the world over. Whether you're in pursuit of Asian ceramics or haute couture clothing, cutting-edge home furnishings or tourist-trade souvenirs, everything imaginable is on display. Even better, independent shops, refined by the owners' tastes, are the status quo. As a result, unique items are key, and street and neighborhood browsing are more standard than hitting a mega-mall. For a taste of the good life, wander about Union Square, which has impressive department stores and charming boutiques, along with more expected retail offerings. Nearby Chinatown lets you delve into the exotic, courtesy of silks, jade, celadon, and other colorful wares. Sure, the cultural experience is next to none, but the mementoes you'll bring away are awesome as well. Want history and fun mixed into your shopping? Head to Haight and Ashbury Streets, where the hippie movement reached a crescendo in the 1960s and where counterculture continues to preach peace and love in its merchandise. Even today, second-hand stores and places touting alternatives to the mainstream are prominent and are absolutely worth checking out. And if you've just got to pick up a few souvenir t-shirts, postcards of Alcatraz, and Ghirardelli chocolates, nothing beats Fisherman's Wharf, touristy as it may be. Otherwise, Fillmore, Union, and Chestnut Streets are best bets for trends and fabulous goods.