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Neighborhood in San Francisco, California, US
Photo: Sebastian Wallroth, Public domain via Wikimedia Commons
SoMa, short for South of Market, is San Francisco's urban renewal district and an extension of downtown San Francisco, with brand new condominiums, office buildings, and a thriving club scene, the result of real estate speculation and the Bay Area's technology sector. Some of the city's newest attractions can be found here, including several museums, the convention center, and the ballpark for the San Francisco Giants, which has only furthered the gentrification of the area. The neighborhood is bordered roughly by Market Street on the northwest, the 101 Freeway (from Market Street to I-80) and 16th Street (from 101 to the San Francisco Bay) on the south, and the San Francisco Bay on the east.
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Stretching across adjacent two full blocks between Mission, Folsom, 3rd and 4th Streets (with another building across the street at 4th and Howard), Moscone Center is a major convention center and entertainment complex with a variety of attractions. As a convention center, the Moscone Center houses major exhibits and conventions, including a number of major (especially IDG) expos that occur each year, including Apple Computer-related expos such as Macworld and Apple's WWDC, and LinuxWorld. The main entrance to the Moscone Convention Center is on Howard St. (on both sides of the street) in between 3rd and 4th Sts., and the Center is divided into Moscone North, between Howard and Mission Sts., and Moscone South, between Howard and Folsom Sts. Moscone North and Moscone South is connected at the lower level underneath Howard St.; Moscone West is not connected to Moscone North or Moscone South.
An interesting venue for local contemporary artists. Rotating exhibits, performances, and film screenings.
The Yerba Buena Gardens, above the Moscone Convention Center, provide a nice urban oasis. A large grassy meadow, a memorial to Martin Luther King, Jr., play places for kids, fountains and gardens make this a great place to come, play and relax.
formerly known as "Zeum"
An arts and technology museum geared towards kids and families, centered on giving visitors a chance to produce animation, video, sound, performance visual arts, and more.
On the premises of the Children's Creativity Museum is this beautiful carousel dating back to 1906, now fully restored and open for rides.
A locally focused contemporary art venue and public garden. Rotating monthly exhibits, performances, and film screenings.
A gigantic and innovative art museum with multiple floors of galleries featuring changing exhibitions as well as permanent displays featuring the works of some very famous 20th century artists, including Georgia O'Keeffe, Pablo Picasso, Salvador Dalí, and many others.
A unique museum dedicated to cartoon art in all its forms.
A museum dedicated to the diaspora of Africans.
The museum is dedicated to celebrating all aspects of the performing arts in San Francisco, from the mid 19th century to the present day. It hosts exhibitions and lectures by leading artists to encourage an appreciation of the diversity of the performing arts.
This is an ok quiet park in the middle of the hustle and bustle of industrial SoMa, with a few small restaurants around it that cater to the Patagonia-wearing tech crowd. Not very nice at night since homeless use the park to sleep.
An artificial island half-way between San Francisco and Oakland connected to Yerba Buena Island which the Bay Bridge passes through. The island has excellent views of the San Francisco and Oakland skylines and quirky structures from the international fairground turned-navy base-turned neighborhood. Accessible by Muni bus line 25 from the Salesforce Transit Center in SoMa or by ferry from the Financial District. If you travel by car, there is no toll between Treasure Island and the rest of San Francisco.
They organize exhibitions, performing arts events, arts education, and public art programs in order to encourage and facilitate the flow of artistic ideas between the different cultural and socio-economic stratums in society. They also host exhibits at the Luggage Store Annex (a.k.a. 509 Cultural Center) at 509 Ellis Street (near Leavenworth St).
One of the building projects that revitalized this area, the stadium is an imposing brick edifice that has all the necessary modern amenities, such as beer and Wi-Fi. It looks out upon San Francisco Bay, which makes a fine backdrop for those home runs that splash into McCovey Cove. Except for days when there is an afternoon home game, public tours of the ballpark are available at 10:30AM and 12:30PM.
The opening of the 2019 NBA season saw the Golden State Warriors return to San Francisco after playing for nearly 50 years across the Bay in Oakland. The new arena includes all of the amenities expected of a 21st-century arena, plus Bay views.
Enjoy the many great views of San Francisco from the water. They offer kayak rentals from South Beach Harbor in San Francisco but only kayak trips from Fisherman's Wharf location. A 'trip' comes with a guide.
An alternative art organization that has premiered works by noted authors such as Dave Eggers and world-class playwrights such as Denis Johnson. The resident theater group, Campo Santo, is very good. The space also has an art gallery.
Bowling alley.
The only permanent indoor ice skating rink in San Francisco, and perhaps the most beautiful, with floor-to-ceiling windows giving a superb panoramic view of the surrounding area. Open year-round. Check the Ice Center schedule online for public skating hours.
This street hosts the Up Your Alley Fair, the warm up event for the famous Folsom Street Fair. Held the last Sunday in July, this preview is smaller, wilder, and more local, but no less crowded and just as fun.
This annual event, held on the last Sunday in September, features Leather, Bondage, Rubber and other Fetish and BDSM activities. Stretching over a mile you will find wall-to-wall dance clubs, bands, and booths where you can shop for a whip or learn about safe sex. It started out as an underground event to protest the gentrification of SoMa. It is organized by a non-profit to raise funds for many SF area charities. It's the third largest outdoor event in California. With a suggested donation is $5, it's quite a bargain today.
A library collected over decades by Rick and Megan Prelinger, primarily a collection of 19th and 20th century historical ephemera, periodicals, maps, and books, most published in the United States. Their collections of zines, trade periodicals, and books relating to industrial and local topics is second to none, and the library contains many items that are unique in the world.
Have the hamburger, fries and Lagunitas IPA combo.
It's not just a restaurant, it's a training school for the Delancey Street Foundation - an organization that helps people rebuild their lives from scratch. Nice backdrop of the San Francisco Bay and cheap eats to boot.
This is where SoMa residents go for quick meetings and meals. You can also find decent food here to go along with the great waterfront views.
A favorite Thai place among locals, they serve up a great Pad Thai and Thai soups.
Delicious sushi served by small robotic rocket trains.
Brewpub meets tapas bar. Good beer brewed in-house, from very light lagers through a nice Kozlov Stout. One or two brews on nitrogen. Very good small-plate food with a Mediterranean/Spanish flair. Tuesday is cask-ale night - beer served from traditional wood cask instead of modern steel - while it lasts, which usually isn't very long.
This is the place for dim sum, and thus you might need to wait 30 minutes (at most) to have a table. You do not need a menu to order your food; the staff lets you choose what you want to eat from carts pushed around from the dining room. The shrimp, dumplings, and duck here are delicious. The setting of the restaurant is also wonderful.
Authentic eastern Mediterranean food. Delicious vegetarian and vegan options.
This narrow lounge sits precariously between a Walgreens and a Wachovia. Friendly bartenders will concoct any type of drink you desire, which makes it great for a quick, after-work drink or late-night cocktails. 83 Proof is also well-suited to group outings with its cozy atmosphere and chill vibe. Along with the DJ, weekend nights can get pretty loud sometimes.
Old furniture store converted to the latest wine-bar in SoMa.
Popular brewery with frequent live music.
This bar focuses on wine, with some of the finest from the nearby Wine Country. Sneak a peek at the wine cellar, and don't be surprised if you're super critical of the next glass of wine you drain outside the Press Club. Be prepared, however, to put a dent in your credit card or wallet by the end of the night.
Lines all night outside during the weekend. A twenty-something meat market.
Thursday is 80s night where you're guaranteed to hear at least one Madonna song throughout the night.
The DNA Lounge is a 2-story club which often caters to the geekier "digerati" crowd. One of the founders is Jamie Zawinski, a former Netscape superstar and Internet nabob. Events feature themed electronica dance nights (Industrial, Techno, Trance, etc.) and live bands. Open on Christmas for goth night.
An SF institution. Essentially doesn't close on the weekend, and thus where people 'end up'. Great old school SF house music. Unexpected outdoor patio/waterfall space to chill.
Where all the shirtless buff gay boys go. Great sound system. If you like cheesy techno and disco diva wailing music, this is the place.
Fun semi-dingy club. Don't miss Trannyshack, Tuesdays at midnight. Very worth the sleep deprivation at work the next day. A collectively owned queer bar.
Nice, clean hotel with small rooms but a great location.
A historic hotel with very nice guestrooms and flexible meeting space.
This is a 460 room historic boutique hotel. An elegant, opulent building, it was first used as a temporary city hall after the 1906 earthquake. Italian marble, Austrian chandeliers, and a short walk to the Symphony/Opera and the Asian Art Museum. It also has a piano bar/wine bar.
Marriot Autograph Collection
A Marriot with all the amenities that generally come with it.
Very high-end hotel. Beautiful art collection, and extensive sports club with fitness facilities and spa.
A waterfront boutique hotel on the Embarcadero, across from the San Francisco Ferry Building, with views onto San Francisco Bay.
A comparatively smaller hotel with small but very comfy rooms and good service.
A translucent cool-blue tower that doubles as a city landmark.
Convention center hotel across the street from the Moscone Center.
Established in 1875, the Palace has 552 guest rooms. In 1945, the official banquet honoring the opening session of the United Nations was held in The Garden Court at The Palace. The Garden Court is also the place to go to for traditional afternoon tea, but naturally with a hefty price tag.
A historic and very upscale hotel with a spa, butler service, and on-site restaurant.
Another major convention center hotel, with lots of amenities and very nice rooms.
Thousands of beads and bead-based products for any bead and jewelry lover.
This mall/entertainment complex was built by Sony in the late 1990s at the height of the fever dream of the Dot Com Boom. While it no longer has the extensive arcade and indoor theme parks of its past glory, it still has some interesting shops and a 15-screen movie theater with an IMAX screen. A food court on the lower level serves the convention area and is overwhelmed during lunch hours of the major conventions. The space is next to Target.
A charming and long-standing floral shop.
This is mostly for dining but there are also many shops here as well.
By rail
Caltrain, a commuter rail line between San Jose and San Francisco, terminates at the Caltrain station at 4th & King Streets, just down the street from Oracle Park.
By bus
MUNI offers extensive bus service through SoMa, with nearly every street having a bus line of some sort.
By car
The San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge, which is part of Interstate Highway 80, offers a direct connection from the cities of the East Bay area (such as Oakland) to SoMa.
By boat
In addition to the regular ferry service provided to the Ferry Building at the foot of Market Street in the adjacent Financial District, two ferry companies offer special ferry service to Giants home…
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