Some great chefs got their start with their first restaurants on Polk Street. Other spots are so…read moregood they're delicious mainstays: Victor's Pizza with its Veal Marsala, Ben Thai Cafe and Bob's Donuts, the latter that'll reopen in its new location, its first new iteration since 1952. A few years after I moved to San Francisco, I learned from my queer neighbors that Polk Gulch was where it all started before the Castro became the hub of the LGBTQ community. Comedian Margaret Cho, a native San Franciscan whose family had a store on Polk Street, did a great standup about Polk Gulch in "I'm the One That I Want." It's damn funny and a bit of a time capsule if you want to know the history of the neighborhood. I recommend Polk Gulch for its many good restaurants, bars, local businesses including Brownie's Hardware and small town feel with businesses that deserve your dollars.

Polk Street is a long stretch running north & south. The…read morevariety of neighborhoods along the route include Civic Center, Tenderloin, Nob Hill & Russian Hill. Technically Polk Gulch would be consider the first two and half of the 3rd 'hoods. Diverse in culture. Also, accepting of all religions, ethnic origin & income levels. Surprise me this morning when a Gay Pride float was being built on the corner of Polk as I walked up! People poured off a "wool" named school bus ready to march on to City Hall. Hooray for freedom in the City!

I always think of the Western Addition as this huge part of San Francisco west of Van Ness Avenue…read more In my head, where I live (the Panhandle), Hayes Valley, Anza Vista, Alamo Square, Cathedral Hill, and even Japantown are sub-neighborhoods of the larger Western Addition, kind of like South Beach seems like a part of SOMA, rather than a distinct neighborhood. I know I'm not right, but it is interesting and telling that what used to be the larger Western Addition got carved into these smaller neighborhoods, probably for real-estate purposes--and by "real-estate purposes," I mean racism, because the Western Addition has long had a reputation as a Black neighborhood, and one of the things that the real-estate industry has traditionally done is segregate potential homebuyers by race. You probably know the story. Through the 1950s, the Western Addition was home to many of San Francisco's jazz clubs and to a larger Black community of business- and homeowners. This Black neighborhood was destroyed, like many Black and minority neighborhoods across the country in the mid-twentieth century, by redevelopment. The Central Freeway was rammed through the middle of the neighborhood, and by 1970, more than 10,000 people had been displaced, 60 entire city blocks of homes and businesses having been razed. What replaced those homes were the widened Geary Street (now Geary Boulevard) and the collection of mostly shoddily constructed housing projects that dot the Western Addition today. It's still an interesting neighborhood with a slightly higher Black population than most of the rest of the city (excluding Bayview and Hunters Point, which are losing their Black populations as well), but it is a shell of its former self, especially when it comes to nightlife. It recently lost is Safeway, but there is a new Trader Joe's. The city is also redoing the Buchanan Street Mall, which is the no-cars greenway, including multiple playgrounds, that replaced Buchanan Street between roughly Page and Eddy Streets in the heart of the Western Addition. The blocks and blocks of fenced-in housing projects can feel scary to walk by, especially at night, when the east-west streets in the neighborhood are desolate except for people waiting for the 5-Fulton or 31-Balboa at bus stops. Sadly, there's still more crime here than in surrounding neighborhoods, including drive-by shootings near Jefferson Square Park that killed a child at a sleepover party. The Western Addition is also home to The Fillmore, Kimbell Park, the the Ella Hill Hutch Community Center, and quite a few churches. I also think it's funny that it's called the Western Addition even though it's on the eastern side of San Francisco. And its police station, in front of which cars are broken into regularly, is called Northern Station, even though three other police stations are farther north than it, including, again hilariously, Central Station.

I can't even tell you. You've gotta live here to understand…read more update: and goddamnit stop calling it NOPA. NOPA is a restaurant that used to be a laundromat, that's all.

Met here for a networking dinner. Staff was welcoming and polite. Food was delicious and…read moresatisfying. Yummy Gorgonzola and pear salad. Handmade raviolis with amazing bolognese sauce. The waiter said the chef is known for his sauce! The entire entree was superb

In the 70's, when I was in the service, stationed in Sacramento, I often drove down to San…read moreFrancisco for the weekend, staying for about $10 per night in the Montgomery Street Barracks which are set alongside the parade grounds, which have since been converted to The Lodge at the Presidio. I spent many of those days in North Beach, regularly visiting City Lights, where the staff taught me how to choose from amidst the mass of books they offered. RIP founder Lawrence Ferlinghetti, who managed to squeeze charm and pleasantness into the few minutes we spoke, the one time we met. I'd pick one or two books, then head over to Caffe Trieste, where, in my late teens, I tasted my first espresso and first heard operatic music performed live. I'd spend hours, reading and watching people. Later, when I'd get hungry, I'd walk down to Mario's Cigar Shop for a sandwich, or to Stella Pastry for a sfogliatella or (well, plus) a slice of sacripantina cake. Other times, I'd wander the city, learning about architecture and Chinese food and latter-day hippie culture, but when I was on Columbus Avenue, I stayed put. It was home base, and, for me, a comfort zone.

I enjoy inner Richmond ..we moved to retire ..I like being retired haha who wouldn't ..USa is for…read moreretired people haha ..from Washington dc

The Inner Richmond is one of my favorite for so many reasons. Mostly because it is a family and pet…read morefriendly neighborhood. And very walkable, with parts of the neighborhood bordering mountain lake park, the Presidio, and also bordering Golden Gate Park. Love all the amazing restaurants and walkable mom and pop shops as well.

West Portal is an amazing place to hang out with friends, go with family, or just walk around by…read moreyourself late in the afternoon. There are many fun boutiques, yummy restaurants, and other little knick-knack shops around. There may be some homeless people roaming around from time to time, but they mean no harm. That is what you get when coming to San Francisco. This is still a great place for families to come and visit and just sit around at the park and play on the swings, it makes West Portal special.

Thank goodness a Navigation Center is being built soon. We so need one in District 7. It's about…read moretime our votes count.

Ultimately, it couldn't be lower than four stars because of Polly Ann…read more I've found other gems here, some of which I am not yet prepared to reveal. It's so big and unconfusing! It doesn't have enough bus lines! It doesn't have any of the quirky charm of the Richmond, whether Inner or Outer (or Central?--I don't believe in Central Richmonds; I just believe in me). It has lots of places to eat and shop, but mile-for-mile, it pales in comparison to its tiny but powerful sister the Inner Sunset. But it dominates in a way with its repetitive blocks and downhill-to-the-ocean game. The only real question I have is Is Parkside part of the Outer Sunset, or are they two separate neighborhoods? I used to be heavily on the former side, but I may be persuadable to the dark side. Give me your best arguments. And astounding Safeway parking lots; and hardware stores that could (and couldn't); and disgraced former, current, and would-be supervisors. It's also sad and not cool that Bradley Nowell died here. (I don't know why it still makes me so sad.)

It is what it is, a vast expanse of American suburban architecture. Block after block of rows after…read morerows of mostly pastel stucco houses, some fabulous deco & "unique" landscaping. Every neighborhood has their own style of personal expression. No lawn? Paint the concrete green. Sculpt those bushes into soft serve spirals. Built over lots of sand, the planners gave the hood wide streets, and an exceptional tangle of overhead utility wires. Note: wealthy PAC Heights has all their wires underground. But that's the beauty of the Outer Sunset. Completely unpretentious, Pacific Ocean adjacent, 59 degree foggy summers.

North of the Panhandle (Nopa) is an unique s.f. 'hood i've explored sparingly as many businesses…read moreoperate only post 5. demographics are somewhere from between geary st. to golden gate park, fillmore st. to USF campus. NOPA is seemingly laid back day when measured by traffic. NOPA becomes lively when most businesses open for the evening. . 1've experienced brenda & meats, soulva, bo bo guys, bi rite market, the mill, 4505 burgers & bbq. meats, et al. the main street is divisadero.

#134/2016 Ok, ok,…read moreok! I'll stop calling everything The Western Addition and succumb to realtor speak and call it "NoPa." Geez. It still makes me chafe a bit. Defined as "North of the Panhandle", it's the neighborhood that extends from the edge of the Panhandle to Alamo Square. Not long ago, it *used to informally be called "Divisadero Depths" (and you were for sorry for anyone who lived here) and now the neighborhood's home to one of the top 10 Food & Wine restaurants, NOPA, as well as hotspots like 4505 Burgers & BBQ, The Mill and other great eateries like Little Star pizza, Little Chihuahua and a bunch of swank retail spots, cool bars, the Independent plus the best nail salon in this 'hood, Q Spa. I'll dust myself off and git with the program. It's NoPa and it's here to stay.

After our indulgent snacks, we decided to walk off some of the food, so upon leaving the Ferry…read moreBuilding, I made an executive decision and had us walked toward the direction of Pier 39. Shortly after, we encountered lots of street vendors selling hot dogs which is something new (for me). I mean, one or two here and there, I get it. But there were like rows of 10 all selling the same thing--grilled hot dogs. Bizarro! (Edit: My friend reminded me that some of them were selling drinks and they have alcohol. Not judging and I'm not the prohibition police, but Wow, this just continues to surprise!) And then we saw a bunch of people gathered for a labor strike. So maybe they were there to feed them? By this point, my friend was looking for a public bathroom. We found one but it was locked so we continued on towards Pier 39. Mission to find a bathroom aside, it was a great day for a nice walk on this historic path that used to be where all the ships were docked back in the Wild, Wild West Days. A lot of San Francisco was built on top of sand dunes and crumbling rocks, so you can really feel the history here, but the actual walkway is very paved and even so no worries. I used to work nearby and saw some skeletons of buried ships when they had excavation done when a new building goes up, and usually they just document and leave the ship buried and built on top of it. It's pretty cool and definitely part of SF history. And if you don't want to walk or can't, there are a lot of what I would call peddling tuk tuk (pedicab) offering rides for a price. Or you can take the F street car that goes from Market Street all the way down to Pier 39.

As a local, I walk down here on a daily basis. I love doing my evening walks. Although I must admit…read moreit does it busy during "tourist season". It's a long haul but I think it's a beautiful way to see quite a lot of the city. I do have a difficult time dealing with bikes riding on the sidewalk instead of being on the designated bike lanes.