'Hood of the Month: Hayes Valley
Arguably the cultural heart of San Francisco, this area includes golden-domed City Hall, the Opera House and Civic Center Plaza, as well as the quaint shops lining Hayes Street that have flourished since the freeway was relocated following the Loma Prieta earthquake.
Click around the map for our top picks of things to do in Hayes Valley. Or show Hayes Valley some love and submit a photo to our Flickr group.
1. Indulge your black licorice fetish at Miette Patisserie and Confiserie. 449 Octavia St., 415-626-6221, miettecakes.com 2. Sift through top-notch vintage at Ver Unica. 437 Hayes St., 415-596-1851 3. Get creative with Lite-Brite while downing a pint at Place Pigalle. 520 Hayes St., 415-552-2671 4. Order a Blue Bottle Gibraltar. 315 Linden St., 5. Try on an outrageously expensive negligee at Alla Prima. 539 Hayes St., 415-864-8180, allaprimalingerie.com |
6. Have a cocktail and a housemade hot dog at Absinthe. 398 Hayes St., 415-551-1590, absinthe.com 7 .Get a cheap cut at Zenzi’s beauty school. 551 Hayes St., 415-575-3540, 8. Deliberate over your pre-symphony dinner reservation: Zuni or Jardinière? 1658 Market St., 415-552-2522, zunicafe.com; 300 Grove St., 415-861-5555, jardiniere.com 9. Grab a PBR at the tiny, quirky Fecal Face Dot Gallery’s next opening. 66 Gough St., fecalface.com/gallery 10. Make your moves during the Rickshaw Stop’s monthly Non Stop Bhangra party. 155 Fell St., 415-861-2011, rickshawstop.com |
November's Winning Love Letter to Hayes Valley
Metamorphosis: When my husband-to-be found our flat on Oak Street in 1982, the neighborhood was considered part of Western Addition, albeit the easternmost section. Between Laguna and Octavia, Hayes Street was lined with junk stores, their wares piled up against the windows. Huge concrete freeway overpasses kept certain blocks in permanent shade and provided shelter from the rain for the streetwalkers. Our house stood directly beside one of these overpasses. Then came the ’89 earthquake—15 seconds of Meet Your Maker. We watched the overpass sway, as the house rocked side to side, back and forth, then hopped in place a couple of times, just for good measure. The on-ramp was shut down and eventually dismantled. Several elections later, the off-ramp was finally brought down as well. Octavia Street was broadened into a boulevard and lined with beautiful streetlamps and trees. All the while boutiques and galleries sprouted up, along with great restaurants that made it easy to dine well without going far. Thanks to the tireless efforts of our neighbor, Patricia Walkup, a small park was established at the foot of the boulevard. Now dogs and children romp daily on this bit of green, which was dedicated to her following her death in 2006. My ’hood is now a sort of weekend mecca, the sidewalks bustling with visitors, the restaurants packed. If you live in one place long enough, you see many changes. Shops close, new ones open. Proprietors retire or pass away. But I doubt there are many San Franciscans who’ve seen their neighborhood literally transform from a homely caterpillar to a shiny butterfly. —Cheryl Czekala
