Symphony, ballet and opera halls, a French High Baroque Revival-style Civic Center, and one of the largest museums in the world devoted to Asian art are all clustered, along with Federal and State buildings, around United Nations Plaza. Gowned glitterati arrive in limousines for the opening of the opera season in September, and the San Francisco Ballet in the spring, at a Baroque Revival jewel, the War Memorial Opera House.
Splendiferously flood-lit at night, the golden-domed City Hall underwent a recent renovation to spruce up the marble, filigreed iron and gilt decorations and the 4-story rotunda where ceremonies are held. Charismatic Michael Tilson Thomas––nicknamed “MTT”––leads the San Francisco Symphony in glass-walled Davies Symphony Hall.
In
an elaborate 1917 Beaux Arts-style building, around an sky-lit inner
courtyard and grand marble staircase, the Asian Art Museum exhibits
6,000 years of art and artifacts, luminous Chinese jades, serene Cambodian
Buddhas, Islamic manuscripts, Japanese armor and thousands more riches.
On weekends, storytellers mesmerize kids with Asian myths and fairytales.
Within the museum, Cafe Asia is a serene indoor/outdoor environment
for snacks and tea.
Tucked behind the Civic Center beneath the trees on the 500 block of Hayes Street is a blizzard of one-of-a-kind shops, galleries, a wine merchant, a coffee purveyor, booksellers, French bistros, and elegant eateries. Shoppers throng to the Hayes Valley Holiday Block Party in early December for special sales and exhibits, operatic carolers, and seasonal libations. Among architectural highlights in the Western Addition west of Van Ness Avenue are the Julia Morgan-designed Zen Center on Page Street; Victorian cottages on Lily Street behind the Center; and a glorious Queen Anne-style home at 251 Laguna Street at Rose.
| The article on this page is adapted from guidebooks written by Karen Misuraca, the author of Our San Francisco, Fun With the Family in Northern California, and other travel books. Available for purchase on Amazon. |  |