GloboMaestro beta Travel on the Inside

San Francisco has several gorgeous neighborhoods with independent boutiques and local designers — so you'll have no trouble venturing beyond the big-name labels of Union Square.

I often send people to Pacific Heights. Start off at Fillmore and California streets and wander down Fillmore toward the Marina district. It's a lovely street with plenty of only-in-San Francisco stores, including two of my favorite high-end shoe stores — Paolo and Gimme Shoes. Both have genuinely sought-after, cutting-edge collections and both happen to have only one other location (both in Hayes Valley, another one of my fave shopping hoods).

The added bonus of shopping here is the view: if you follow Fillmore, where the street meets Broadway, you'll reach one of the seven hills of the city. Here you've got a fantastic panorama of the Golden Gate Bridge, the hills and the whole bay. Continue on down the hill (it's one of those classic San Francisco 45-degree dips) and you'll plateau out at Union Street — not to be confused with Union Square! — before reaching the waterfront.