|
The Yerba Buena is the home to many points of interest including the Museum of Modern Art (MOMA) and Moscone Center. Yerba Buena means “good herbs” and was the original name of San Francisco when it was a small Spanish settlement centered on what is now Portsmouth Square in the heart of Chinatown.
Points of Interest:
California Historical Society Museum, Mission just east of 3rd. Open: 12-4, Mon-Sat. Small exhibit space with nice gift shop.
Lottie's Fountain, Market and Montgomery. Famous singer donated fountain to SF. It was a gathering point after 1906 earthquake to get news about missing relatives, friends. People meet here every year on anniversary of the quake.
Museum of Modern Art (MOMA), 3rd St. north of Howard, Beautiful building, great modern art exhibits. Nice cafe. Can be long lines to get in.
Moscone Center
Palace Hotel, 2 New Montgomery. Beautiful restored hotel. Built 1875?. Biggest and fanciest hotel in the world at the time. Built by silver magnate with interesting personal history, scandals and ruin. Destroyed by fire in 1906 earthquake. Rebuilt and most recently remodeled a few years ago. Beautiful atrium restaurant. Maxfield Parrish bar, restaurant with wonderful tile floor and stained glass ceiling. A president died in the hotel (Taft or Harding?). Take City Guides walking tour of the hotel for 2 hrs of fascinating history.
W Hotel, 3rd and Howard (south of MOMA). Home of SF's largest "invisible" artwork. Large sculture of reclining nude lying on top of the hotel overlooking the street. Only visible from across the street in Yerba Buena Gardens.
Yerba Buena Gardens
Restaurants:
A.G. Ferrai Foods, Mission just east of 3rd. Italian grocery/deli.
MOMA Cafe
Parking:
St. Francis Place, 3rd and Folsom (off the south end of the above map). Weekend and holiday underground parking for $5 flat rate. Enter off 3rd before north of Harrison. There is also an outdoor lot for $5 at the corner of 3rd and Harrison (enter on 3rd). |
