Westfield San Francisco Centre

Downtown, Civic Center & SoMa


Wait, is this suburbia? Sure looks it inside this nine-level chain-store city, with Bloomingdale's, Nordstrom and dozens more retailers, plus a cinema multiplex. Supposedly the mall has a 'distinctive boutique' concept, which translates to same stuff, smaller stores. Best reasons to brave this behemoth: post-holiday sales, bathrooms (including baby-changing lounges) and Miniso, the low-cost Chinese variety store.


Lonely Planet's must-see attractions

Nearby Downtown, Civic Center & SoMa attractions

1. Powell St Cable Car Turnaround

0.05 MILES

Peek through the passenger queue at Powell and Market Sts to spot cable-car operators leaping out, gripping the chassis of each trolley and slooowly…

2. James Flood Building

0.05 MILES

This 1904 stone building survived the 1906 earthquake and retains its original character, notwithstanding the Gap flagship downstairs. Upstairs,…

3. Contemporary Jewish Museum

0.2 MILES

That upended blue-steel box miraculously balancing on one corner atop the Contemporary Jewish Museum is appropriate for an institution that upends…

4. I Magnin Building

0.22 MILES

When Timothy Pflueger’s radical design was revealed on Union Sq in 1948, SF society was shocked: San Francisco’s flagship clothing store appeared…

6. Luggage Store Gallery

0.25 MILES

Like a dandelion pushing through sidewalk cracks, this plucky nonprofit gallery has brought signs of life to one of the Tenderloin's toughest blocks for…

7. Union Square

0.25 MILES

High-end stores ring Union Sq now, but this people-watching plaza has been a hotbed of protest, from pro-Union Civil War rallies to AIDS vigils. Atop the…

8. Yerba Buena Gardens

0.26 MILES

Breathe a sigh of relief: you've found the lush green getaway in the concrete heart of SoMa, between Yerba Buena Center for the Arts and Metreon…