SoMa District and Union Square – The Heart of San Francisco
The SoMa district in San Francisco is a large and important urban area that houses a large number of museums. At the center of the district is the Moscone Convention Center, adjacent to the city’s major museum institution – the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art or SFMOMA. The district blends residential living with high-rise towers that serve as headquarters for various companies. It also has a few historical sites such as the beautiful St. Patrick’s Church and the San Francisco Mint. The area is filled with malls, shops, restaurants, entertainment spots, and accommodations.
How much time is needed for a visit to the SoMa district in San Francisco?
It’s worth dedicating a few hours up to half a day for a trip in the SoMa district.
What must-see spots and activities are there in the SoMa district and Union Square?
- The impressive art collection of the SFMOMA
- The architectural art creation of the Contemporary Jewish Museum
- Hop on the iconic cable car line at Powell Street Station
- The rare neoclassical architecture of the Mint
- Shopping at Union Square and its surroundings
- A Giants game (baseball) at Oracle Park
- Stroll through Yerba Buena Gardens and Moscone Center
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What is the SoMa district in San Francisco?
- SoMa is one of the main and most popular districts for a trip in San Francisco
- The name of the district means South of Market Street
- Market Street is the northernmost of those running diagonally with a tendency to the north as you head east. This diagonal intersects with the grid of streets north of the Financial District, Union Square District, the Tenderloin, and westward towards the Castro District.
- This is the central axis entering from the Mission District and Twin Peaks into downtown San Francisco.
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The district is the base of the “white” settlement in historic San Francisco, from the time when the city was part of Mexico. In the heart of the district, mansions of Yerba Buena (the good herb) residents were built, which is the historical core of the city besides the Franciscan mission.
SoMa is San Francisco's cultural district, centered around the massive institution of the SFMOMA. It's at heart an urban district, adjacent to the Financial District, blending tall commercial buildings (including headquarters for many tech companies), trend-setting urban living, and bustling streets filled with restaurants, shops, and places to hang out.
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Map of SoMa and Union Square Districts in San Francisco
Everything to See and Do in the SoMa District and Union Square Area
SFMOMA – San Francisco Museum of Modern Art
The San Francisco Museum of Modern Art is one of the largest and most important museums in the world for modern art. The museum houses an enormous collection of more than 35,000 items, all from the 20th century onwards. The museum was founded in 1935 and initially operated behind the City Hall at the Civic Center Plaza. It moved to its current location in SoMA in 1995. In 2013, it closed for three years of extensive renovations, and since its reopening, it has been considered one of the most attractive museums for visitors in the USA regarding its structure and exhibitions.
The museum's collection includes all the big and renowned names (some more than others) of European and American artists who worked and created in the 20th century:
- Among the prominent European names of early 20th-century artists, you can see paintings by Paul Klee, Henri Matisse, Willem de Kooning, Marcel Duchamp, Georges Braque, and others
- Among the American names in the collection, you can find the great early post-modern artists, with the shift of the art world's center of gravity from Paris to New York during and after World War II. The museum houses works by Mark Rothko, Andy Warhol, Roy Lichtenstein, Robert Rauschenberg, Edward Hopper, Richard Serra, and others.
- Don't miss Frida Kahlo's unique painting “Frida and Diego Rivera,” where the Jewish-Mexican artist paints herself as small and marginal next to her great artist husband, thereby magnifying him in an extreme way.
Address: 3rd St. 151, San Francisco
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California Historical Society Museum
The California Historical Society Museum is the exhibit space for the local historical society founded in 1871. The society's foundation was established by a group of academics from Santa Clara University near San Jose in the southern metropolis. The museum in San Francisco showcases many items from California's history, including a large photography collection and an impressive collection of oil paintings by local artists. Nearby is also the Museum of the African Diaspora, displaying items from history and works exclusively by African American artists.
Address: Mission St. 678, San Francisco
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Moscone Center
San Francisco's major convention center, named after George R. Moscone, is located at the heart of Soma, right next to the SFMOMA. The center opened in 1981, carrying the name of the mayor who was assassinated three years prior. The convention center boasts three large halls hosting important fairs and conferences throughout the year. In the past, it was the annual gathering spot for big tech companies like Apple and Microsoft, where they showcased the latest innovations in the market (where Bill Gates famously danced nerdily on stage and Steve Jobs delivered motivational talks to the employees).
Address: 747 Howard St., San Francisco
Yerba Buena Gardens
The Yerba Buena Gardens are part of the ambitious construction of the Moscone Center. They were created as the green segment of the convention center to provide a breath of fresh air to the massive urban space downtown. This charming urban garden is a small green lung named after the white American colony of San Francisco from the early 18th century under Mexican rule.
The gardens blend the modern landscape of the convention center with the charming view of St. Patrick's Church on the other side. On the western side of the gardens is the Metreon mall, also built as part of the convention center project. The mall features cinemas, restaurants, shops, and more. On the other side, you'll find the Yerba Buena Center for the Arts, offering rotating exhibitions of contemporary artists.
St. Patrick Church
The old church (everything is relative in California) named after the Irish national saint, is nestled in the heart of SoMa on Mission Street in the shadow of tall modern towers. It survived the 1906 earthquake and fire, and today stands across from Yerba Buena Gardens, offering one of the city's most beautiful urban vistas that blends green, antique, and brand-new shiny heights nearby.
The church was built in 1851 in an impressive Neo-Gothic style. It's constructed of red bricks and is quite striking both visually and in its design. In the past, it was the cultural and spiritual center of the Irish Catholic community, but today it mainly serves the city's Latin Catholic population. The church's interior is also breathtaking, with 32 columns, each dedicated to a patron saint from one of Ireland’s counties.
Address: Mission St. 756, San Francisco
The Contemporary Jewish Museum
The Contemporary Jewish Museum is an architecturally stunning building nestled behind St. Patrick's Church right in the heart of SoMa. It combines the architecture of the 1907 Pacific Gas & Electric Jessie Street Substation with a contemporary addition by the famous Jewish architect Daniel Libeskind, and features interior design work.
The museum is, of course, dedicated to the Jewish community in America, including exhibitions and displays related to the history of Jews in the USA and their contribution to the development of the empire. It opened in 1984 and since then has hosted many rotating exhibitions focused on Jews in the USA.
Address: 736 Mission St., San Francisco
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The San Francisco Mint
The historic San Francisco Mint was where dollar coins were produced in the city. This American money stamping institution was a federal entity operational until 1937, and it is planned to become a historical museum in the future. The mint's impressive facade dominates 5th Street, showcasing a neo-classical front with six columns topped by a bare frieze and pediment. The building is one of the few in Soma that survived the fire following the 1906 earthquake. Adjacent to the Mint is the large San Francisco Centre mall, which offers a variety of shops and restaurants.
Address: 5th St. 88, San Francisco
Powell Street Cable Car Station
The Powell Street cable car line connects SoMa with Union Square and later with Chinatown, Washington Square Park, and Fisherman's Wharf. It's one of the most iconic tram lines in San Francisco. Over the years, the line has become a popular tourist attraction both for its appearance and its very efficient transportation function. It's one of the last remaining cable car lines in San Francisco and is considered the most popular among the city's transport lines.
Union Square
Union Square is located above Market Street and SoMa, in the direction of Chinatown, near the theater district. The square is named after the pro-Union demonstrations held there before and during the American Civil War, protests that influenced California's decision to eventually join the North.
Today, the square is the heart of San Francisco's shopping area, and the whole district is dedicated to international chains, department stores, restaurants, and bars. The area around the square is the busiest in San Francisco during the day. In the evening, the district is also bustling, especially in the parts west of the square known as the Theater District. This section of the district hosts several large theaters and many hotels.
Oracle Park
The home stadium of the local baseball team, the San Francisco Giants, is located in the southern part of SoMa, at the end of the Mission Creek Channel in the San Francisco Bay. The stadium opened in 2000 and can accommodate more than forty thousand spectators. The city's legendary team, founded in New York in 1883, plays here. The team arrived in the city in 1958 and endured long years of drought since then.
It was only in 2010 that the Giants finally won the World Series, and in the following four years, they won twice more. Today, the team stands in the shadow of the Golden State Warriors, the city's basketball team based in Oakland, but Oracle Park is still considered one of the most fun places in the city for its residents.
Address: Willie Mays Plaza, 24, San Francisco
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A Tour Around Downtown San Francisco – Chinatown and SOMA District
- Starting your tour in the heart of San Francisco is best done in the vibrant SoMa district. The SFMOMA – the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art, is one of California’s most important museums, located right in the heart of the district.
- Nearby is the Moscone Center, the major convention center, the contemporary Jewish Museum, and St. Patrick’s Church. Around Yerba Buena Gardens, there are additional city museums worth visiting.
- From the garden area, it's worth heading towards the San Francisco Mint and the large San Francisco Center mall. Nearby is the Powell Street cable car station.
- It's a good idea to hop on the cable car and climb to the city's main shopping area at Union Square.
- Afterwards, you can continue on the cable car towards Chinatown, pass through the Dragon Gate, and walk along the main Grant Avenue.
- On the avenue is the old cathedral named after Maria.
- From the cathedral, you might want to head slightly west to the Nob Hill neighborhood, where you'll find the Cable Car Museum, with vintage cable cars, the city's iconic transportation symbol.
- From the museum, it's a good idea to go to Huntington Park in the heart of the district, where across from the luxury hotels, you'll find the magnificent facade of Grace Cathedral.
- From Nob Hill, head back to Chinatown and explore the streets of Waverly and Stockton, where you can experience the neighborhood's unique atmosphere. In the area, you'll also find the small factory of the Golden Gate Fortune Cookie Company.
- From Portsmouth Square, cross towards the downtown area. Opposite the square, you can already see the Transamerica Pyramid, the skyscraper that has become one of the city's symbols.
- Just south of the stunning tower, you'll also find the intriguing Wells Fargo Museum.
- From the museum, it's worth continuing eastwards towards the Embarcadero and Embarcadero Plaza on the bay shore, and close to the San Francisco Railway Museum.
- From the museum, walk a bit south to the Salesforce Tower, the tallest high-rise in the city, and return to the SoMa district.
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