Pacific Heights NEIGHBORHOOD GUIDE

Pacific Heights (or Pac Heights for short) is arguably the most prestigious neighborhood in San Francisco. Like Nob HIll, Pacific Heights became the home for many of the nouveau riche in the late 1800s when the cable cars made the hill accessible.

And following the 1906 earthquake and fire, many of the wealthy residents of Nob Hill rebuilt their grand Victorian homes here, too, away from the destruction and the seediness of the downtown neighborhoods surrounding Nob Hill.

Pac Heights is the Hollywood version of San Francisco: neat rows of giant Victorians and quiet streets paired with expansive views of the Bay and Golden Gate Bridge.

Fillmore Street is the main drag and features upscale shopping with both designer brands and locally owned, but no less exclusive boutiques, as well as a mix of fine dining and simpler cafés. Aside from Fillmore Street, however, the neighborhood is mainly residential.

Tourists are commonly found admiring the Victorian architecture and views of the Bay, and plenty of buses pass through, making it easy to get around the city.

The height of the hill Pac Heights is on usually keeps it above the fog line, but doesn’t ensure warm weather, and this area can be a victim of the wind tunnel that Golden Gate Park creates. Alta Plaza Park sits at the top of a majestic staircase and offers great views and a peaceful place to get in some aerobics or reading. A popular site is the set of steps at Broadway Avenue and Lyon Streets, where you can catch views of the dome of the Palace of the Fine Arts.

Walk east down Broadway Avenue to take in what is referred to as Billionaires Row, and sometimes the “Gold Coast” (unconfirmed, but surely an allusion to the former red-light district in San Francisco, Barbary Coast), a few blocks of exquisite mansions housing San Francisco’s wealthy elite. A few blocks south you’ll find the Spreckels mansion, a 27-room house built with a fortune made from sugar and currently the home of author Danielle Steel, who is currently the bestselling author alive.

Pacific Heights is bordered on the north by Cow Hollow, on the east by Russian Hill, on the south by Lower Pacific Heights, and on the west by the Presidio and Laurel Heights.