The Inside Scoop by our Local Expert
The Financial District and the Embarcadero are the center of San Francisco's business district. All of the major banks, law firms, accounting and insurance companies have offices in this part of the City. There are also a number of hotels such as the Omni, Mandarin Oriental and Hyatt Regency. The former Bank of America headquarters at 555 California is the City's tallest building. The Transamerica Pyramid is it's most visually unique and is how most people identify the cityscape as San Francisco. Because most of the Financial District's real estate is used for commercial purposes, there is little residential property. There are a significant number of good restaurants, both high end for those dining on expense accounts and affordable places for the working stiffs. Nearly, every cuisine is represented - Thai, Italian, Mexican, Vietnamese, French, sandwich or soup. Many public transportation routes travel via downtown. There are three BART stations and a CalTrain station making downtown easy to get to from other areas.