SHOPPING/CULTURE
San Francisco has a wide range of shopping opportunities, and some great one-of-a-kind stores. Union Square is the most famous shopping district, home to Macy's, Saks, Neiman Marcus, and a host of other world-class designer stores. Embarcadero Center has a broad selection of upscale boutiques. It's seldom crowded, even around Christmas. San Francisco Shopping Centre on Market Street at Fifth Street is home to Nordstrom and lots of small, upscale mall-type shops, but is most notable for its curved escalators. The Castro is home to many gay-specific stores selling clothes, cards, gifts, and more rainbow merchandise than anyone ever dreamed of. Even with the predictable "Gay Mart" merchandise, you'll still find lots of unusual objects to take home.

Not to be confused with Union Square, Union Street is yuppie boutique heaven, with the sky-high prices you might expect. Fillmore Street (between Jackson and Ellis) has similar stores but lower prices. Upper Sacramento (between Divisadero and Spruce) is quaint, cozy, and still very exclusive. Valencia Street (between 16th and 24th) in the Mission district and 24th Street (between Church and Castro) in Noe Valley are both chock-a-block with boutiques and corner stores, with merchandise ranging from vintage clothing to Mexican crafts. Funkier merchandise can be found in North Beach on Grant Avenue (between Columbus and Filbert) and in the Haight.

Gay book lovers should make a pilgrimage to City Lights Bookstore, in North Beach, which has been in business since the mid-1950s, when it was popularized by Beat poets and writers Jack Kerouac and Allen Ginsberg. Get Lost on Market is the place for travel books, gadgets, and luggage.

WRAP UP
If San Francisco is a great place to live, it's a possibly even more compelling place to visit. Consistently voted as the top gay American city by OutTraveler.com members, San Francisco is the perfect place for a truly sublime vacation.