San Francisco Neighborhood Guide: Nob Hill

By San Francisco Limousine Specialist on September 14, 2010

For many years, San Francisco’s Nob Hill neighborhood has been home to some of the city’s finest hotels, shops, restaurants and other businesses catering to the area’s well to do. Its position literally on the top of Nob Hill made it the perfect location for 19th Century barons of industry to build their stately mansions. The rich loved Nob Hill for the unobstructed views in each direction, easy access to Downtown and the Financial District and, most of all, its distance from the noise, crime, funk and other undesirable aspects of the waterfront.

Today, many of those grand mansions are lost. As San Francisco grew, development grew ever closer to the exclusive neighborhood, and the wealthy relocated to other places to build their homes. In their place, there are grand hotels, and many remain open for business to this day around Huntington Park with its manicured lawns and open space. Although Nob Hill is quite trendy and cosmopolitan, a careful observer will note some traces of the neighborhood’s past since some restaurants, bars and other businesses retain the look and feel of decades past.

For things to do in Nob Hill, visitors can check out the Cable Car Museum at 1201 Mason Street. Admission is free, and the cables, pulleys and other components of several of the city’s working cable lines are on display. For photo opportunities, no visit to Nob Hill is complete without at least one picture in front of the Fountain of the Tortoises in the center of Huntington Park. For a cool light show, visit the fountain at night. During the holidays, the underwater lighting changes from white to red, green and amber and is a feast for the eyes.

After viewing the museum and fountain, you’re bound to be hungry and thirsty. For a dining experience right out of the past, consider the Big 4 Restaurant with its polished wood paneling, pictures of the neighborhood’s storied past, big steaks that challenge the heartiest trencherman and contemporary fusion cuisine. For lighter fare, the Gallery Café is right across the street from the museum and offers freshly baked pastries, sandwiches, gourmet coffee and other delights. For deli sandwiches piled high with corned beef and pastrami and other New York deli delicacies, plan a stop at Miller’s East Coast West Delicatessen.

For getting around, do yourself a favor and forget about parking (exhausting and time-consuming) or cabs (expensive and hygienically challenged). Instead, rent a San Francisco limo from NLS Limo and travel in comfort and style. Leave the driving and navigation to your chauffeur and focus instead on having a memorable time in our beautiful city. It’s more affordable than you think, and there’s definitely something to be said for being dropped off right at your destinations. Just give us a call at 1-800-339-8936 and experience the Bay Area’s premier limo service!