Recommended Hotel: Holiday Inn
Why: Best Rates, Heated Outdoor Pool, Breakfast Available
There are five hotels near the Civic Center BART station, but we prefer The Good Hotel or the Holiday Inn Civic Center. These hotels have comparable rates that are the best in the area. Both have free wireless internet in all rooms, outdoor swimming pools, and parking available for a daily fee. But we give our final preference to Holiday Inn because they have an on-site restaurant that serves breakfast. There’s no food service at The Good Hotel. However, guests at The Good Hotel also love that there are free bicycles available for guests to borrow. We recommend the Holiday Inn Civic Center to travelers visiting San Francisco for concerts at nearby venues who want a standard hotel with all the amenities.
Neighborhood Vibe: Civic Center lies at the intersection of two of San Francisco’s busiest streets, Market and Van Ness. It’s a commuter neighborhood that’s lively during the day, but doesn’t have many residents. The buildings are mostly full of offices, art galleries, and entertainment centers.
Getting Around: Civic Center Station can be reached from San Francisco International Airport (SFO) and Oakland Airport via BART in 25 minutes. MUNI streetcars and buses are easily accessible and the neighborhood remains vibrant from the morning well into the late hours of the evening.
What to Eat: Your food options are seemingly endless in the Civic Center area. All Star Tamales is a food stand near the BART station that’s open for lunch; try any of the tamales with both red and green sauce. To sit down at lunch or breakfast time, Elmira Rosticceria is a good choice and visitors rave about the eggplant sandwich as well as the chicken pesto sandwich. At dinner time, August 1 Five is known for both cocktails and northern Indian cuisine.
Things to Do Around Civic Center: The area is home to the city’s civic buildings and is the heart of the city’s performing arts. The San Francisco Opera, Davies Symphony Hall, AMC Movie Complex, and the Jazz Center present excellent nightly entertainment. Many of the civic buildings around UN Plaza offer some of the city’s finest architecture, however, the UN Plaza should be avoided in the evening as many of the city’s homeless occupy the area and it can be full of panhandlers. UN Plaza is a beautiful and safe place to visit during the day.
