DISTRICT 7

• Today's Marina district was underwater until the area was built up with landfill for the 1915 Panama Pacific Exposition. The dramatic Palace of Fine Arts, designed by architect Bernard Maybeck as "a valentine for San Francisco" is the exposition's only remaining structure. Originally made of plaster, the city rebuilt the Palace with permanent materials and it now houses the Exploratorium, a hands-on science museum for children of all ages. The Mediterranean-style flats and apartments of the Marina are home to mostly young, affluent professionals. The singles scene is world-renowned and includes not only the trendy bars and restaurants on Chestnut Street, but also the Marina Green jogging paths along the waterfront and even the Marina Safeway. Residences range from gorgeous, turn-of-the-century Victorians and Edwardians to brand new homes, with lots of renovated flats, condos and apartments thrown in. Although the Marina and Cow Hollow can be expensive, it's still possible to find a great place to live at a great price if you're persistent.
• The dairy farms and vegetable gardens of Cow Hollow helped feed the remote city of San Francisco back in the 1800s. These days the cows are gone, replaced by a growing populace of successful young families and singles. Union Street's singles scene rivals that of nearby Chestnut Street; its popular bars and restaurants are filled to overflowing most evenings. Don't even think about finding a parking place after 5:00 p.m. on Friday. Both Chestnut and Union also offer some of the City's best shopping, with numerous upscale chains and one-of-a-kind boutiques.
• It's no mystery why the richest and most influential San Franciscans chose to build their grand estates in Pacific Heights (and Presidio Heights to the west) as soon as the cable car lines were completed. The view of the Bay is unparalleled, with postcard vistas in every direction: the Golden Gate Bridge, the Marin Headlands, Alcatraz, Angel Island, and the East Bay in the distance. Many ancestors of the original families remain, but new blood has moved in as well: author Danielle Steele lives in the city's largest mansion, the half-block French baroque which formerly belonged to Adolph Spreckels. Pacific Heights also lays claim to a number of foreign consulates, including Italian, Russian, Egyptian and German. Although there are few smaller residences, most homes in this neighborhood are palatial and historic. The good news is they're accessible; even if you don't have a few million to spare, you can still wander the narrow streets and peek through the gates at these fairytale retreats .