Why go
Market Street is defined by the street pattern and public spaces of Market Street. Another layer comes from architecture and daily movement across Market Street. Plan Market Street by remembering to set a compact boundary around Market Street before walking. After Market Street, choose a district beside Market Street; this keeps Market Street geographically coherent and avoids forcing Market Street into an unrelated crossing.
What to look for
- Look closely at the street pattern and public spaces of Market Street.
- Notice architecture and daily movement across Market Street.
The full story
Market Street is a major thoroughfare in San Francisco, California. It begins at The Embarcadero in front of the Ferry Building at the northeastern edge of the city and runs southwest through downtown, passing the Civic Center and the Castro District, to the intersection with Corbett Avenue in the Twin Peaks neighborhood. Beyond this point, the roadway continues as Portola Drive into the southwestern quadrant of San Francisco. Portola Drive extends south to the intersection of St. Francis Boulevard and Sloat Boulevard, where it continues as Junipero Serra Boulevard. Market Street is the boundary of two street grids. Streets on its southeast side are parallel or perpendicular to Market Street, while those on the northwest are nine degrees off from the cardinal directions. Market Street is a major transit artery for the city of San Francisco, and has carried in turn horse-drawn streetcars, cable cars, electric streetcars, electric trolleybuses, and diesel buses. Today Muni's buses, trolleybuses, and heritage streetcars share the street, while below the street the two-level Market Street Subway carries Muni Metro and Bay Area Rapid Transit (BART). While cable cars no longer operate on Market Street, the surviving cable car lines terminate to the side of the street at its intersections with California Street and Powell Street.
Useful to know
- For Market Street, set a compact boundary around Market Street before walking.
- Pair Market Street with a district beside Market Street when the route and opening conditions align.