The Embarcadero Center in San Francisco, California: A Review

For the most part, the Embarcadero Center in San Francisco functions on the schedule of the Financial District in which it is situated; bustling from nine to five on weekdays, and almost completely and totally shut down by six. Unlike most of the rest of the Financial District, however, the Embarcadero Center is open on weekends. Like most of the Financial District on weekends, there's hardly anybody there.

This, to me, is really the one selling point of the place. I hate crowds, and I especially hate crowds of rich people and tourists. Somehow, the tourists never seem to find their way to this place in any great numbers, even though it's literally right across the street from the Ferry Building and one side of it faces the base of Market Street. The mall is largely "upscale" shops catering to the tastes of FiDi bank manager and stock trader types. By far the largest segment of stores in the mall are upper-middle to high-end "fashion" shops like Ann Taylor, Banana Republic, Jos A. Bank and Bandolino. So basically, if you want to pay a whole lot of money to look like a douchebag to everyone except your fellow douchebags, this is the place to go in San Francisco.

What here is worth investigating? By far, the rooftop walkways are the neatest thing about the Embarcadero Center. They span a bunch of city blocks and provide entry access to the numerous condos and high-rises built over the Embarcadero Center, but technically they are a public space and open to everyone to wander. Almost nobody except people who live right near by ever seem to find this place, even though there's like numerous stairs leading up to it all over the adjoining streets. I guess people just aren't inclined to climb random stairwells anymore. Where has the sense of adventure gone? Anyway, if you explore around enough up here you can find some cool views of the bay.

As far as the shops go? Well, the Embarcadero Center Cinema is there, which shows a mix of independent film and Hollywood stuff that they think San Francisco people will like, like Oliver Stone's W. It's a pretty typical overpriced AMC cinema but at least they keep it in really good shape and the movie selection is often decent. There's a somewhat out of place GNC here, if you are downtown and need your Ultra Jacker Stackers refilled or whatever. The Giants Dugout is also here for baseball tickets and somewhat overpriced paraphernalia. Oh, and there's a Post Office branch hidden away here too. Probably the best bit of it is in winter, when they open up a big ice skating rink and try to make you think you are in New York. But hey, ice skating downtown, I guess that counts for something.

If there's some particular thing at one of these particular chain stores that you absolutely have to have, it's nice that you can come here on a weekend and usually get it without having to shoulder through a bunch of obnoxious crowds. Other than that, though, not much appeal here, exception of the rooftop walkways and maybe a movie or three per year at the cinema. Oh, and serious points off for making you "buzz in" to the restrooms and wait for some security guard to look you over on a camera and decide if you look too potentially homeless to be allowed in. That's gentrification at its absolute finest right there.

Embarcadero Center
1 Embarcadero Center
San Francisco, CA 94111
# 415-772-0700
http://www.embarcaderocenter.com/