The very modern San Francisco Library is on behind City Hall on Larkin Street.

Across the street from City Hall is the sleekly modern Davies Symphony Hall with its sweeping glass façade and on the same side of the street just a couple blocks up is the War Memorial Opera House, also home to the San Francisco Ballet, which is an older, classical structure. A great place to go after a concert, or a movie in the Opera Plaza, is Max's Opera Diner. You'll feel like you are in a classic New York deli, with plenty of delicious over-sized items to choose from, including delectable desserts like real New York cheesecake and towering reuben sandwiches as well as full dinner offerings, and a full bar. All toooo delicious! A bonus is that the waiters and waitresses are all aspiring professional singers and actors who take breaks from serving food to performing songs from opera or broadway.

Down the street just below Davies Symphony Hall is Hayes Street which is also a great place to find excellent restaurants for before or after concert dining. Many galleries and cutting edge boutiques line this street as well, so it's a great place to go day or night. It's one of my favorite streets in San Francisco!

Nearby on Market at 8th Street is the beautifully remodeled Orpheum Theatre where many great broadway musicals pass through.

On Grove Street, you'll find the glamorous restaurant Le Jardiniere. The Inn at the Opera on Birch Street at Franklin Street is another very elegant place to have dinner, and it is actually an inn as well.

There are quite a few restaurants for everyone's budget in this area, even a McDonald's and a Burger King! Van Ness stretches all the way down to the waterfront near Ghiradelli Square and along the way, there are many popular restaurants, such as The Hard Rock Café and Tommy's Joynt, movie theatres, luxury car dealerships, stores specializing in furniture, clothing, electronics, cameras and more.