Is it just me or is Union Square the Douchiest part of town? (Richmond: income, designer)

[fashionguy]

Union Square is not all high end. There is a big Macy's store on one side. Victoria's Secret on another. Levi's, Nine West around the corner. These are all just regular mall stores. Walk a couple blocks you'll find cheap Old Navy and H&M stores. It is just a major pedestrian friendly shopping district. Because there is a big selection around that area, there are definitely going to be high end ones.

Originally Posted by Ruth4Truth

Union Square used to be high end. I haven't seen it lately, but it's the posh shopping area.

[California Vagabond]

I love Union Square! Lots of tourists, yes, and colorful, happy places with prices more appropriate for tourists than for locals. But terrific to walk around.

As an epithet, "douchiest" leaves something to be desired. It could be flung at just about anything. Is high priced douchey? Or is cheap douchey? Is it douchey to be rich, or poor, or inbetween?

[rkwalton]

Originally Posted by fashionguy

Union Square is not all high end. There is a big Macy's store on one side. Victoria's Secret on another. Levi's, Nine West around the corner. These are all just regular mall stores. Walk a couple blocks you'll find cheap Old Navy and H&M stores. It is just a major pedestrian friendly shopping district. Because there is a big selection around that area, there are definitely going to be high end ones.

I agree that it's a pedestrian friendly shopping district. But there are a few high end stores there: Saks Fifth Avenue, Neiman Marcus, Tiffany's, and Barney's New York are high end. I think there are only a few places that are near high income areas that can pull off a strip that's exclusively high-end stores.

I love that Barneys is there now. (They weren't here when I moved away in 2000.) I went shopping there a few weeks ago (actually, after that lunch I mentioned earlier) and then walked over to Old Navy afterwards. I loved that I wasn't stuck in an area that was all Barney's types of stores or all Old Navy.

However, walk down 5th Avenue in NYC and the same thing is there too. You can walk from Saks Fifth Avenue a couple of blocks and then be in a multilevel H&M.

[EclecticEars]

Not gonna lie, I've seen some douchey-ness at Union Square. Maybe I've just gone at the wrong times. However, I'm not so sure it's the douchiest area in SF.

Go to the Marina. Even Nob Hill, to a lesser extent, in its own manifestation. Get back with me after you do.

[BayAreaHillbilly]

It's a Times Square mini me.

[fashionguy]

It's not. Times Square is mainly about theater. Union Square is mainly about shopping. I agree with another poster that it is more of a mini Fifth Ave. But like Fifth Ave, it is not exclusively high end shopping, as some other posters might have implied. The area around Union Square has arguably the widest range of selections of shopping in the Bay area, and the square itself blends right into it. I wouldn't say it is significantly more upscale (or less, for that matter) than its immediate surrounding, or any mall of a similar size. They are priced at, well, the SAME price as anywhere else as long as it is from the same chain store, and 90% of the stores there are chains.

Originally Posted by BayAreaHillbilly

It's a Times Square mini me.

[rkwalton]

Originally Posted by BayAreaHillbilly

It's a Times Square mini me.

Mos def isn't a mini Times Square.

Thank God. Times Square is a horrible place.

[matt345]

I like Union Square because it's one of the things that holds SF together and makes it feel like a big city; without it, SF tends to feel more like a collection of individual small towns and villages.

[dragontales]

You'll find all kinds of people around union square but the Marina is just straight up doosh.

[clongirl]

Personally, I think the whole premise of this thread is ridiculously juvenile and "douchy".

Union Square has a fantastic history and labeling one of City's most prominent and aesthetically beautiful squares is dumb. It's not wise to begrudge the people that shop there either. It's revenue for San Francisco and it's a hub for people that work in the City, live in the City, and are visitors to the City.

I have my best memories of watching puppet plays as a child in Union Square, I used to buy my artwork there from the street vendors, and it was a tradition in my family to visit Santa in Macy's and look at the SPCA displays in the windows. So many of my childhood memories begin here.

The only douches are the people that have the nerve to move here and spend their time on the internet ragging on the place cause it's not like back home.