Sacramento St, Nob Hill

As you can tell by looking at the map, this is the section of Sacramento Street that runs from Van Ness right at the edge of Pacific Heights to Powell. I mention this because on its western end Sacramento has a very different feel than on its eastern end.

Near Van Ness the feel is as you would expect, sort of commercial with a Staples store on that corner and then some restaurants along that first block. One restaurant that I would definitely want to mention here is the Italian place, Acquerello. It is very good and well worth the trip if you happen to be in the area.

As you get east of Polk however, Sacramento starts looking a lot like a North Beach neighborhood, filled with very nice three story Victorian walk-ups with beautiful trims and nice wide bay windows.

Though there are corner markets and the occasional first floor store, this place is 90% residential.

By the time you get to Jones however, the three story Victorian walk-ups give way to tall older apartment buildings with cool stonework and attractive balconies. Nob Hill is perhaps the section of the city that looks most like an East Coast City like NY--the posh part of New York I guess, though given prices I am not sure there is a non-posh section anymore.

On the southern side of Sacramento Street near Powell is where you will find Huntington Park, the Union Club and the Fairmont Hotel. In other words you are right at the heart of one of the richest section of Nob Hill. At this point the street is narrow and starts descending down towards Chinatown and North Beach.

What would it cost to live here?

Buying a penthouse apartment along Sacramento can run you as much as $5 million making it one of the most expensive places in the city (without too much surprise). Though you can also buy some apartments for just a $1 million.

As to renting, a one bedroom here will run you between $2400 and $3400 per month, and a two-bedroom goes for between $4000 and as much as $10K/month. In other words, if you have to ask how much you probably can’t afford it.

Overall, this might be a really cool place to live if you are filthy rich and must live in the city. But overall, it is just way overpriced, there is really no other way of assessing it.

Sacramento is a great street for families. It's a nice, clean place to live and here you'll find a few specialty kids' and maternity stores. The Laurel Village area is the best part of Sacramento. Further toward downtown, Sacramento gets a lot busier but still remains charming and in its own way, very elegant.