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Originally a small valley of pastures and dairies
in the post-Gold Rush years, COW HOLLOW takes its name from the
days when cows rather than shoppers grazed the land between Russian Hill
and the Presidio, and women would bring their loads to one of the only
sources of freshwater in town which came to be known as Washerwoman’s
Lagoon. Problems with open sewage, and complaints from neighbors up on
prestigious Pacific Heights about the smell of the cows saw the area
transformed in the 1950s, when enterprising merchants decided its old
clapboard dwellings along Union Street had possibilities.
The area’s gorgeous old Victorian houses have
since been refitted, especially around Filbert and Green streets, and the
stretch of Union between Van Ness and Divisadero now holds one of the
city’s densest concentrations of boutiques and cafés. Shopping is,
indeed, what the neighborhood is best for, and numerous upscale types
converge here to look for the perfect dress, lingerie or cabinet handle.
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there’s little here in the way of actual sights, the historic Octagon
House Museum on the corner of Union and Gough streets (tel
415/441-7512; donation) is worth a peek if you happen to be there during
its very limited hours of operation; tours of the home’s Colonial- and
Federal-period furniture, porcelain, and portraits are given on the second
Sunday and second and fourth Thursdays of the month, from noon to 3pm
(closed January). Built in 1861, at a time when it was believed that
increased exposure to sunlight benefited one’s health, the house remains
in excellent condition. Look for the display of signatures from 54 of the
56 men who signed the Declaration of Independence. Next door, leafy Allyne
Park feels more like someone’s backyard than a public space, but its
redwood trees and comfy benches are an idyllic place to rest. The last of
the district’s original thirty farmhouses and barns stands at 2040
Union; today it houses a collection of rather pricey clothing and
houseware shops. The western border of the neighborhood is Fillmore
Street, where Allen Ginsberg first read Howl at no. 3119
when the address was a gallery. |