The Marina District is an enclave of luxurious homes and some of the city's trendiest shops and restaurants. The neighborhood sits on the site of the 1915 Panama-Pacific International Exposition, staged after the 1906 earthquake to celebrate the reemergence of the city. Aside from the Palace of Fine Arts, all other buildings were demolished to create a neighborhood that features stately homes and trendy apartments. Union is arguably the best street in the city to window-shop or enjoy one of the hip neighborhood shops or cafes. A few blocks down, Chestnut has an incredible variety of high-quality restaurants catering to every palate and Fort Mason hosts a bounty of cultural museums and nonprofits.

Apartment buildings, homes, and businesses sprouted up rapidly to make the Marina one of the city's most desirable addresses. When the Loma Prieta earthquake devastated the area in the 1980s, reconstruction was complete with in a decade — redesigned for stability and sporting a bright new facade. Attracting a young population to popular apartments, shops, and restaurants, the area features the Union Street corridor as one of the city's top shopping areas. Sophisticated and upscale, this area claims only Fort Mason and its host of cultural attractions as the most visible connections to the past.