Union Square is the heart of the city's shopping district.
Many of San Francisco's largest department stores can be found here, names
like Macy's, Saks Fifth Avenue, Neiman Marcus and Levis. On the west side
lies the famous Westin St. Francis hotel. The square is named after the big
pro-Union rallies that were held here during the Civil War of 1861-1865. In
the center of the square there is a statue of Victory, on top of a tall
column. It's called the Dewey Monument, which commemorates Admiral Dewey's
victory at Manilla during the Spanish-American war of 1898. The square has
been redesigned recently; now it's almost only concrete and stone, with a
few green touches. There is one caffe in the square where you can buy a
coffe and sip it in the sun while enjoying the display of architecture
around you and the people going by. On weekends local artists display their
paintings here.
