San Francisco’s best views

One of the many things that makes San Francisco such a stellar place to live is our amazing views. The advantage of being a city with very steep hills is that we have staggered levels of housing that maximize the available viewsheds. (Viewshed.. that’s a real word.)

But if you’re looking for an apartment with a view, what should you be hoping to see? Here’s our view on SF’s best views:

1. The obvious: The Golden Gate Bridge. Even a non-San Francisco resident could tell you that a view of the Golden Gate is practically priceless. However, unless you’re in the Presidio, there aren’t too many SF-side of the Bay properties that can see this iconic structure. If you find one, it’s probably worth renting it for the view alone.
2. The greater Pacific. Call it the view of the shark tank.  Beyond San Francisco to the west is one of the sharkiest patches of ocean known to man. It’s the waters around the Farollon Islands, where seals breed and sharks snack (poor seals).
3. The waterfront. It’s awfully fun to sit in a Marina window and watch all those joggers, cyclists and boats going by, wouldn’t you say. We think so. But if you can afford a home with this view, you probably don’t have much time to sit around and look out the window. You’re too busy making bank.
4. The Berkeley side of the Bay. Say what you will about those students and hipsters over there, but they sure look great from a distance. And if you can see Berkeley, you can probably see the San Francisco waterfront, which is always a nice vista.
5. The Bay Bridge. It’s big, it’s imposing, and it implies a sense of connectivity and commerce with the world beyond our San Francisco island. It looks especially great at night.