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Union Square has gone from a sand dune that war hero John W. Geary gave to the city of San Francisco to one of the world's ultimate upscale shopping wonderlands.
Geary was, one author observes, "an excellent target for enemy fire: a huge man for that era, he stood six feet six inches tall, [and carried] 260 pounds." He was shot five times in a single battle of the Mexican-American war; a cannon ball nearly took off his head during the civil war. He still managed to become the first mayor of the city, however, and then governor of Kansas and then Pennsylvania.
The sand dune became Union Square because it was one of the few open spaces where San Franciscans could celebrate everytime Union troops trounced the enemy in the Civil War. When Abraham Lincoln was assassinated, 14,000 grieving citizens flocked to Union Square to commemorate the man.
A hundred years later, Hitchcock filled Union Square up with birds and shot the opening scene of his classic suspense/thriller The Birds (1963). He also used the Square for bits of Vertigo (1958).
Other things have been filmed there, and the Square remains an important civic landmark, but what's most striking now is the A-List stores that lay siege to the once-upon-a-time sand pile. Just scratching the surface, boutiques include Louis Vuitton, Gucci, Chanel, Bottega Veneta, Burberry, Prada, Armani, and department stores include Bloomingdale's, Barneys New York, Nordstrom, Saks Fifth Avenue, and Neiman Marcus. There's a Gump's. And on and on and on and on.
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Here is what Wikipedia says about Union Square, San Francisco
37°47′17″N 122°24′27″W / 37.78806°N 122.40750°W
Union Square is a 2.6-acre (1.1-hectare) public plaza bordered by Geary, Powell, Post, and Stockton Streets in downtown San Francisco, California. "Union Square" also refers to the central shopping, hotel, and theater district surrounding the plaza for several blocks. The area got its name because it was once used for Thomas Starr King rallies and support for the Union Army during the American Civil War, earning its designation as a California Historical Landmark.
This one-block plaza and surrounding area was historically home to one of the largest collections of department stores, upscale boutiques, gift shops, art galleries, and beauty salons in the United States, making Union Square a major tourist destination and a well-known gathering place in downtown San Francisco. The Dewey Monument is situated at the center of Union Square. It is a statue of Nike, the ancient Greek goddess of victory.
The COVID-19 pandemic in the United States led to an exodus of companies from Downtown San Francisco, particularly affecting the Union Square retail district. Many retailers have cited high levels of crime, open-air drug use, homelessness, doubts about San Francisco's viability as a relevant commercial center, and closed storefronts in the areas in and around Union Square. Despite this, Union Square in San Francisco is still a major retail hub for the city.
Check out the full Wikipedia article about Union Square, San Francisco
