Sky Terrace

That was one of my missing POPOs (privately own public operated –or something– venue). I am a fan of the rooftops and what different view from the city you can get from each of those. Plus the sense of adventure that comes along. I have been trying to come to this one during the months I was working in SF but it was closed for renovations. Yesterday I had the opportunity to go and wasn’t disappointed at all. Super quiet, actually an oasis of calm in the middle of the chaotic traffic and transit downstairs on Market St.
Not the usual terrace with tables to have lunch, some some benches and nice view to the classic dome and the background that get obscured by some more commercial style buildings. Pretty well maintained plants and simple and clean. Remember to check in with the receptionist as she or he will have to get you at the elevator.

Ever since I learned about POPOS, I’ve been trying to go to each one. This is definitely my least favorite.
You’re going to enter the Westfield door that has a purple SFSU flag on the left — it’s very hard to miss. Walk down to the security guard. They will ask for an ID, and sign you in. Then they will take you to the elevator and press the button themselves (I pressed the 9^th floor before the guard, and it wouldn’t light up)
It’s decent. You can see a few parts of the city, but there’s a big dome in the middle. Was there for under 10 minutes — it’s definitely not the place where I’m going to stare, think about life, and simply enjoy the view. I actually suggest 343 Sansome or 1 Kearny St for that. But this is definitely a bigger space than those 2 I mentioned.

If you haven’t been around FiDi long enough, you ought to know of all the cool Public Spaces around the area. Sure, most of them are just outdoor terraces with patches of grass and small trees in between the gigantic monoliths, but there a few indoor ones, with tables to eat lunch on, or armchairs to take a power nap on.
Personally, my favorite public spaces are the ones perched above the street and the millions of workers walking outside for lunch. Yep, the rooftops!
As far as I know, there are three real rooftop public spaces. The Sky Terrace is one of them, and personally, it’s the least impressive one. There’s only a couple of benches and scant shrubbery. Most importantly (to me), the views are limited since most of it is taken by the big half-​dome. On a hot day, it will definitely be the last place you want to be for lunch.
However, if it’s possible, this place would definitely be a great venue for private parties at night. Who doesn’t like drinking and dancing under the stars?!

Was spending the morning in SF. While waiting for the shops to open at 10, I passed this sign on Market advertising the terrace.
They insist that you sign in with the front desk security for some reason.
She then took me to a special lift taking mento the roof and …
… A terrace.
Underwhelming would be a kind description.
Maybe they could have opened up the view instead of having those faux walls.
During the day this counts as a mild diversion but not enough for a special visit. You get to look down on the Westfield dome and some offices with outside ping pong tables.
Good thing is there are a couple of benches to sit and chill if you’ve been walking around all day.
And that’s really it.
They’ve prettied it up with a couple of planters and cladding but really just ok.
Maybe at night if there was a bar or a function under the stars…
Good thing is you can exit the lift going down at the 4^th floor and go into the mall before it officially opens at 10.

San Francisco can be very crowded, especially downtown, and especially around the Westfield Mall. If you want to get away from everything, though, this is the place to go. Plus, you get some pretty neat views of San Francisco.
The Sky Terrace can only be reached via one elevator in the Westfield Building, and to get to that one elevator, you must enter the far eastern-​most door to what looks like a business building. Go by the reception desk and take the farthest left elevator. It is the only one that goes to the 9^th floor, which is where the Sky Terrace is located.
There are a few plantings and benches up on this roof-​top. You can take your lunch if you wish, and you are allowed to smoke up here. If you want to get away from the maddening crowd, this is the place. If you are an extrovert who wants to be around lots of people and activity, then head to Yerba Buena instead.

It’s a maze to get to the top and once you get there (if you eventually find your way), it is a bit underwhelming.
The views are not great, there is hardly anywhere to sit and it’s mostly filled with mall workers taking a smoke break or high school kids who sneak up here to smoke.
There are plenty of other public spaces better than this nearby.

Honestly this is a good spot just to get away from the busy downtown on a hot day.

Honestly, this one may not be worth the effort.
I mean, it’s nice, it’s a public open space so you can take your food, Kindle, nail polish, laptop, whatever up there with you and kick it. It’s almost always empty, so there’s that. The machine humming drowns out any city noise that might make it up there, so there’s that too.
But I don’t know. Finding the secret elevator in the camouflaged hallway to the secret door just to get half a view and a little alone time doesn’t really seem all that worth it.

Pretty nice spot to relax for a bit while downtown. I only went up there once and that day it was quite windy, making it less pleasant than ideal. However, there was plenty of space and it was certainly comfortable enough to get a bit of reading done. I shall have to check it out again on a sunnier day.

I got one phrase for y’all. Expectations kill. I would’ve probably enjoyed this a bit more had I zero expectations. I think Unilocal makes it sound a little too cool for school.
I actually had the most fun trying to get up to the Sky Terrace. Accidentally snuck into the elevators for the offices and a security guy came up to my friend and I and asked what the hell we were doing there when all the offices are closed. *oops*
Like previous Unilocalers have said, the signs that say Sky Terrace within the mall won’t actually lead you there. Ya gotta walk out of the mall and walk back in since there’s only one elevator that will bring you up there. And before you get to said elevator there’s another security guy at his guard station who will ask you where you’re going and tell you which elevator brings you to the Sky Terrace.
The view is alright, nothing amazing or out of this world. It was pretty cool because you rarely get to see SF like that, but it’s still not mind-​blowing or anything. You get to see the outside of the dome and some buildings in downtown.
It’s pretty quiet if you go when there’s no A/​C on, like last weekend, but I don’t really want to imagine how loud that A/​C is, seeing as the best part of this rooftop is the peacefulness.
It’s a nice place to get away from the hustle and bustle of the city. And though the views aren’t what I expected, it was fun making an adventure of it and wandering around in the Westfield building looking for it.

This place is really cool. We went there for the first time this Saturday afternoon. After we entered 835 Market, we passed the empty guard station. No grumpy help today. :)
We found that the three non-​terrace elevators (two on the right, and one closest on the left) would only let us get up to the 6^th floor, and we felt like idiots sitting there trying to get the fourth elevator to get us up to the 9^th floor. This is someone’s office.
We rode back down and lucked out when someone else called the right elevator and it arrived. If you don’t have as much luck as us, if the wrong elevator shows up, just hit the 6 button then get out. Then call the elevators again. Eventually you’ll get the one in the back left.
Aaaaaanyway, on this day it was clean, no trash. No people. And the noise from the ventilation system for the mall is not that bad. It’s not exactly peaceful up there but you can definitely carry on a conversation with someone.
The views are great. Potrero Hill. Sutro Tower. City Hall. The thunderdome. I’ll go here again and bring some Super Duper with me.

Being a native of SF, I was tired of seeing the same old mainstream places. For one, everywhere else got a little dull and of course, all the popular places were always crowded with people. I decided to do a little research on the more «low key spots» of SF and stumbled upon this.
Thanks to Manabu’s clear directions, my boyfriend and I were able to find our way up onto the roof of Bloomingdale’s :) It’s a great feeling, knowing you can have some peace and quiet RIGHT IN DOWNTOWN. It’s definitely a great spot to clear your head a little and just get away from the busy metropolitan city.
I absolutely love views, so knowing I can always find a roof to go to satisfy my «view cravings» in downtown is just wonderful. Shopping right in downtown can be extremely exhausting and the food court and restaurants can get quite hectic and crowded. I will definitely go up to the Sky Terrace to relax after a long (window) shopping day since the rest benches in the mall are always taken. The food courts can get extremely full, especially during luncheon hours, so I will definitely get food to go and enjoy my meals on the roof.
So the only downside of the Sky Terrace was that it was kind of dirty. I only went up once and I don’t know how often the roof is maintained, but I did find some litter (that bothered me a bit).

I was expecting a beautiful hidden garden overlooking San Francisco… Well it is a MALL roof with a nice partial view. There is a blower, which makes a ton of noise. I prefer the Crocker Galleria terraces far more welcoming at lunch time.
The fun part is that you really have to know how to get there.

Right when the elevator doors opened and I seen it all before me, I looked to the homie D-​Money and expressed it with the most profound words I could muster at that very moment:
«Oh snap playaaaa!»
Blame the ghetto =)
Great views of the downtown financial area, and other parts of the City in some corners. Plus it’s public yet NO ONE knows how to get there so you can ease up and enjoy lunch; a smoke (nasty), or if you need a place to release your pent up frustrations (gas), I HEARD (not EXPERIENCED, cuz LiJH would NEVER do sucha thing playa *winkity-​wink-​wink*) that this places is ideal for it all.
But you’re probably asking «If it’s soooo great Elijah, then why 4 stars only. (and by the way, you are SOO FIONE!).»
First…I am pretty fly, right? LOL
Second. I used to work in the offices on the 7^th and 8^th floor. Pretty pimp right? It was! Only thing is, I know public means anyone, but DANG GINA! Can we get some kinda screening process on who we let in?
One morning, I get into the office only to be greeted by D-​Money who had a great story: Some dude went up to the Sky Terrace before business hours, turned on the fire hose and then proceeded to run all around spraying water everywhere! Acting like «THE ROOF… THE ROOF. THE ROOF IS ON FIRE!» (LOL, sorry, couldn’t help it. Blame the ghetto!). The best part though? HE REMOVED HIS PANTS TO DO ALL THIS. Guess he didn’t wanna wet his slacks huh? HAHAHAH! So the boys came and took him away, but we were left with extensive water damage to offices on both the 7^th and 8^th floor. NO BUENO!
Oh well. I’d suggest it to anyone if they wanna get away.literally. It’s quite, nice, private. Just don’t go up there playing fireman. Not the business people.
DONE!

Time in the city with a friend and we’ve eaten lunch and are off to the cartoon museum when we walk by the mall. Suddenly, conversation turns to the about of public space that a building is supposed to have and the Sky Terrace is mentioned.
Apparently via SFgate the Sky Terrace is this really hard to get to public space that has breathtaking views.
Immediately, I’m intrigued. I covet the rare treasures of the city, and we decide to temporarily postpone museum time in pursuit of a secret. I read other people’s Unilocal reviews via the iPhone app (shameless plug) and then we find a sign in the Westfield. Sky Terrace! Hooray, we must be going the right way. The other reviews say it’s on the 9^th floor, but every elevator we enter maxes out at 6. WTF???
We decide to go up to the 6^th floor, some SF state office and from there we hit up again. Bingo. The one elevator with access to the 9^th floor. We both head up eagerly expecting some urban oasis in the midst of the bustling city. Something amazing, something rare, something special.
Sadly we were a little underwhelmed. There were several empty tables and a plethora of chairs. We’re the only people up here. While it is beautiful, it’s just not quite as nice as showing up with the beautiful glass windows of say The View.
But it is a cute secluded public location that might be good for a myriad of occasions, say having a picnic lunch. I did manage to get some nice photos of it however. Just don’t get your hopes up too high, after all it’s only the 9^th floor.

After reading Manabu M.‘s amazing review of Sky Terrace, I had to check it out for myself!
I ventured up to the 9^th floor of 835 Market St. around 10am on a beautiful Tuesday morning. When I arrived at the top, I was delighted to see that I was the only person there!
Sky Terrace has a few tables and chairs, nice nooks and crannies, and some amazing views. I’ll certainly be taking my lunch up here, as well as taking friends looking for some places that are a little less touristy.
Enjoy it!

This place is SO cool. I went here with a friend, and it was really neat to go up and see a pretty cool view of SF, but the whole process of getting in is really neat as well.
Highly recommend this!!!

Though my friend didn’t think it was so amazing, I found it quite pretty.
You guys can also enter through a back elevator on the fourth floor in Westfield — the elevator behind the main elevator.
I would gladly come here for a city picnic or to simply read my book with a cup of coffee. Visit at least once!

A beautiful rooftop garden spot at the top of the Westfield Mall, the Sky Terrace is a good spot to take your lunch and a few friends. There’s plenty of seating, largely because there’s nobody up there — since, I suspect, no one knows it exists or how to find it. I myself was bequeathed the secret by a shadowy associate I know only by an electronic alias, and to the best of my knowledge she gleaned it from the original ancient text, the translation of which took many years and resulted in the deaths of no fewer than three assistants.
But you… you can read about it at
.
Suffice it to say, you go in through the Market St. entrance at 835, walk through and get into the back left elevator, to the 9^th floor. If you hit the «up» button and get a different elevator, you have to take that to the 8^th floor and hit the «up» button there to transfer to the 9^th. You can ask the security guard for help if you want someone to roll their eyes at you and get up slowly to point at the elevator.
The spot is not perfect. All the HVAC egress vents and equipment thingies are up there, and even though they’re shielded the noise is pretty invasive. But the views are nice, the spot isn’t busy and it’s well worth exploring, if only because it’s your right as a tax paying citizen of this fine city.

Thanks to a nice bit of investigative journalism by the Chronicle (
) a buddy and I managed to find our way to the «public» space on top of the Westfield mall.
I say «public» in quotes because they clearly don’t want to make it easy. More of a bullet point on some planning document that a legitimate effort at providing some public service. But whatever, the secrecy was half the fun.
Not a bad place to eat your lunch. Especially on a sunny day. Pretty good views, and of course it was mostly empty. But be prepared for a security guard that isn’t really that thrilled that someone took them up on the offer. You have to use a special elevator and everything.