Trader Joe's
Trader Joe's, or SOMA Joes's as they call it themselves, is a nearby large grocery store. 9th and Bryant is a bit of a hike from Moscone, but walkable. Mostly organic "Health Food" type of items, with a good selection of snacks and ready-to-eat. It has a huge wine department.
Unlike many states, in California you can buy alcohol pretty much anywhere. Trader Joe's
Traffic
If the traffic looks like this, I'm probably walking to Moscone. Muni is great, but if the streets are a mess there isn't a lot you can do about it but get out and walk. Fortunately SOMA is flat.
Costco
10th and Harrison. In case you find yourself in urgent need of, say, a bucket of soy sauce, Costco is close at hand. And it wouldn't be Costco without a huge parking lot. In this case it's a garage that is also open after hours for an alternative to street parking for the nearby clubs. Free for members while shopping, of course.
In addition to the expected pallets of paper products and foodservice-size cans of nacho cheese sauce, they also have a selection of local food products including specialty items like Molinari Salame. This particular warehouse has a good selection of prepared foods such as party trays and ready-to-nuke, as well as hot roasted chicken and pork ribs. Molinari's
Parking Sign
Mind the signs if you go out driving. If you are not careful, the Department of Parking and Traffic will leave you a gift.
Most places, as long as you are otherwise legally parked, the worst that will happen is you will get a ticket or two. (Yes, you can get more than one parking ticket.) Eventually they can tow you after so many tickets, but that takes a while.
Tow-Away No Stopping
Except, of course, the ones where they will tow your car. Your car will ask why you inflicted it's own little personal tour of Hell, and you will feel like you have gone through there trying to get it back.
Read the signs. They mean it, folks. Trust me, you don't want to go there.
DPT
Mobile parking ticket dispensers, otherwise known as the Department of Parking and Traffic. Their office also handles nuisance tickets written by the police. Sometimes they are great, like when they nail that guy who has been parked outside your place all day, or direct traffic around an anti-war riot. Sometimes they make the DMV look like a model of efficiency.
Brain Wash
1122 Folsom (near 7th.) I know you are organized and will bring enough clean socks to get through the week. Or if you didn't somehow manage to end up with clean laundry on the flight from MacHack, you might like to know what your options are.
There are little laundries scattered here and there, but I like this best. It is one of the larger ones, and you can get a beer while you are waiting. In the evenings, there is live music. I try to go weekday mornings -- after the breakfast crowd moves out, it is mostly empty.
Heart of the City Market
Not technically SOMA, but close enough that I consider this my local produce department. The Heart of the City Farmers Market is Wednesdays and Sundays at the United Nations Plaza on Market Street (between 7th and 8th.) It's not as fancy and upscale as others, but that also means it's less expensive and you will find more real people and fewer Celebrity Chefs. article
Market Haul
I'm not sure yet what I'm going to do with those leeks, but at a buck a bunch for such wonderful looking vegetables I couldn't pass it up. Also in there are baby fava beans, lettuce, red spring onions and mushrooms, all direct from the farmers.
Bariani
Even if you have no immediate use for fresh produce (because, perhaps, you are staying in a hotel?) this is something to check out at the market.
This family came from Italy to live on a farm near Sacramento and started pressing olive oil from the trees on their property. Unfiltered and about as minimally processed as you can get, it's excellent stuff and less expensive than many other fancy designer oils.
The guy out every week with the pop-up shelter is I think one of the sons. Just don't expect to find him if it's raining, he is frequently not out if the weather is bad. If you miss it at Heart of the City, apparently he is also sometimes at the Ferry Plaza Saturday and Tuesday markets. I have also seen it at Rainbow Grocery at a somewhat higher price.
At the Market
There are lots of small venders that cater to various ethnic groups. This farmer sells live poultry, much of it to Asian immigrants.
Chicken Man
And what would a public place be without the occasional spectacle? Today it was the guy with the plastic warrior helmet and the live chicken saying hello to everyone from the middle of Hyde Street. U.N. Plaza is also a major hangout for the local homeless, many who have serious mental health concerns.
Chicken Man has a chat with Mr. Officer
Eventually someone comes along to deal with the situation.
Sidewalk Cleaning
Machines like these cruise the major Downtown sidewalks cleaning up what the tourists, office workers and street people leave behind. I'm afraid of what the place would look like without them, and I wish they would do my sidewalk once in a while.