Yes, I lived there for ten years and miss it. I lived near 24th and mission spent most of my non-work time in that area (mission / noe valley). I took BART to

Yes, I lived there for ten years and miss it. I lived near 24th and mission spent most of my non-work time in that area (mission / noe valley). I took BART to work and back. I picked up groceries at local grocery stores, fishmonger, and butcher. There was a butcher, fishmonger, and grocery stores nearby, with both south-east asian and hispanic ingredients. Mission street has various grocery stores, hispanic restaurants, and Sun Fat Seafood. Valencia had some quirky stores, good restaurants, and coffee shops. If you head east on 24th, it's similar to mission, plus dynamo donunts and humphrey slocombe ice cream. West on 24th is Noe Valley, which is a little more upscale and full of people with either strollers or dogs. Lots of single-family and small multi-unit housing in the area. It had pretty much everything I needed in walking distance. The financial district does fit your description (it's a ghost town on weekends), but I presume that's typical of financial districts.