A mere decade ago, the blocks between the Bay Bridge approach and China Basin had little to offer in the way of fun. Set to welcome baseball fans and monied condo dwellers, it was still essentially a swath of wide, unpeopled streets. But today, the confluence of SoMa, South Beach, and Mission Bay has produced a new commercial demi-neighborhood, somewhat centered around the Caltrain station at Fourth and Townsend Streets. Built amid industrial warehouses (now full of Web 2.0 startups) and low-income housing, the hub is still light on street life. But even that is changing.

Case in point: A South Beach/Mission Bay neighborhood association just came together and is planning two block parties for later this summer. And there are finally residents here to attend them, thanks to scattered condo towers filling with suits commuting to the fi-di and techies drawn to the nearby offices of Google, Adobe, and LookSmart, as well as easy access to Valley-bound freeways. New restaurants like Orson, District, and South cater to these flush thirtysomethings with inventive wine lists, menus, and hours (11 p.m. is the new closing time around here). Meanwhile, at casual hangouts like Primo Patio and the Brickhouse Cafe, you can actually spot locals who haven’t just wandered over from watching a Bonds-less nine innings. Add a real grocery store (Safeway) and an airy public library along Fourth Street, plus nearly a dozen furniture stores (including Limn, the best in the city), and you’ve got a neighborhood where people can not only live and work, but also play.

ON THIS SPOT
In 1859, early gold miners flocked to San Fran­cisco, hoping to find wealth on the sandy shores of South Beach, much of which now sits on landfill. At the corner of Townsend and Colin P. Kelly Jr. Streets, a plaque indicates the 1857 shoreline.

HANGOUTS
The Brickhouse Cafe is a welcome change of pace from SoMa’s crowded, chic nightspots. Popular for its eclectic decor, generous pours, and Wagyu beef burgers, this warm hideout offers live local music on Thursday and Friday nights. 426 Brannan St.

Already enjoying a solid following for its innovative cocktails (try the Atlantis) and upscale California cuisine, Bacar rebranded its downstairs lounge last year as Bacar Below, with live jazz on weekends. 448 Brannan St.

THE TALK
Foodies couldn’t wait for the February launch of Orson, Elizabeth Faulkner’s high-concept follow-up to Citizen Cake. But critics’ feedback has been mixed—and an unusual number of Yelpers have assigned it a meager single star, lamenting the “microplate” portions and “poor execution” of “weird and weirder” dishes. Even so, adventurous diners have kept the industrial-chic space booked for its first few months—but it remains to be seen whether they’ll return for a second helping. 508 4th St.

SHOPFRONTS
The country’s largest modern-furnishings showroom and the ultimate avant-garde nesting spot, Limn stocks pieces by more than 1,500 designers, including Droog, Moooi, and Tom Dixon. Dan Friedlander’s other home haven carries the cutting-edge French line