One of my favorite hotels

One of my favorite hotels – The St. Francis, San Francisco, CA

The Grande Dame Of San Francisco Union Square Hotels

At the turn of the century, the guardians of the Charles Crocker family announced plans to buildThe Westin St. Francis. Their vision was to make San Francisco the “Paris of the West,” and their stunning Union Square San Francisco hotel would be their flagship. After studying all of Europe’s grand hotels – from those in Berlin, Vienna, and Monaco to Claridge’s in London and The Ritz in Paris – construction on the original St. Francis began. Two years and $2.5 million later, on March 21, 1904, the doors of The St. Francis opened. By seven o’clock that evening, a line of carriages and automobiles stretching three blocks waited to approach her brightly lit towers. The hotel became so popular that within six months, the owners announced plans to add a third wing, two floors of apartments, and a ballroom. The St. Francis had become the center of the city’s social, literary, and artistic life.

Source: http://www.westinstfrancis.com/our_history/

The St. Francis back when

photo credit: http://www.westinstfrancis.com/our_history/

The St Francis from Union Square

The St Francis at the clock

The St Francis Lounge

San Francisco Restaurants

There are so many places in San Francisco to eat.  Every kind of taste or ethic food is available at a wide range of afford.  I was totally caught up in the signage.  I loved the streets and signs (some pretty old, so you know they’ve been in business for a long time).  Some were new, or funky, or cute, or reminiscent of Bogart.  All great places.  I wish I could have tried them all.  One thing for sure – there’s no excuse for not eating and walking in San Francisco!

Alcatraz Pizza

Bechelli's Restaurant

Blue Mermaid

Lefty O'Douls Daily Grill

Pompei's Grotto

The Cannery

Tarantino's

The Palace of Fine Arts – San Francisco

Ladies Weeping - Palace of Fine Arts

 

The Palace of Fine Arts in San Francisco was constructed as a temporary attraction in playing host to the Panama-Pacific International Exposition, The Fair, which opened on February 20, 1915, San Francisco was honoring the discovery of the Pacific Ocean and the completion of the Panama Canal; it was also celebrating its own resurrection after the shattering earthquake and fire of 1906.

 

Those column-top statues of sorrowing (weeping) maidens turned away from prying eyes are using their tears to water the long-gone oaks that originally stood in the planters that they surround.  One story I heard was that the tears were for the dead soldiers (lost love?) of the Panama Canal Zone war.

 

I like the romantic aspects of this.

The Alhambra

San Francisco is filled with history and gems like this marquis from the Alhambra theater.

The Alhambra

Austin Healey

Came across this nice Austin Healey at a Europen import dealer in San Francisco. 

Austin Healey

 

Austin Healey - read/side