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Quirky San Francisco

• Best View in San Francisco is History … for now.

  21Jul
  Categories: Photo Opp, View Click Here to Leave a Comment

  Unfortunately, the Carnelian Room at the top of the Bank of America building has closed. Naturally, I’m hope this might change in the near future, but remember, I’m a terminal optimist; so stay tuned. I have a hunch that someone is planning a big, much needed, remodel; so I’ll be on the lookout for the grand opening and you’ll be the first to know. I just hope it’s not limited to private affairs only. Afternoon cocktails were the best there, and not over priced. Maybe that’s why it’s closed. Darn.

  It’s becoming harder and harder to get up high for a great view of our fabulous city. The Fairmont Hotel used to have a circular bar that rotated for a full view of the city, but it’s now closed. The Hyatt-Regency also had a great bar and restaurant, Equinox that also rotated, but that’s now closed too. The St. Francis and the Hilton also used to have view rooms at the top, but they’ve given way to weddings and other private events. I just called the Hilton and guess what they just closed CityScape.

  Fortunately, I visited the Carnelian Room a few times in the past year and the views are just amazing; so I hope things change and the up-high view demand comes back and all these spots open again. In the meantime, here are some photos from my favorite – the Carnelian Room … and a video too. Enjoy.
  
  

  Carnelian Room
  Tags: Bank of America, Carnelian Room

• Cliff House

  11Jul
  Categories: Architecture, Cocktails, Dinner, Food, Lunch, Photo Opp, Relax, Tourist Activity, View Click Here to Leave a Comment
  

  Cliff House Sunset View

  

  The Bar

  

  Front

  

  Side

  

  Main Dining Room

  I’ve been going to the Cliff House for over 60 years. Wow … I’m old!!! But I digress.

  I grew up in Pacific Grove, on the Monterey Peninsula, and I recall my parents getting dressed up to go to “the city”. Mom would wear gloves and a hat and Dad wore a tie, hat and smoked a pipe. They were a smart couple (and still are, actually).

  We’d visit the San Francisco Zoo (originally named Fleishhacker Zoo), Golden Gate Park, do some downtown shopping at Gumps or City of Paris (now the Neiman-Marcus store … with the beautiful stained glass ceiling that’s patterned after Galeries Lafayette in Paris). Sometimes we’d come for the day or maybe spend the night; so we’d have two days to enjoy the sites. Over the years, we did it all, and often had a late lunch at the Cliff House before driving back home down Highway 1.

  The Cliff House I recall was beautiful as a kid, but over the years had become more and more worn and just plain tired. In 2004, it was totally rebuilt for the 5th or 6th time. Even though the current version is very modern bent, it’s still beautiful in a new, clean and opened way. It’s still a great spot to enjoy a meal, a snack, or a drink. I think the best time to go is late afternoon or early evening. Sunsets are beautiful, but it’s a joy even on a cold foggy day. The new design is opened and lets everyone get a first class view through the big expansive windows to the west.

  If you’d like to see a couple virtual reality photos, click here.

  I don’t have any old photos of the Cliff House, but they’re easy to find … just do a search and click on images, or click on this link to the Cliff House Web site. You’ll see that it’s been rebuilt several times and each time, I think it’s gotten better, although, the Victorian version might still be a stunning site on the cliffs overlooking the beautiful Pacific Ocean. I can imagine sitting there, sipping a bowl of clam chowder, watching the sun sink slowly into the horizon.

  For more info about the Cliff House, click here.

  
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  Tags: Cliff House

• My Dutch Bike

  06Jun
  Categories: Fun, Shopping Comments: 1

  

  This shop is quirky, but it shouldn’t be. My Dutch Bike store on Market Street sells heavy duty bikes. Even though the primary stock is handmade utility Dutch bikes, they also carry a line of unique German bikes – Retrovelo. They are all beautifully crafted and generally over-built, which means, “lasts a lifetime” and “nearly indestructible”. They’re heavy duty and meant for pleasure riding or serious work. Since they’re a bit heavier than most, level surfaces are best, but they do boast gears, which helps a little.

  Amsterdam is considered the bike capital of the world because of the high percentage of people who use bikes as their main mode of transportation – 40% actually. I’ve read that Amsterdam claims 750,000 people and 700,000 bicycles.

  Here’s an interesting link to the top 11 bicycle cities in the world. Guess what? San Francisco is #8!!! Link to the top 11 bicycle cities in the world.

  BTW, on the last Friday of each month, a HUGE group of bicyclists gather to intentionally block traffic throughout the city. It started here in 1922, but now takes place simultaneously in 300 cities worldwide. The starting place changes from month-to-month and the route is never the same. Here’s a video of one event I caught on the way home from work (give it a second to load or click again … it’s funky to get it started … not sure why?).

  Here’a link to My Dutch Bike store.

  

  

  

  
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  Tags: bicycles, bikes for sale, Dutch bikes, German bikes, heavy duty bikes, My Dutch Bike, serious bikes