- It's always cool when you can get a deal on a great place. It's even cooler when that hotel is steeped in great American history. The Westin St. Francis fit the bill to perfection. It is located in the heart of Union Sqaure which puts it smack dab in the middle of shopping nirvana. But the history......Al Jolson died here, an assasination attempt on Gerald Ford was made here, and there are several other great stories to note. The design is classic and the walls are littered with photos of history and people that we all remember.
- As expected the dining was both incredible and expensive. The options are endless. One of the highlights was eating at Tommaso's in the Little Italy area of North Beach. Like the hotel it is steeped in history and, according to lore, was the first wood stove pizza place on the West Coast. Francis Ford Coppola supposedly frequented the place while he was writing the script to the God Father. Among the other places that stood out was the House of Nanking in Chinatown. You sit down and the owner tells you what you will eat. We trusted in his judgment and were rewarded with some cuisine that was both adventurous and tasty.
- Transportation was pretty spotty. Forget about renting a car and don't put much faith in the consistency of public transportation. The Cable Cars, while charming are complete crap shoot. They take on the personality and habits of the person driving them. One car our trip was slowed down so the driver could stop and pick up dinner as well as get some dry cleaning. The peninsula is big but you can cover a lot of ground and kill a lot of calories by walking.
- We didn't see the sun the entire long weekend we were there. That's gotta weigh on the residents.
- I got the feeling that the city tries too hard to be liberated and cosmopolitan.
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