Guide to San FranciscoDAHLIA LOUNGE ILLUMINATES SAN
FRANCISCO
COOL
AND RETRO GUIDE TO SAN FRANCISCO
Roads
disappear into the sky and roads and cars appear from nothing out of the sky.
Is that why it's uplifting? A place of
possibilities? A roller coaster ride.
If you are looking for Fisherman's Wharf, this
isn't the guide for you. If you are looking for a treasure trail of offbeat,
magical, unusual splendour and want to go where the locals go, this is the
guide you need. The best cafes,
bars, restaurants, neighborhoods, streets, retro shops and signs, cable car
and tram rides, spectacular sights, views, architecture and uplifting stories
of San Francisco.
If you
want to find them, download a free A4 map you can fold easily in and out
of your pocket, highlight dots of these cross street points then wherever you
are in the city ..... you will have treasures.
Some examples abbreviated :
TRANSAMERICA PYRAMID 600 Montgomery @ Clay in Financial District SIGHT
Stunning by day
due to its pyramid form and whitish face, a layer of crushed quartz, the architecture is also a wonder at night. If you stand beneath it on Montgomery and look up, its dramatic shape is spellbinding against the night sky and with
a drink or tiramisu on Columbus, create an entrancing evening. It is the
tallest and most iconic skyscraper in San Francisco at a height of 260 M, 853
ft and was built between 1969 and 1972. On completion, it was 1 of the 5 tallest buildings in the world. The architect William Pereira believed the building would be a statement of architectural sculpture and was the ideal shape for a
skyscraper with the advantage of letting more air and light into the adjacent
buildings and streets. Combine with Coit Tower, Calzone's and Caff Greco.
HEMLOCK 1131 Polk @ Hemlock in
Downtown RETRO SIGN.BAR.MUSIC
I recommend the
sight of the two 1950's era cocktail glasses in the windows, made of a
turquoise aged metal and decorated with coloured light bulb rising bubbles,
enhanced by the fairy lights strung inside the bar. If you don't like dive
bars, don't go in. I have heard it's a hardcore tavern with well priced strong drinks, free jukebox and a calendar of some great local bands. Mon-Sun 16.00 02.00
MOTEL CAPRI 2015
Greenwich @ Buchanan in Cow Hollow RETRO SIGN
This charming pastel coloured motel
was built in 1957 and is a fantastic example of late 1950's motel architecture
and signage. Walk 2 blocks each way, to Union and Chesnut, both lined with
stores, bars and cafés.
On Chesnut there
is an old town feel with the great Marina Deli, the beautifully restored façade of Presidio Cinema and 12
blocks along, The Palace of Fine Arts from the World Fair of 1915. A fictional
ruin reflected in a lake resembling a stage set for a 1940's epic and used as a
backdrop in 'Vertigo'.
GOLDEN GATE PARK Stanyan @ Haight in
Haight Ashbury PARK
Near the beach, two windmills look
incongruous but were actually built in 1902 and 1905 to pump water throughout
the park, an area of 1.5 x 3 miles. After the earthquake and fire of 1906, the
park became a temporary haven of tents for 200,000 homeless people; while the citizens
rebuilt their city, the children spent their days in tent schools. Enter the
park at Stanyan onto John F. Kennedy Drive, the Conservatory of Flowers is on
your right. This elaborate Victorian greenhouse opened in 1879 is made of glass
and wood but has weathered storm damage, fire and earthquakes. Open Tue - Sun
10.00 - 16.30. A rare, exotic collection of tropical plants and flowers
creating a lush environment. Entrance is $7 but free the 1st Tuesday of the
month. To the right is the magnificent Dahlia Garden and opposite, wander in
the tranquil, beautiful, primeval Tree Fern Dell, referred to in the 1960s as
Mescaline Grove with Australian tree ferns as high as 20ft dating back to 1898.
The AIDS Memorial Grove leads to a stream between tiny pathways, to a circular
memorial wall in a well of trees. From this peaceful Memorial Dell, some
enchanting steps dappled with light curve upwards to a small area of light sky.
TONGA ROOM AND HURRICANE BAR at THE FAIRMONT
950 Mason @ California RETRO.BAR.MUSIC
Walk in the main entrance through the elaborately
decorated lobby of The Fairmont. The Tonga Room, named after the islands and
'South Pacific' nation of 'Tonga', was intended as an escape to a different
place. A delightful 'high
style' Tikki Palace designed in 1945 by Mel Melvin, Metro Goldwyn Meyer's top
set director. A terrace of bamboo chairs, tables and balcony surround a lagoon
on which a band perform on a floating pontoon. Sculptures, black lava rock,
strings of coloured pom pom lights, thatched canopies and periodic thunder,
lightning and tropical rainstorms fall into the lagoon, creating a dramatic and
charming effect which has me rushing to the balcony.
LOST WEEKEND VIDEO and
CINECAVE 1034 Valencia
@ 21st Mission STORE.RETRO.CINEMA
Retro signage, an old sign edged with coloured
lights for changing film showings, a 1960's juke box and a 'Galaga' video
arcade game create the effect videos came out in the 1960s, not the 1980s. They
have a wonderful collection of drama, horror, cult classics, director's
section, TV and new releases. Cinecave is an intimate cinema in the basement, a
screen with a table lamp on each side and on the tiny bar from which they serve
wine, beer, chocolate and $1 popcorn made as you order it. I watched 'Twin
Peaks' pilot and 1st episode while being served cherry pie then Italian horror
night, 'Susperia' and 'The Beyond'. Spooky. Daily 13.00 - 23.00.
SUTRO BATHS Point
Lobos @ 48th Ave. Lands End SIGHT
The largest swimming pool in the world in 1896, the site has a magical quality
because of it's one time greatness and epic scale but also it seems like an
archaeological excavation site, an ancient Greek remains, a labyrinth, skeleton
foundations and a few crumbling pillars standing defiantly against the sea.
Eerie and desolate but also powerful, inviting, uplifting, making you feel like
you are close to the harsh force of nature which defeated it, that you are
right against the edge of things.
If you want to see
the full 38 page guide click on the pyramid below.