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Published: July 10th 2008
Holy cow, what a busy day! So, where to start?
Well, I'll start with this gorgeous hotel that I'm staying in - the Four Seasons San Francisco. After arriving slightly later than intended last night, thanks to all the wacky storms lately which held up my flight on the runway, I made it to the hotel much more quickly than I expected. When I arrived, it reminded me of shopping at Lord & Taylor - I know that sounds weird, so let me explain. Whenever I go to Lord & Taylor and purchase something with my L&T charge, they always hand the receipt to me and call me "Ms. Griffiths." It makes me feel so much fancier than I am, and I appreciate it (who doesn't like to feel special?). So as I arrived at the Four Seasons and settled up with the car driver, the bellhop getting my bags checked the name on the suitcase and called me "Ms. Griffiths" as soon as I stepped out of the car! It was a pretty cool feeling. The hotel is hoping to get our business for next year's annual meeting, so they're bending over backwards to accommodate me while I'm visiting
- and that's on top of the already impeccable service that the Four Seasons is known for. That became especially apparent when I checked in, and the woman at registration announced they had put me in an executive suite! The last suite I was in was in Paris, and as you may know, a suite in a European hotel is more like a normal size room in an American hotel. So I was pretty excited to get up to my room and it didn't disappoint!
I entered in through the main door, seeing the French doors covered with curtains immediately to my right, and realized that at the end of the short hallway, I had a separate sitting room, complete with a flat screen tv, a pullout couch, a desk with a very comfortable chair, and another armchair! Figuring that my bed had to be beyond the French doors, I quickly opened them, and found another room with the bed, another flat screen tv, and another armchair! In addition, there is a walk in closet (a big one) and a huge bathroom - with lovely bath amenities, I might add. There is even a second closet in the hallway!
It's really incredible - I could spend all day here. The bed is pretty comfortable too - I would like it to be a little bit softer, but if that's my only criticism, I'm in great shape!
The plan for today was to meet up with the wife of one of our lawyers out here, who is a woman that I happen to like a lot. We met downstairs and walked over to Neiman Marcus, where they have a restaurant that she had heard a lot about (but with four boys, who is she going to get to join her at Neiman Marcus for lunch?). The restaurant is called The Rotunda (because that's where it is), and it overlooks Union Square, and the interior of the department store. Our table had both views, and we enjoyed a very delightful lunch there, in the company of actress Elisabeth Shue, who sat across the way (pretty cool!). I would definitely recommend it to anyone visiting San Francisco - we did discuss how it might be considered a little "ladies who lunch" but it was still a very pleasant time. We walked a little bit around Union Square and checked out the
large painted hearts, which are struggling to be like New York's painted cows. However, I did quite enjoy them and thought that the heart motif (which I've been seeing a lot lately) was a good omen.
After grabbing a Starbucks, we headed back to the hotel to meet with one of the events planners we would be interviewing. She piled us into the waiting car, and we went to our first destination of the afternoon - the Green Room. The Green Room is on the second floor of the War Memorial Veteran's Building (so already I was predisposed to like it). The Green Room itself was originally designed as a lounge for World War I veterans. Entering the building, I wasn't overly impressed and felt that even the hallway outside of the room was a little bland. The room itself was grand, but not overly fancy which was nice, but just not the right fit for our group. However, it did have five sets of glass doors along one wall that opened to a russet tiled loggia facing City Hall. The view of city hall was dramatic, and the weather here today was so gorgeous, that any time I
was outside, I was feeling inspired by my surroundings. So while the room itself wasn't great, the outside veranda was beautiful.
Then it was on to the next thing - a surprise visit to City Hall. I didn't want to remind the events planner that her competition would be taking us to City Hall the next day, so I went along with it. I must say, it definitely had the "wow" factor - after walking through metal detectors inside (yes, that would be required for all 130 of our guests, a definite negative), we walked through a little hallway and out into the main rotunda and staircase area. It was truly dramatic and stunning, a great sweeping expanse of room that would impress even the most critical. I still voiced my concerns over the size and potential impersonal nature of the space, but the events planner assured me that we could make it more fun, and less formal. With our lawyer suggesting a possible talent show by the delegates as entertainment (yes, they have other talents!), it might actually work. Definitely food for thought.
Next, we made another unplanned stop at the deYoung Museum, located in Golden Gate
State Park. I still had yet to see the orange bridge, so I was hoping to get a peek. The museum is definitely funky, covered in a copper metal siding, which is starting to turn green already - the idea is that someday, it will all be green and will blend back into its lush surroundings (touchy feeley, yes, but we are in California people). We headed first to the tower, with its impressive 365 degree views of the city - I could just about see the tips of the bridge in the distance, but it was a hazy day, so it wasn't very clear. The height didn't even bother me as much as I expected it to, which was nice. We learned that the tower couldn't fit us all up there at once, but it would be open for the group to come and experience the views themselves. The events planner suggested that we do a group lunch in the Mural Room (exactly what you think it is), and we could have a docent talk a little about the museum, and then following lunch, everyone could wander around themselves. They could also head just across the way to the
Academy of Sciences (which will open soon, and include an African penguin exhibit, and a planetarium!) or next door to the Japanese Tea Gardens (several of the group went there the last time they were in San Francisco for a conference). Or they could head out and do their own thing. So that's a possibility too. Golden Gate Park looked really beautiful (especially in this warm, but low humidity, weather), so I would love to wander around there someday and really check it out.
Our next stop was the City Club, which is a private club that had a very 1930's New York feel ("very art-deco," was the response, anytime I made that comparison). The art and interiors of the club cost a third of a million dollars in 1930, and it's main claim to fame is that in 1931, world-renowned Mexican artist, Diego Rivera completed the main artwork. The ceiling is another gem, covered in brass leaf over floral designs, and the walls are paneled with Avodire and Hungarian Ash, with views through windows framed with pear wood and ebony. An early 1900's gangster wouldn't feel out of place here, but our lawyers might! Finally, it was off
to the Carnelian Room, for which I had high hopes - it was, after all, on the 52nd floor of the Bank of America building. And while the room itself was a little tired looking, the views were flat out stunning. I finally got to see the Golden Gate Bridge (yay!) and Alcatraz (The Rock!) and it was truly breathtaking to see so much of the city from high up. We agreed that it might not be the right choice for the final dinner, but it would be perfect for the opening night - just spectacular views. The events planner painted a mental picture for us of being up there as the sun slowly set behind the Golden Gate Bridge, and the lights of the city wink on - super. So we'll see whether that can happen or not!
After a short ride back to the hotel, it was time to part ways with the events planner and get ready for our meeting with the hotel. The hotel is just as impressive elsewhere as it is in my room (as I'm sure you would expect). We toured the food and beverage side of the main lobby floor (the 5th
floor, which makes it all feel more private), and saw the lovely restaurant, along with a warm, comfortable lounge and bar area. The hotel is very contemporary (not modern - there are very subtle differences), so it's very soothing and comfortable. We headed next to the meeting side of the floor, where we saw the Junior ballroom, another suggestion for the first night's reception and dinner, and the outside terrace, overlooking the Jewish Contemporary Museum and St. Joseph's Cathedral, whose bells I can hear pealing from my room - quite pleasant. We eventually saw the ballroom as well, and I can certainly picture the group here for the conference, enjoying the pleasantness of the hotel.
The two room categories we saw were equally nice (I still think I have the nicest suite though!) and then we went to the gym. "Gym" is a bit of a misnomer here, as it's really more of a sports complex. It takes up three entire floors at the hotel, and serves as a public gym, as well as the hotel's - but it is complimentary for hotel guests. There is a basketball court, olympic swimming pool, rooms for classes, a spa, salon, weight
area (almost half a floor), and even a cafe, restaurant, and bar. It was truly impressive, and I plan to try to get to one of the many yoga classes they're offering in the next day or so. I think the group will really enjoy having it, and I hope they are able to take advantage of it!
Once we had seen everything, we were off to meet up with our lawyer and have some dinner. He knew of a little street of restaurants, tucked away within walking distance from the hotel. It was quite fascinating - one minute we were walking along a regular city street, and the next, we turned a corner, and there was a narrow street, full of one restaurant after another, whose outdoor tables made it appear as though it was one big restaurant. Tiny lights were strung over the awnings, and each hostess stood ready to offer you a menu to peruse. We eventually decided on The Tiramisu, an Italian restaurant with interesting menu choices. We managed to get a seat outside (the place was packed, and reminiscent of Europe) and enjoyed a lovely meal. I had a salad with walnuts and goat
cheese - both were a surprisingly sweet contrast to the woodsy taste of the mixed greens. I followed it with a ravioli that included truffles and sage crisps, and ended with a blueberry peach cobbler (not bad, but HUGE). We enjoyed chatting about the possibilities for the conferences and the plan for tomorrow, and generally had a very nice time. Although I feel as if I've been on the go almost all day, it was quite pleasant and enjoyable. Tomorrow should be more of the same, with meeting another events planner and being joined by an additional attorney's spouse, but hopefully I will have some downtime in the afternoon. I did learn today that you have to buy Alcatraz tickets in advance, so I'll have to set that up for my next visit here - it was cool from a distance, but I really want to go to the Rock in person. There's so much to see and so little time to see it in - I am already excited to come back next summer for our meeting!
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