SISTER ACT
Sister Act - Luxury Travel Magazine
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Sister Act | |||||
| By: Andrew Conway, Issue 28 – Spring 2006 | |||||
| (San Francisco, California, United States of America) | |||||
| SHE LOOKS A LITTLE LIKE SYDNEY, FEELS LIKE MELBOURNE, AND IS ONE OF AMERICA’S MOST VIBRANT, COLOURFUL CITIES. | |||||
| STAY | |||||
| The Fairmont – One of the few buildings to survive the devastating 1906 earthquake, The Fairmont is San Francisco’s grandest and most famous hotel – a stately palace on prestigious Nob Hill with a beautiful marble lobby, 591 spacious rooms and 62 luxurious suites split between the main building and a tower with panoramic views, and history seeping from every nook and cranny. www.fairmont.com | |||||
| The Huntington – Another top-drawer Nob Hill address, an historic and club-like hotel with 96 super-sized guest rooms and suites, the Big Four Bar and Restaurant – named after San Francisco’s ‘big four’ railroad tycoons – and spectacular Nob Hill Spa with its indoor pool, outdoor deck, treatment rooms and city skyline views. The hotel is an easy walk, cable car ride or drive to Union Square and the Downtown area. www.huntingtonhotel.com | |||||
| Hotel Vitale – San Francisco’s newest ‘destination’ hotel overlooking the Bay Bridge and waterfront, the Vitale has 199 serene, contemporary and superbly designed guest rooms and suites, the small but revitalizing Spa Vitale – with rooftop soaking tubs, private treatment rooms, and an extensive spa menu – and the funky Americano Restaurant, serving breakfast, lunch, dinner and cocktails. It’s one of those hip hotels where everything works perfectly. www.hotelvitale.com | |||||
| St Regis – A showcase for the new St Regis luxury hotel brand, a cool and contemporary 40- storey landmark and neighbour to the Museum of Modern Art, with 260 guest rooms and suites, the stylish Ame restaurant, Remede Spa, and 102 private luxury residences. www.stregis.com | |||||
| EAT | |||||
| Kokkari –Without doubt one of the best Greek restaurants in America, with a spit lamb cooking over a log fire, a classic-modern menu from seafood to game, great wines, and an eye-catching designer décor. Moussaka will never taste the same again. Piperade – A stunning fusion of West Coast and French Pays Basque cuisine, created by master chef Gerald Hirigoyen, Piperade is one of those rare city restaurants that combines contemporary and classic dishes with exceptional wine and service. If you do nothing else in San Francisco, eat here. Ana Mandara – Modern Vietnamese cuisine at its best, with family-style and cutting-edge dishes served in an two-level setting that’s packed to the rafters. Tuck into Sonoma duck sausage with fois gras, banana blossom salad, seared Mekong Basa, and leave with a smile on your face. The Slanted Door – A stylish Vietnamese restaurant showcasing the abundance of produce as well as ecologically farmed meat, game and poultry found at farms around the San Francisco Bay Area. Moose’s – A North Beach institution with a contemporary twist thanks to rising star Executive Chef Josh Capone – working in an open kitchen – and a fresh young management team. The Hawaiian tuna tartare is a treat. McCormick & Kuleto’s – Another San Francisco institution specialising in fresh local seafood – start with the Dungeness crab cakes, then a cup of clam chowder followed by the Atlantic salmon stuffed with crab, shrimp and brie cheese – all backed by an extensive wine list. | |||||
| SHOP | |||||
| Union Square – Right in the heart of town, bordered by Post, Geary, Powell and Stockton Streets, and lined with some of the world’s great stores from Saks Fifth Avenue to Tiffany and Co, Williams Sonoma, Neiman Marcus, Macy’s, and two blocks from the only-in-San Francisco Gump’s department store. Maiden Lane – The place for serious retail therapy, just off Union Square, home to Hermes, Escada, YSL, Chanel, Krizia, the superstylish Xanadu Gallery, and a host of other top-drawer boutiques. Westfield San Francisco – Yes, Australia’s latest Westfield shopping centre, complete with Bloomingdale’s, Nordstrom and 170 boutique and specialty stores, great restaurants, a spa and gourmet marketplace. | |||||
| VISIT | |||||
| Museum of Modern Art – One of the largest museums of contemporary art in America, with a dazzling collection of cutting-edge and historically important permanent artworks and visiting exhibitions in a landmark building. The Ferry Building – The Embarcadero. Catch a ferry by all means, but a terrific Farmers’ Market operates here four days a week every Tuesday, Thursday, Saturday and Sunday, awash with everything from caviar to chocolate, cheese, olive oil, wine, and artisan and homeware stores. Not to be missed. | |||||
| TOUR | |||||
| Blue Heron – Private, customised tours of San Francisco, Napa Valley Wine Country, Muir Woods, West Marin and south to Monterey. Affable and knowledgeable resident guide Rick Spear will drive you in air-conditioned comfort on personalised itineraries to suit singles, couples and families. | |||||
| PARTY | |||||
| The Redwood Room at The Clift Hotel – Cocktails in the funky Philippe-Starck designed bar followed by dinner in the adjoining Asia de Cuba. Top of the Mark Sky-Bar – Pre-dinner martini or post-dinner nightcap atop The Mark Hopkins Hotel at Nob Hill with panoramic city views. Beach Blanket Babylon at Club Fugazi – Still San Francisco’s best musical revue, and great night out. | |||||
| THE ULTIMATE SAN FRANCISCO LUXURY EXPERIENCE | |||||
| A treatment at Nob Hill Spa, shopping raid on ritzy Maiden Lane, limousine tour of the city with champagne at the Golden Gate Bridge, and dinner at Restaurant Gary Danko. | |||||
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