Robben Ford Discussion

telefunk1 · Posted: Tue Nov 28, 2006 9:07 am Post subject: San Francisco hotel suggestions?

A question for all you Bay area types. I will be in San Francisco mid February for a conference and am wondering about hotels in the Union Square area. Any suggestions or hotels to avoid? The conference hotel is the Hilton San Francisco and Towers, and there are several others that are on the conference list but they are all the huge sterile corporate mega-hotlels. I was kind of hoping for something with a little more character in the same general area. Any ideas? Thanks in advance and feel free to send me a PM about this.

Daved · Posted: Tue Nov 28, 2006 9:19 am Post subject:

We just stayed at the Westin St. Francis Hotel on Powell Street, facing out onto Union Square, for our Thanksgiving day off in S.F.

The St. Francis is one of S.F.'s 'grand old hotels'... very historic and charismatic, yet well maintained and comforable. I've stayed there many times thruout the years and have always enjoyed my stays.
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patocaster · Posted: Tue Nov 28, 2006 10:56 am Post subject: Campton Place

In 2000 my wife and I graduated from USF (I was on a 30-year college plan) and we wanted special lodging for a special night. We found it at the Campton Place Hotel. It's not cheap but it was very nice. It is billed as a luxury boutique hotel. Check it out

http://www.camptonplace.com/index.html

-Pat
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telefunk1 · Posted: Tue Nov 28, 2006 1:32 pm Post subject:

Thanks for the suggestions. The Westin is actually one of the conference hotels, and it is my first pick if I have to stick with these (for price and state regulations reasons). The Campton Place Hotel looks like a great place - I will check out the rates. Thanks again.

Pat - I think I was on the same college plan - my grandkids (when I get them) will be paying off my student loans long after I am gone...

BlueRunner · Posted: Wed Nov 29, 2006 9:06 pm Post subject:

It's been years since I've stayed there, but for a number of years in a row I stayed at the Mark Twain when I went up to run in the Bay to Breakers race. It's small, not fancy, and my recollection is that it was less expensive than most, and run by really nice people. I see they have a web site at www.hotelmarktwain.com Might be worth checking out.
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Aeolian · Posted: Thu Nov 30, 2006 5:31 pm Post subject:

I stayed at the Mark Twain for a night on the way back from my honeymoon. Cool old funky place, but not in the nicest part of town. Smack in the midst of the Tenderloin. The City is weird like that. Funky neighborhoods right next to fancy ones.
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BlueRunner · Posted: Thu Nov 30, 2006 9:15 pm Post subject:

Aolian: "I" stayed there for a night on the way back from "my honeymoon"???? Not "we"? Is there some interesting history here that you've never told us about? Like, where did "she" stay after the honeymoon?

We all know that you've led an interesting life, but it's getting even interestinger.

I'd sort of forgotten exactly where the Mark Twain is. That wasn't one of my concerns the times I was up there. But in past years I've read that there are some tensions in the Tenderloin between professionals who are attempting to gentrify it, and drug dealers, hookers and other district "natives" who have gotten pretty nasty about it, both politically and personally. Still, my recollection is that it was a pretty nice hotel.
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Aeolian · Posted: Fri Dec 01, 2006 5:42 pm Post subject:

Opps, yep make that a we. We flew out of SF and decided to get a place there the day of our arrival before coming back home. I looked on some travel sites and the Mark Twain was listed as in the Union Square area and we wanted to do some downtown sightseeing so I booked it. After checking in, we walked down to Original Joe's for dinner (great place and they have one in San Jose that we're familiar with). On the way back was like running a gauntlet. I was used to walking though the SoMa area from the Bart station when I worked at Dolby, but my wife didn't know what to do with all the catcalls and lewd remarks over the two blocks back to the hotel.
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There are no such things as wrong notes, there's only the look on your face.
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