Girlfriends Getaway in San Francisco


Who is She? She's Newsletter Window Shopping Gift Certificates Tell-A-Friend Contact She The Power of Music Songs for the Soul Love and Stress Answers from the Love Nest Pajama Party Head Massage Ancient Stress Relief Technique Girlfriends Getaway in San Francisco Meditation Source of Love	Wisdom to enrich your life Links to past articles on the left Girlfriends Getaway in San Francisco By Leslie Alexander and Mary Wallace Poole Girlfriends! We chat on the phone or e-mail regularly to meet for lunch, dinner or a movie – perhaps a little shopping. Occasionally, we take a class or travel together. Similar in many ways yet very different, we really do care about one another and enjoy each other’s company. Time spent together is rich and meaningful – usually accompanied by lots of laughter as well as the occasional tear. "So naturally," says Leslie, "I jumped at the opportunity to meet Mary for a couple of days recently in San Francisco after a conference. Exploring San Francisco together would be so much FUN, I thought, and I was so right!" When we checked in to the *Kensington Park Hotel* we were immediately charmed by its ambiance – very old-world and very welcoming. The building, constructed in 1925, is located right near Union Square – convenient to shopping, the theatre and restaurants galore, most within walking distance or via public transportation. San Francisco’s famous cable car is also close by. Our rooms were quiet with comfy beds, cozy duvets and lots of pillows. The warm colors and dark woods echoed the lobby’s ambiance. A robe and slippers in the closet and a lighted make-up mirror in the bathroom made it perfect for girlfriends. Complimentary sherry, tea and coffee served in the lobby each evening between 5-7 p.m. made it so civilized! The Kensington Park Hotel is part of the Personality Hotels – a group of small boutique hotels, each one with a distinctly different personality. We walked to one of the sister hotels, the *Hotel Diva, just for a peek. It is bold, colorful and contemporary – a complete contrast to our hotel. In the lobby, Black t-shirts with DIVA inscribed on the front were available for purchase. What fun! It rained a bit one day during our visit, but that didn’t slow us down. We had lots on our list to discover, galleries, art museums and shopping. "We both have black belts in retail therapy," laughs Mary. Macy’s and Sak’s are near the Kensington Park Hotel. Bloomingdale’s and Nordstrom’s within walking distance. The gorgeous new Bloomingdale’s, located in the Westfield Centre, had been open less than a week on our visit. Possibly the most beautiful department store we’d ever seen, the wide aisles, sparking display cases and merchandise arranged like pieces of art, made for enchanting browsing. The elegant ladies’ room provides silver suede sofas for those girlfriends’ tête-à-têtes. This jewel-box of a store is a truly delightful shopping experience. Juan, the concierge, made restaurant recommendations and even made our dinner reservation for us (at nearby Scala’s Bistro, featuring mouth-watering Italian and French country food.) The nine-story Westfield Centre is not your average shopping centre and includes Mai Do, featuring a dazzling array of Japanese paper, stationery and gifts, the Metropolitan Museum of Art Shop* with treasures from the gallery collections and *Meadowlark Gallery* that promotes the works of more than 500 American artists. We could easily have spent our entire time there, but we had more to explore. At the *Weinstein Gallery* on Geary Street, we enjoyed a fine collection of Chagalls and Calders and a few blocks further brought us to the *San Francisco Museum of Modern Art. We found out that if you buy a ticket a ticket to the SFMOMA or the Yerba Buena Center for the Arts, you can get $2 off the admission at the other museum. If you love shoes as much as these girlfriends do, you will love the secret our hotel shared with us. The DSW* on Powell Street with four floors of discounted shoes, starts with no-name brands in the basement and progresses all the way to Prada and other labels on the top floor. We found great bargains that were at least 30% discounted and even more so in the basement. And, they restock daily! No girlfriends’ trip is complete without the discovery of wonderful places to eat – and we discovered our share in this marvelous city by the sea. *Colibri, again recommended by our hotel, is small and intimate with dark walls. This is a stylish local haunt serving thirst-quenching margaritas and mojitos. Freshly made tortillas come wrapped in a linen envelope and the guacamole is made-to-order, so you can determine the “heat”. Alioto’s* on Fisherman’s Wharf, another girlfriend’s recommendation, was our first night’s choice. Established in 1925, specializing in fresh seafood and courteous, old-world service, it has splendid views of the still-working wharf and the fishing boats. The walls are lined with vintage photographs of San Francisco’s history and the celebrities who have visited over the years. Our final evening took us to *Hana Zen. A favourite of locals, this spot was literally jumping. The sake martinis are not to be missed! As well as winding down, we also found marvels in which to start the day – one of which, Sears Fine Food, has been in business since 1938 and the only restaurant we’ve ever visited with its own Director of Guest Relations who chats with visitors, sharing helpful transit info and where to get discounted theatre tickets. Try their Swedish pancakes. Our visit to San Francisco ended too soon – we were having so much fun and there was still so much more to see and do in “the city”. We felt very welcome and very safe as we enjoyed ourselves whether morning, noon or night. Leslie wished she had more time to visit and explore, and Mary wished she had purchased the DIVA t-shirt. Since Mary's flight home departed late morning, Leslie dashed back to the Hotel Diva and purchased the shirt for her before her own flight home in the afternoon. Girlfriends! Leslie Alexander* and Mary Wallace Poole have been friends since they first met in Vancouver. They enjoy travelling together and recently travelled to Provence to celebrate a shared significant birthday.
San Francisco Resources Hotels The Kensington Park Hotel The Hotel Diva Art Galleries and Theatres The Weinstein Gallery Meadow Lark Gallery San Francisco Museum of Modern Art “Tix” in Union Square Shopping Bloomingdale's DSW Westfield Centre - 845 Market Street Restaurants Alioto’s Colibri - 438 Geary Street Hana Zen Scala’s Bistro Sears Fine Foods
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