SF Hotel Stories

In my upcoming book, Service IS The Business (working title) I share a behind-the-desk perspective of what it is like to work at a real San Francisco hotel concierge desk. Enjoy this brief segment from the third chapter. After graduation, I knew I couldn’t commit to a full-time schedule at the Franklyn Hotel and still be available for film work. I had just earned a bachelor's degree in film and wanted to learn my craft. So I gave the Franklyn my two-week notice, and thus be

If you like this article, please hit like and follow us. You can also follow us at www.sfhotelstories.com . Before there was Flywheel Taxi, there was DeSoto. Remember them? The phone is gone, but the sign is still there. SFHotelStories.com  is looking for contributors: writers, videographers, and photographers. Contact us at SFHotelStories@gmail.com , Subject: Contributors.

From Television to AI, San Francisco has been at the forefront of the latest technologies invented (or perfected) within its borders.  Because of its iconic structures like the Ferry Building and the Golden Gate Bridge, the city's icons have been the subject of Hollywood's attention.  It therefore is not much of a leap to see why so many science fiction films have been set here.   The first film to truly utilize the city for the genre was the Sci-Fi classic, It Came from Bene

New York City's Stonewall Uprising in 1969 was not the first spark of the gay liberation movement. It happened three years earlier at Gene Compton's Cafe. If you like this article, please hit like and follow us. You can also follow us at www.sfhotelstories.com SFHotelStories.com  is looking for contributors: writers, videographers, and photographers. Contact us at SFHotelStories@gmail.com , Subject: Contributors.

Here is what's happening in some of San Francisco Libraries. Tuesday, 2/3/2026, 10:00 - 12:00 Looking for work can feel isolating — but you’re not alone. This is a relaxed, in-person gathering where job seekers can connect, share, and support one another through the ups and downs of the job search. Main Branch Wednesday, 2/4/2026, 1:00 - 3:00 Come in for the Asian Pacific American Community Center (APACC) office hours at the Visitacion Valley Branch Library. Visitacion Valley

https://digitalsf.org/record/40721?ln=en&p=mark+twain&v=uv#?xywh=-540%2C41%2C1787%2C985 From the San Francisco History Center, San Francisco Public Library "I have done more for San Francisco than any other of its old residents. Since I left there it has increased in population fully 300,000. I could have done more -- I could have gone earlier -- it was suggested." -Undated letter quoted in Mark Twain: A Biography

Welcome to Incoming, from SFHotelstories. Your concierge weekly guide to the pulse of what's happening in San Francisco. EVENTS Kaiser Permanente hosts a Half Marathon/10K/5K in Golden Gate Park.  Join the festivities on February 1st.   If you like this article, please hit like and follow us.  You can also follow us at www.sfhotelstories.com COMEDY Chase Center Sunday, February 7th, Dave Chappelle. That is all. MUSIC Bill Graham Piano-jumping pop star, Benson Boone share his

In my upcoming book, Service IS The Business (working title) I share a behind-the-desk perspective of what it is like to work at a real San Francisco hotel concierge desk. Enjoy this brief segment from the second chapter. At the Franklyn, I discovered that many different restaurants and tour companies offered invitations to the hotel staff, yet oddly no one ever seemed interested in accepting them. But I did. I remember a sightseeing tour company had a party at a fancy hote

If you like this article, please hit like and follow us. You can also follow us at www.sfhotelstories.com SFHotelStories.com  is looking for contributors: writers, videographers, and photographers. Contact us at SFHotelStories@gmail.com , Subject: Contributors

Surfing, as we know it, was introduced to the USA in Santa Cruz and popularized after World War II. Soldiers who fought in the Pacific theater encountered Polynesians practicing in this ancient pastime and brought it back to the mainland. In the late 1950s music from the Beach Boys, and TV shows like Hawaiian Eye, popularized the nascent sport. Topography and wave patterns on the Pacific Coast side of the San Francisco Peninsula, create the ideal conditions for some of the

The modern Irish Coffee as we know it, was invented at the Buena Vista Cafe in san Francisco's Fisherman's Wharf. If you like this article, please hit like and follow us. You can also follow us at www.sfhotelstories.com SFHotelStories.com  is looking for contributors: writers, videographers, and photographers. Contact us at SFHotelStories@gmail.com , Subject: Contributors.

Here is what's happening at some of the San Francisco Libraries. Tuesday, 1/27/2026, 6:00 - 8:30 Activity: Join us and Legacy Film Festival on Aging for the first event of the 2026 season — 2 short films + Q&A with the filmmakers and cast Bernal Heights Branch Wednesday, 1/28/2026, 10:00 - 10:30 Enjoy fun and educational songs, rhymes and stories with Main Children's Center librarians in this special story time for toddlers, preschoolers, and their families every Wednesday in

https://digitalsf.org/record/15562?ln=en&p=Ambrose+Bierce&v=uv#?xywh=-552%2C-31%2C1823%2C1004 From the San Francisco History Center, San Francisco Public Library "This city is a point upon a map of fog." - Ambrose Bierce If you like this article, please hit like and follow us. You can also follow us at http://www.sfhotelstories.com SFHotelStories.com is looking for contributors: writers, videographers, and photographers. Contact us at SFHotelStories@gmail.com, Subject:

Welcome to Incoming, from SFHotelstories. Your concierge weekly guide to the pulse of what's happening in San Francisco. EVENTS The Box SF The Box SF is now home to two floors of premier event space, as well as an antique printing & vintage advertising mercantile modeled after an 1850’s country store. Their first Artists & Makers Fair happens January 24th and 24th.  Did I mention it is free?   If you like this article, please hit like and follow us.  You can also follow us at

In my upcoming book, Service IS The Business (working title) I share a behind-the-desk perspective of what it is like to work at a real San Francisco hotel concierge desk. Enjoy this brief segment from the second chapter. My bell captain Vinny taught me about Lincoln Loads. This is when you call a particular cab driver for an airport fare, and they give you a five-dollar bill in return. President Lincoln is on the five-dollar bill, hence the name. The general manager hated

If you like this article, please hit like and follow us. You can also follow us at www.sfhotelstories.com Found in a real hair salon. SFHotelStories.com  is looking for contributors: writers, videographers, and photographers. Contact us at SFHotelStories@gmail.com , Subject: Contributors.

Willie L. Brown (from whom the “Da Mayor” moniker originated) moved to San Francisco from Mineola, Texas. He became a civil rights lawyer and somehow found himself elected to office, and eventually the Speaker of the California State Assembly for 15 years. One Republican governors’ administration after another tried to dismantle his influence, but he bested them every time. The one thing he could not beat was term limits. Once he was termed out, he set his sights on city

The United Nations was founded, and the UN charter signed, right here in San Francisco. Not New York City. That's why it is called UN Plaza. If you like this article, please hit like and follow us. You can also follow us at www.sfhotelstories.com SFHotelStories.com  is looking for contributors: writers, videographers, and photographers. Contact us at SFHotelStories@gmail.com , Subject: Contributors.

The Sutro Baths is a National Park If you like this article, please hit like and follow us. You can also follow us at www.sfhotelstories.com SFHotelStories.com  is looking for contributors: writers, videographers, and photographers. Contact us at SFHotelStories@gmail.com , Subject: Contributors.

The city's libraries are not only a source of information, but a great place to see FREE events and exhibits. Tuesday, 1/20/2026, 3:00 - 4:00 Activity: Sound Bath with Wellness Coach Nicole Lapuyade Excelsior Branch. Tuesday, 1/20/2026, 6:00 - 7:00 Author: Broke-Ass Stuart in conversation with Tayler Mehit Main Branch. Wednesday, 1/21/2026, 1:30 - 3:00 Activity: Tai-Chi Anza Branch. Thursday, 1/22/2026, 1:30 - 2:30 Workshop: District 7 Affordable Housing Sunset Branch. Friday