Historic Hotel Whitcomb, San Francisco

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Puccini, Un bel dì vedremo

After taking an early morning commuter train from Sunnyvale, California, south of San Fran, with the prospect of a full day of gallivanting around this fabled city, I found myself killing a bit of time before the incredible City Hall opened its doors at 8 a.m.

One of my favorite things to do when visiting a new city is to intermingle with the locals, and I soon had a fix on the nearest Starbucks for a medicinal coffee. This particular coffee joint turned out to be adjacent to be an historic hotel lobby. After the earthquake in 1906, this building was the tempoary location for the City Hall, as described below, and as such foreshadowed the recording adventure that is described in recent posts.

While waiting for my latte, and purportedly while looking for the washroom (or rather the restroom, Americans inevitably stare at me blankly, especially when I ask where to find ‘the bathroom’), I cased this exquisite lobby as a potential venue for getting a jump-start on my intrepid flute-recording activities.

I diligently assembled my flute off to one side of the lobby, having selected this evocative aria by Puccini, well-suited for the occasion. No, I did not get interrupted as I sounded these first lyrical notes of the day, however you can listen for the ominous cackle of a hotel staff member who subsequently busied himself with an overt display of using his walkie-talkie as I played. I guess I’ll never know for sure – I  did not stick around long enough to find out – but it appeared he was requesting heavy-duty ground support to deal with this unexpected musical interlocutor!

A couple of times during my left-hand notes as I played, I pleadingly held up a finger (no, not that finger!) requesting ‘just one more minute’ as politely as possible, so as to buy time and maybe win favour with him! To avoid further incident, and upon completing my ‘da capo’, I hastily packed up and retreated to the anonymity of the street, coffee in hand!

Hotel Whitcomb is a marvel of early 19^th century and Edwardian architecture that can be seen throughout the hotel. The opulent lobby featuring Austrian crystal chandeliers, marble columns, rare Janesero wood paneling, intricately carved ceiling molding and beautiful Tiffany stained glass at the front desk and in the piano bar are but a few of the spectacular features of this exquisite property.

After the 1906 earthquake ruined the city, the hotel served as San Francisco’s City Hall from 1912 to 1915. Curious guests can arrange a tour of the old jail cells in the basement. Etched over the main entranceway, the words ‘City Hall’ were visible until the mid 1990′s.

I hope to return at some point to visit and record in the mothballed jail-cells directly below this lobby – the next time I might request permission in advance!