San Francisco, CA
San Francisco? Wine Country? Four Seasons Hotels Wants You to See Both
Outdoor dining at Four Seasons Napa Valley. It’s part of the immersive city-to-country experience … [+]
It always surprises me when people who love California tell me they haven’t been to Napa Valley. Wine country isn’t just some dreamy Bay Area side trip; it’s a quintessential piece of the culture and economy, shaping the very lifestyle and spirit of the region. Skipping Napa is like visiting San Francisco without seeing the Golden Gate Bridge or biting into a slice of sourdough; you’re not getting the total package.
An immersive new travel experience at two Four Seasons properties brings together the very best of San Francisco and Napa on an itinerary that mixes dining, imbibing, and sightseeing for a one-of-a-kind city-to-country adventure. In just a few glorious days (the length is up to you), the trip lays to rest the idea that the Bay Area is stuck in a downward coil of urban despair and economic struggle, sometimes referred to as the “doom loop.”
Occupying the top 11 floors of a 48-floor tower in San Francisco, the Four Seasons Embarcadero has … [+]
Since its days as a gold rush settlement and through various culture waves and tech booms and busts, San Francisco has always been a comeback town, and signs show it’s on the rebound once again. Take the area around the iconic TransAmerica building, where a series of public open spaces is set to open later this year with new restaurants, shops, lounges, activities and a sky bar.
A few blocks away, Four Seasons Hotel San Francisco at Embarcadero plays a big part of the revitalization. Occupying the top 11 floors of a 48-story landmark tower, the hotel opened in 2020 (it closed during the pandemic and reopened in June 2021) with head-spinning panoramas of the city and San Francisco Bay. The property, one of two Four Seasons hotels in San Francisco (the other is on Market Street), is both a refuge from urban life and a celebration of it. The views remind you of what makes San Francisco an enchanted place, and the hotel knows how to showcase the city at its finest.
A flight of cocktails is on the menu at Four Seasons Hotel Embarcadero in San Francisco.
The hotel connects guests on outings with art photographer Adam Jacobs who shows how to “make” photos rather than just “take” them. He reveals the best vantage points to view city landmarks and the bay beyond, with tips on how to capture it all in the right light. If that’s splashy enough, Adventure Cat Sailing Adventures partners with the hotel on a 1.5-hour sunset sail aboard a catamaran from Pier 39 to the Golden Gate Bridge, as evening lights up the skyline.
It’s a ten-minute walk from the hotel to Quince, a three-star Michelin restaurant that last year opened a more “approachable” salon, featuring an abbreviated tasting menu in an area with comfortable banquette seating. Or you can stay put at the Four Seasons and enjoy a flight of cocktails at the ground-floor Italian restaurant Orafo, which makes its pasta in-house and procures its meats and produce from local farms.
With two pools, two restaurants, a spa and an on-site vineyard and winery, guests don’t need to … [+]
The city-to-country program kicks off for real with a limousine transfer to Four Seasons Resort & Residences Napa Valley in Calistoga. Open since 2021, the lush and scenic retreat on 22 acres has 85 guest rooms, two pools, two restaurants (including one with a Michelin star), a bocce ball court, a fitness center, an eight-room spa and its own boutique vineyard.
Amuse bouche at the Michelin-starred restaurant Auro at Four Seasons Napa Valley
Those vines aren’t just for show. The 4.7-acre vineyard is part of an onsite, organically farmed winery, Elusa, where winemaker Jonathan Walden collaborates with legendary winemaker Thomas Rivers Brown on a carefully crafted selection of outstanding red wines. Hotel guests can enjoy an entire barrel room and tasting experience without ever leaving the property; and all in time for dinner, either at the farm-to-table restaurant Truss, or at Calistoga’s only Michelin-starred dining spot, Auro. Chef Rogelio Garcia, who worked alongside Thomas Keller at The French Laundry, runs Auro’s pleasantly relaxed kitchen with precision and playfulness. One amuse bouche dish — the chef’s take on eggnog — is served in an eggshell, laser-cut as a mini bowl and suspended on a ceramic perch shaped like a chicken leg.
Calistoga is celebrated for its geothermal hot springs and therapeutic mud baths, which are renowned for promoting healing and relaxation. At the Four Seasons spa, guests can unwind with treatments that feature mineral-rich mud, used in scrubs and massages designed to detoxify and soothe. The spa also has outdoor misting decks, steam rooms, and tranquility lounges, perfect for shedding worldly stresses. It’s hard to imagine a better spot for experiencing the unique and eclectic charms of the Bay Area, whether you prefer urban excitement, countryside tranquility or an indulgent blend of both.
San Francisco, CA
Holiday travel at San Francisco airport being affected by winter weather
With rain and wind in the forecast, it may make some people’s holiday travel a little more difficult.
At San Francisco International Airport, more than 400 flights have been delayed. Maggie Nelson’s was delayed coming into the airport.
“It seemed like everyone was in a panic or a hurry to get anywhere,” said Nelson. “The plane was crowded. There was a lot of turbulence.”
Nelson flew in from Redmond, Oregon, usually a quick flight to SFO, just under two hours, but she ended up being delayed nearly that long.
“Originally, we were supposed to take off at 2 p.m. and then our flight got delayed to 2:50 p.m., and then it got delayed again,” Nelson explained. “I don’t think we took off until 3:30 p.m. because of high winds or something.”
California is in the middle of an intense storm period. Two systems bringing heavy rain and strong winds, and Nelson could feel all of it.
“The turbulence was pretty bad,” said Nelson. “There was a point where I got nauseous. I was like ‘Are we there yet? Is this over?’”
While she’s grateful to be on solid ground, Shon Alkaslasi was about to take off or at least try to.
“United sent a text that wind might affect operations,” said Alkaslasi.
He arrived early, just in case of holiday traffic, now he’s anticipating he may be delayed. He’s travelling home to Los Angeles, another area in the middle of the storms.
“I would say I’m not the biggest fan of turbulence so I am a little bit nervous about that,” Alkaslaski detailed. “But if they say it’s totally safe to travel, I’m not usually concerned but the feeling of bumps on a plane is just not the most comfortable and I’ll have to deal with it.”
Airport Duty Manager Crystal David said overall things haven’t been too bad, but West Coast flights, like Alkaslasi’s and Nelson’s, are the ones most likely to be impacted.
“SFO is on a ground delay program throughout the night, through midnight and so right now it’s about 127 minutes because of winds,” said David. “Mostly it’s the west coast flights are that are being affected right now with delays of up to 35 minutes for the west coast traffic.”
She said the delays could continue into the morning, when even stronger winds are expected. She recommends travelers check in with their airlines.
But for Nelson, she’s just glad she made it home.
“I used to live a lot closer so it’s a lot harder to come home now so when I do get to come home, I try to take advantage of that and appreciate it,” said Nelson.
San Francisco, CA
Executive chef of new buzzy San Francisco restaurant Bourbon Steak visits ABC7
SAN FRANCISCO (KGO) — ABC7 got in the holiday spirit Monday with the executive chef of San Francisco’s buzziest restaurants that just opened in October — to a lot of fanfare.
We’re talking about Bourbon Steak, inside the Westin St. Francis Hotel.
Legendary celebrity chef Michael Mina’s latest opening brings him back to San Francisco, and everyone came to celebrate: a cable car, Mayor Daniel Lurie, and Warriors superstar Stephen Curry — a partner in this venture who created the bourbon bar Eighth Rule inside the restaurant.
But they’re not just about style. They are first and foremost about steaks.
Because they are on the menu for so many holiday gatherings, we are delighted that Bourbon Steak executive chef Kevin Schantz joined us on ABC7’s “Midday Live.”
Watch the full interview in the player above.
If you’re on the ABC7 News app, click here to watch live
Copyright © 2025 KGO-TV. All Rights Reserved.
San Francisco, CA
Thousands in one San Francisco neighborhood heading into another day without power
While many people in San Francisco have their power back, there are still thousands without it.
At a press conference Monday afternoon, Mayor Daniel Lurie said 4,000 PG&E customers in the Civic Center area are still in the dark. One of them is Parvathy Menon.
“We haven’t been able to take showers or use the bathroom,” said Menon. “Our electricity is out. I think all our food started rotting about a day in.”
She lives at 100 Van Ness. She said she’s grateful she’s going out of town tomorrow, but even that’s posing some problems.
“I actually have to pack for a trip tonight, and we’re doing it in full darkness,” Menon explained. “We are using our phone lights, we are using our laptops to charge our phones.”
Her apartment is pitch black, except for the small amount of streetlight coming through the windows. She said the apartment complex has been doing all they can to help, like providing some food and water.
They have a small generator to power some lights in the lobby and one elevator for the nearly 30-story apartment building.
Menon said she is most upset about the lack of communication from PG&E.
“Initially, when this started, we were supposed to get power back within the day, then it went to the next day and now they just stopped calling us completely,” said Menon.
San Francisco City Hall was closed for the day because of the outage, but Mayor Daniel Lurie held a press conference with Supervisors Matt Dorsey and Bilal Mahmood.
Lurie said what residents have gone through is unacceptable, and he’s lost trust in PG&E’s estimated times for repair.
“They gave us a timeline that they believe in, but it’s not one that I can have confidence in any longer,” Lurie said. “So, we don’t have full faith that 6 a.m. is the time tomorrow.”
“Shame on PG&E for having this happen,” said District 6 Supervisor Matt Dorsey. “This is a company that has had a lot of reliability issues and the jury is out on what happened, but if this is negligence, I think it’s going to be really important for people to understand they have rights as customers.”
Leaders encourage everyone who lost anything to file a claim with PG&E; they could be eligible for reimbursements. Mahmood is calling for a hearing after the new year to get some answers for PG&E.
“What went wrong, why weren’t they able to address it this weekend and what steps are they taking to make sure this doesn’t happen again,” said Mahmood about the question he has for the utility company.
PG&E said the outage happened after a fire at its Mission Street substation left significant damage, but the cause is still under investigation.
Meanwhile, Menon has been refreshing social media looking for good news, but she’s starting to lose faith.
“They’re really doing nothing to help us here, so I’m losing hope,” said Menon.
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