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
SF Supervisor Jackie Fielder hosts listening session after medical leave
SAN FRANCISCO (KRON) — San Francisco Supervisor Jackie Fielder hosted her first community listening session Thursday night since returning from a three-month medical leave.
Dozens of District 9 residents packed the Bernal Heights Neighborhood Center to welcome back Fielder and voice concerns about issues affecting their communities.
“We are thankful that you took time for yourself to equip yourself to be sitting here today,” one attendee told Fielder. “So I thank you and commend you for returning.”
Fielder returned to City Hall last month after taking a three-month medical leave.
“I’m just grateful for the outpouring of support that I had and glad to be back on the job,” Fielder said. “Mental health is really prevalent, and I’m not going to shy away from the fact that I had a mental health crisis. This is a challenging job, and I’m very privileged to be here.”
Fielder said she is hosting a series of town hall-style meetings to give residents an opportunity to voice their concerns.
“To me, the biggest issue locally is the homeless issue, and it’s citywide,” San Francisco resident Maggie Weis said.
Fielder was joined by members of the San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency and San Francisco Police Department to answer questions about pedestrian safety, city budget cuts and other issues.
The supervisor said one of her priorities moving forward is expanding access to clean, well-maintained public restrooms.
“[We’re] still seeing a lot of feces around the district and city,” Fielder said. “Would love to see our city have more public bathrooms and be able to maintain them as well.”
The next listening session is scheduled for July 23 at 6 p.m. at La Fénix in the Mission.
Watch the full report from KRON4’s Sara Stinson in the video player at the top of the story.
San Francisco, CA
Man reported missing in San Francisco
(KRON) — A 32-year-old man has been missing in San Francisco for two days, police said. Gabriel Carreon was last seen at noon on July 7, when he left his home in the Castro neighborhood to go see a movie, the San Francisco Police Department said.
The following morning, a 911 caller told dispatchers that Carreon was missing.
Police described the missing man as Asian, 5’8’’ tall, and weighing 170 pounds. He has black hair dyed pink, and brown eyes.
Anyone who locates Carreon should call 911 and report his current location, police said. Anyone with information on his possible whereabouts should call the SFPD Missing Persons Unit Tip Line at 415-734-3070.
San Francisco, CA
Flight of fancy: San Francisco moves to build private luxury airport terminal
Sick of the TSA lines? Tired of playing musical chairs at the gate? Rather sit as far from your fellow airplane passengers for as long as possible, in the comfort of your own private, luxury airport terminal?
Soon you may get your wish. And San Francisco international airport wants to be your genie – for a fee.
The airport is hoping to build a brand-new terminal exclusively for passengers who pay a premium, gaining access to a luxurious airport experience complete with private security lines and valet service from terminal to tarmac. It will service commercial flights, not business or corporate jets, and the terminal will have its own Transportation Security Administration (TSA) lines as well as Customs and Border Protection (CBP) lines for international travel.
SFO is seeking bidders to take on the development, construction and operation of the private terminal, which is planned for a 75,000-sq-ft site located across the runway from all current public terminals. The airport will accept proposals between late September and early October, and is looking to award a contract by early December with hopes of opening the terminal in late 2028.
SFO’s interest in a luxury development comes from what airport spokesperson Doug Yakel called a “high level of demand” for “premium experiences” in travel, citing the popularity of existing credit card and premium lounges. A private terminal is essentially the next step up in exclusivity from those lounges – and the best chance at avoiding airport crowds entirely.
“Somebody that uses this product really wouldn’t see the other passengers they’re traveling with until they’re taken up the stairs of the jet bridge and onto the aircraft,” Yakel said.
Spending on “pay-to-play” luxury experiences at large is on the rise, according to a new report by Bain & Company and Altagamma. The airline industry has bought in, revamping lounge and onboard experiences with chef-designed menus and expanded premium seating for the highest-paying passengers.
Many see a market in San Francisco, where an AI-driven wealth boom is already agitating the local housing market, with homes sold at the fastest pace in five years and the single-family median home price clocking in at $2.2m.
Yakel said SFO felt now was the right time to enter the market of luxury travel.
“We see the level of interest that’s being invested onboard aircraft, inside terminals, around airports, and clearly this is something that other airports are rolling out,” Yakel said.
The price to pay for a private airport experience will be decided by whoever wins the bid for operations, and will be offered on a membership or per-use basis. The traffic experienced at public terminals likely won’t change, Yakel said.
Private terminals have become popular worldwide. London Heathrow and Paris-Charles de Gaulle airports in Europe have long operated luxury terminals, and São Paulo/Guarulhos international airport recently opened the first private terminal in Latin America.
If SFO is successful, it would become the next major American airport to open a luxury terminal. Los Angeles, Dallas Fort Worth, Miami and Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta international airports all offer a private terminal through PS (formerly known as the Private Suite), a company owned by security firm Gavin de Becker and Associates. Multiple representatives from PS and Gavin de Becker and Associates attended a June conference hosted by SFO about the private terminal, and PS has said it hopes to open a private terminal at every major US airport by 2030.
Access to existing PS private terminals can cost passengers $1,295 for a one-time experience, or up to $4,850 for a yearly membership. Heathrow’s private terminal costs thousands of pounds per person.
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