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This Halloween (2003) we stayed in San Francisco's newly renovated Mosser Hotel, located on 4th Street, just a half-block off Market. Historically, the South of Market neighborhood has been a warehouse district, but no more. With Yerba Buena Gardens and the Mosconi Center attracting conferences and trade shows, the area is experiencing new growth and renovation for visitors.
Originally built as The Keystone in 1913, the Mosser opened as San Francisco's newest and most luxurious hotel. It was built by Alice Phelan, a patron of the arts, sister of Senator Phelan and daughter of James Phelan, who built the Phelan Building, just around the corner on Market Street. The building is an exquisite example of Victorian architectural style. The two-story lobby and elevator cabs have been completely restored, retaining the charm and grace of this magnificent building. Modern interior design makes the most of the petit Victorian rooms. There are 112 deluxe rooms with private bath; 54 standard rooms with shared bath. The architectural firm, Yabu Pushelberg, recently designed interiors for the W Hotel Chain, and designed custom furniture for The Mosser. Sitting in bed, you have everything you could need within reach. No need to get out of bed to get the remote - the TV is attached to the end of the bed. Telephone and data ports near the head of the bed encourage telecommuting from between the sheets. If you like amenities, we found the shampoo and soap to be delightful. We took the extras home, we liked them so much. Just for Musicians
The Mosser claims it is the "must-stay/must-play" choice for musicians and muses alike. That's because The Mosser is also home to a world-class recording studio called Studio Paradiso. The studio boasts state-of-the-art digital and analog recording equipment, expert technical staff, and a discret  e location. It seemed a little incongruous to me for a hotel to host a recording studio. Sales Manager Lori Riemedio said that Charles Mosser, the owner of the hotel, performs music, and he wanted a place to record his CDs. Hey, when you're a philanthropic zillionaire, I say "bully for you, Mr. Mosser."Did You Say Philanthropy? Yep. Charles Mosser and his wife Annabelle created the Charles William Mosser Foundation to design, introduce, and implement programs that uplift the environment, and, the physical, emotional, intellectual, and psychological welfare of the child; towards this end, organize, manage and link with institutions and/or entities that would support this objective. It was registered with the Philippine Securities and Exchange Commission (Number E199800393) on 15 June, 1998 in Iloilo City.
As mentioned, the foundation had been active in the areas of education. The foundation also contributed financially to churches and schools, thereby, cited and awarded in several occasions. Proceeds from your stay at The Mosser go to help the Foundation do its work. For more information on the Foundation, see http://www.victorianhotel.com/mosseronline. Does Climbing Halfway To the Stars Make You Hungry?
Our main course was Pan Roasted Halibut with ricotta cheese gnocchi, artichokes, spinach and cherry tomato relish. Bob had the Grilled Pork Chop with tri-potato galette and BBQ apple chutney. Wow. Later we learned that a new chef had just joined the restaurant, but the staff seemed to cover the transition quite well. No dessert for us; we were too full. Off Beat San Francisco - Other Things To Do!
Entrance to the museum is free. Entrance to the ships is $5.00 per person. If you have a National Parks Pass, you can use it here. Best View of the City If you only have a few days, one of the best ways to take in The City is catch the view from one of the city's skyscrapers. The Transamerica Building has been closed since 9/11/2001 with no intention of opening to tourists again. However, the guard cheerfully handed us a list of other wonderful views. First we stopped at the Carnelian Room at the top of the Bank of America building. They make real lemonade - you know, from lemons, not from chemicals. I'm sorry, but Countrytime is not lemonade. The Carnelian Room also makes a wonderful Irish coffee. We also ordered a half dozen Kumomoto oysters. They are smaller than Blue Points, what a lot of us think of as oysters on the half shell. Kumomotos taste like buttery bon bons. Really, go try some. The view is from the Golden Gate Bridge to the Bay Bridge and includes Alcatraz, Angel Island, and Treasure Island. We happened to catch a spectacular sunset, a rarity in San Francisco. The Carnelian Room, 555 California at Montgomery. No music (none needed). 3:00 p.m.-11:00 p.m. 415/433-7500. Later the same evening, we stopped at The View Lounge on the 39th Floor of the Marriott Hotel, conveniently located across the street from The Mosser. The Marriott Building has distinctive half-circle arched windows on the top levels. The View Lounge is situated in two of the enormous windows, and if you get a window seat, you'll feel like you are floating above the streets. A little creepy for me, though. A jazz trio was performing standards, and with a couple of drinks, it was a nice way to end the day. Appetizers, cold beer. 4 p.m.- 1 a.m.
Coit Tower. Montgomery and Lombard on Telegraph Hill was built to honor firefighters, the building is in the shape of a fire hose nozzle. The Grand Views Lounge, The Grand Hyatt. 345 Stockton & Sutter. Casual, no dress code. Live jazz, Tuesday-Saturday. 11 a.m. - 2 a.m. The Equinox, The San Francisco Hyatt. 5 Embarcadero Center at the end of Market. A glass revolving restaurant. Casual dress. No reservations required. Tel: 415/788-1234. Fax: 415/398-2567. Sky Lounge and Top of the Mark, The Mark Hopkins on Nob Hill between Powell and Taylor; 999 California Street. Toll-Free: 800/662-4455. Tel: 415/392-3434. Fax: 415/421-3302. The City Scape, The Hilton. 333 O'Farrell at Mason. Cuisine includes steak, seafood, and a caviar bar. Music. Opens at 5 p.m. 415/923-5002. The Starlight Room, Sir Frances Drake. 450 Powell Street, Sutter and Powell. Music. 4:00 p.m.- 2:00 a.m. nightly. Tel: 415/392-7755. — Feature and Castro halloween photos by Cymber Quinn, president of Ink Communications, Corp. She provides writing services for deep technology, non-profits and other hard-to-explain industries. Cymber is Jetsetters Magazine's Bay Area correspondent. Reach Cymber at cymber@inktc.com, 408/353-9755, www.inktc.com.
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