Live Like a Local: Hayes Valley

 A fun way to spend a leisurely Sunday afternoon, Hayes Valley has become a haven for all-things-haute over the last two decades. The tree-lined street tucked away in the shadow of the San Francisco Opera House and City Hall is home to a handful of chic boutiques, funky art galleries, outstanding restaurants, and a new, pint-sized urban park.

SHOP 

Flight 001: Shaped liked the hull of a 747 jetliner, the crisp white interior is stocked with ingenious, travel-size necessities (and irresistible non-essentials), a collection of artful books sure to inspire wanderlust, and a carefully-curated selection of luggage. Browsing through the store, you can’t help but overhear repeatedly, “Look how cool these are!” Favorites include Streetwise waterproof maps, a stylish, mini sonic toothbrush, and brightly-colored, BPA-free collapsible lunch boxes. www.flight001.com

True Sake: America’s first sake store, True Sake is owned by self-taught aficionado Beau Timken who opened the store to share his passion for Japanese rice wine. Resembling a miniature modern art gallery, over 100 sakes from around the globe are on display and available in a range from $9 to $200 per bottle. www.truesake.com

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Green Team Update

Dear Valued Owners,

I am writing to update you with some exciting news from your Fairmont Heritage Place Ghirardelli Square Green team!  Our 'Lights Out' intiative, which was implemented at the end of 2010, has helped us make some terrific progress in lowering our energy usage at the property.  This initiative is very basic, and entails turning off unecessary lighting and heating in unoccupied residences.  Just by making sure all these residences are completey dark when not in use, we were able to lower our PG&E bills by over $10,000 dollars in 2011!  This is a great start, and we will continue to build on this success in 2012.  What makes me most proud is that all colleagues have played a role in this progress; including the housekeeping, butlers, and concierge teams.  

In addition, I would like to let you know about our most recent volunteer event 'Muir Woods Earth Day' which we took place on Saturday January 28th.  We had a great turn out for this wonderful cause-including colleagues from our sister property on Nob Hill-  which entailed clearing non-indigenous plants from the Muir Woods forest ecosystem.  This was our third year participating in this event, and we were blessed to have some truly fantastic weather.  Our group included myself, Jean Francois our General Manager and his daughter Amber and son Tristan, Lisa Christiansen our Controller, Jeff Karges our lead Exclusive Resorts concierge, and other friends and family.  In the future, we will be reaching out more to owners to invite you to participate in such events!

Best,

Peter H.

Update: FHP Reciprocal Use Pet Policy

Dear Owners,

I would like to pass along the following update from Megan Kennedy, Director of Owner Services for Fairmont Heritage Place, in regards to travelling with pets when staying at other properties on reciprocal use. 

" Hello everyone,

Please note the following change to the RUP policy.

Pets travelling on RUP reservations:

Due to the fact that all FHP  properties have different pet policies and in an effort to give a consistent message to all owners, effective immediately there will be no pets permitted when owners are staying on a Reciprocal Use reservation in a Fairmont Heritage Place property.   If an owner had exchanged back into their own resort then they will simply follow the properties specific rules and regulations.

Being that this is effective immediately, if there are any reservations on the books to the end of the year where owners have been told differently please let me know and we will look  at them case by case.

This policy is the same for The Registry Collection Program.

Let me know if you have any questions

Best regards

Megan"

Please let me know if you have any questions, and thank you for your time.

Warmest Regards,

Peter Houston

A Closer Look: The Hyde Street Corridor

Here in San Francisco we are very lucky to be surrounded by wonderful dining options.  With so many to choose from at times certain neighborhoods can get lost in the shuffle.  One such area, which also happens to be very close to Ghirardelli Square, is the 'Hyde Street Corridor.'  This portion of Hyde, which from Union to Washington, is home to a variety of great restaurants.  Following are a few of these establishments, some of which you may be familiar with and some you may be hearing about for the first time.  One thing to keep in mind; parking can be very difficult in this neighborhood so if you do decide to try one of the following options please check with our front door team first and see if the house car is available.

• Zarzuela (2000 Hyde between Union & Allen), open for dinner Tuesday through Sunday.  Features Spanish tapas in a welcoming and casual setting, and all for a moderate price.  They do not take reservations, but if you take one of our concierge's cards with you they always make a concerted effort to accommodate our guests in a timely manner.
• Sushi Groove (1916 Hyde between Green & Delgado Place), open for dinner Monday through Sunday.  Features creative sushi rolls in a fun and hip lounge like atmosphere.  They do take reservations, and it is recommended to anyone who likes sushi but is looking for something different than your traditional Japanese dining experience.  www.sushigroove.com
• Frascati (1901Hyde between Green & Delgado Place), open for dinner Monday through Sunday.  This is one of the more popular restaurants on this list, but it is certainly worthy of the attention and acclaim it receives.  They feature New American cuisine with a decidedly Mediterranean focus, and is the perfect setting for special occasions or a romantic night out.  Reservations are accepted and usually recommended as space can fill up fast.  www.frascatisf.com
• Luella (1896 Hyde between Green & Vallejo), open for dinner Monday through Sunday.  This restaurant features Italian cuisine with a definitive California influence.  It has an intimate yet casual ambiance and is a very popular spot with locals.  As such, reservations are recommended, but our concierge team has developed a wonderful relationship with this establishment and they are great about accommodating our guests.  www.luellasf.com
• Hyde Street Seafood House (1509 Hyde at Jackson), open for dinner Monday through Sunday.  In a city full of amazing seafood choices, this restaurant truly stands out.  It features fresh seafood in an authentically classic San Francisco setting, and all for some of the most reasonable prices around.  They do take reservations and while it is also a very popular spot with locals, they are usually able to seat our guests in a timely manner.www.hydestseafoodhouse.com