In 2001, I took my first trip to San Francisco, staying at the Huntington Hotel in San Francisco. This historic gem of a boutique hotel was conveniently located in Nob Hill, just around the corner from The Fairmont. Please excuse the grainy shots from my point and shoot film camera. Yes...film.
Fifteen years later, I returned to the "scene of the crime." Now called The Scarlet, it is still a great place to rest one's weary head.
Same lobby chandelier, but the decor has definitely become a lot more vivid since my last visit.
The Spa area is breathtaking, with a balcony view of the city for hotel guests to enjoy.
Amazing I didn't get vertigo taking this shot.
The room was spacious and like the lobby, the decor was bright, yet uncluttered.
I was digging the bathroom.
The hotel restaurant is called The Big 4, which is a nod to Central Pacific’s “Big Four": C. P. Huntington, Charles Crocker, Mark Hopkins, and Leland Stanford.
The decor here includes a portrait of actor Walter Pidgeon. I'm not quite sure how he fits into the story, but the painting looks right at home.
Would I come back again? Take a look at the view from my room:
What do you think? See more Scarlet at my main website.
3 comments:
Dave, although I haven't seen either film to corroborate, the period clothing and relative age of Walter Pidgeon in the portrait suggest that it may have been used as a prop in either the 1944 MGM film Mrs Parkington or 1949's That Forsyte Woman (also produced by MGM), or perhaps both.
A similarly-proportioned portrait of Green Garson used in both films was sold at the 2011 Debbie Reynolds Auction (Item 172, Page 90); perhaps this was a companion piece.
Interesting to speculate on the history of the item. I wonder if it was released into the wild during the legendary 1970 MGM auction?
The painting is from the movie Mrs. Parkington. The painting of Garson, mentioned in the comment above, WAS used in both Parkington and Forsyte. The hair was repainted for the later movie, however. ~ Paul Alleeson, Pine Mountain Club, California
Thanks, Paul!
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