The Hotel Vertigo

Where does an Alfred Hitchcock fan stay when visiting San Francisco? The Hotel Vertigo, of course!



That's right; this is the very same location that we see Kim Novak leaning out the window in Hitchcock’s classic 1957 film “Vertigo.” The exterior really hasn't changed too much over the years.



Inside, the decor and colors are definitely influenced by the movie’s poster.





When you see an interior room, you can tell that Hitchcock did his best to re-create the same layout on a soundstage.



If only the rooms came with a green night light; THAT would be a cool touch!



If you hate the color orange, this hotel may not be for you.



Other film inspired details throughout the rooms abound:





No visit to the Hotel Vertigo would be complete without a few stairwell shots:





All kidding aside, would I recommend this place? I sure would. For price, location, and cleanliness, this place is a real value!

See more Hotel Vertigo photos at my main website.

Back to Vertigo

Time to update a previous post series showing frames from the Hitchcock classic "Vertigo" and comparing them with contemporary shots. Let's begin with shots of the apartment where Kim Novak's character, Judy, lived. The current owners have embraced its history and renamed it "Hotel Vertigo." Last time I saw it, it was the seedy looking York Hotel.



How it looked in the movie:



It was not easy getting this shot on a Saturday night, while avoiding the speeding cars that narrowly avoided hitting me. The things I do to get a photo.



Not too difficult to recognize the Brocklebank Apartments.



The exterior hasn't really changed at all from when Scottie spotted Madeleine (also played by Kim Novak) departing here in her green Jaguar.



The Legion of Honor art museum today:



...and how it looked in the movie:



Madeleine viewing the Portrait of Carlotta in the movie:



...and how the galleries look today inside the Legion of Honor. Same benches?



This nondescript building...



served as the inspiration for Ernie's Restaurant, which formerly resided here.



Hard to tell now, but Hitch's team really did a great job of recreating the exterior (and interior) on a soundstage.



There are still some Vertigo locations that I haven't visited, so it looks like I'll have to head up north again.

More San Francisco photos at my main website.