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Locals Talk
Chip Conley
Age: 45
San Francisco
- When I took the Hotel Matchmaker test these are the words I selected:
- Serene/Soulful, Creative/Eclectic, Colorful/Unique, Worldly/Sensual, Visionary/Artistic
- My favorite activities include:
- Climbing the various stairways of San Francisco (my favorites are the Filbert Steps in Telegraph Hill and the Vulcan Steps above the Castro); The café culture of people talking about world events, scribbling away in their journals, or just enjoying the beautiful light of an autumn afternoon….given that I fancy myself a writer, I occasionally hang out at the eclectic Café Flore on Market Street or the funky Farley’s on 18th Street of Potrero Hill.
- I was born and raised in:
- Born just a few blocks from Disneyland and grew up in Long Beach, CA
- I currently live:
- San Francisco's Potrero Hill
- What do I do to make a buck?:
- Started Joie de Vivre Hospitality when I was 26 (didn't know any better)....I also write books including The Rebel Rules: Daring to Be Yourself in Business, Marketing That Matters: 10 Practices to Profit Your Business and Change the World, and PEAK: How Great Companies Get Their Mojo from Maslow. To learn more about my odd perspective on life and business, check out www.chipconley.com.
- 5 things I love about the San Francisco Bay Area:
- (1) Spiritual experiences on the peaks and in the valleys - whether it's the European-style Grace Cathedral perched atop exclusive Nob Hill or Glide Memorial Church in the rough-and-tumble Tenderloin, this city is full of inclusive churches with a wide variety of mystical experiences...at Glide, the "service" is called a "celebration" and for good reason as the gospel choir will have you up on your feet swaying. (2) The artistic spirit of the place whether it's the youthful experimentation at the Art Institute on Russian Hill or the architecturally-odd work of Brian Goggin at the corner of 6th and Howard Street (called "Defenestration", which means "throwing out the window", you'll see sofas, refrigerators, and all kinds of house furnishings falling out of this decaying apartment building - Brian's parking meters can be seen in the courtyard at the Phoenix Hotel) or 1st Thursday art openings at the Union Square galleries which brings out an interesting crowd each month. (3) Golden Gate Park on Sundays when the cars aren't allowed in the park - rollerbladers, kids on little bikes, families with picnics, runners galore all converge on this remarkable piece of land (which was originally just one big sand dune until it was tamed by John McLaren) - my favorites are the arboretum, the waterfall at Stow Lake, and the opera and theater in the park. (4) The availability of nature escapes so close to the city from the hidden beaches along Highway One from here to Santa Cruz and the great hiking and biking trails of Mount Tamalpais. (5) The people - say you're a "San Franciscan" somewhere else in the world and the person immediately thinks you're a sexually-ambidextrous, politically-anarchistic, patriotically-challenged soul...that may be true, but quite frankly, it's hard to categorize the typical San Franciscan since we are such a diverse and changeable lot...suffice it to say, when I say I'm from San Francisco, most people in the world get a little starry-eyed and say "boy, I wish I could live there."
- My favorite local hidden treasure you shouldn't miss:
- Now this place isn't for everyone, but I think it provides an "only in San Francisco" experience...Café Gratitude (2400 Harrison Street in the Mission, 415.824.4652) provides a remarkable gathering of San Francisco's 21st century hippie culture. This raw, vegan restaurant provides creative and inspired food and drink (each with a name like "I am inspired" or "I am fortunate"...when you order you have to order using that name and when the server brings you the food they announce "You are inspired." For those of you into affirmations, you'll be in heaven. As trippy as the place is, it truly has great food and gives you a taste of bohemian San Fran.
- My perfect day spent in the San Francisco Bay Area:
- I'd start by taking my friends on an early morning run through Golden Gate Park which provides a natural air conditioner with its proclivity toward fog. We'd have to run by the bison paddock as my visiting friends can never quite believe that we have buffalo in the park. We'd end our run at the Canvas Café at 9th Avenue and Lincoln, a cool art gallery and eatery (or Park Chow just up the street-1240 9th Ave. 415.665.9122).
- Rather than shower at home, we'd go to the Kabuki Springs & Spa (1750 Geary Blvd. 415.922.6000) for some communal bathing and a massage to reward those strained leg muscles (mens' days are Monday, Thursday, and Saturday, although you can get a massage there any day).
- Now, that we've gotten our exercise, fueled-up with food, and cleaned-up, we'd go for a stroll of old North Beach, especially along funky Grant Avenue. If it's a Saturday, we'd be sure not to miss the live opera in the postage stamp-sized Caffe Trieste (609 Vallejo Street, 415.982.2605). Then, we'd walk up to Coit Tower and down the Filbert Steps on the east side facing the bay. Hopefully, we'd get a little lost up here because the little alleys and lanes are magical (don't miss the gaudy Julius Castle at the end of Montgomery Street). I'd have to show them the two places I used to live at 226 Filbert right on the Grace Marchant Gardens and at 28 Napier Lane where we used to have little art shows and rummage sales for the tourist on summer weekends.
- We'd end up at the bottom of the stairs where Levi's Plaza and Levi Strauss is headquartered. We'd walk over to the Embarcadero and stroll along this new beautiful promenade marveling at the new Ferry Building (is absolutely worth a visit on Saturdays) with its Farmers Market, the historic F-line trolley cars, and the Hotel Vitale (across the street from the celebrated Boulevard restaurant).
- One last thing before grab a bite - we'd go look at the waterfall in the middle of the Rincon Annex office and shopping center diagonally across from our hotel site (the waterfall just appear out of nowhere in this deco masterpiece). As for dinner, that's a tough one - if my visitor was health-minded, I'd have to take them to Millennium (580 Geary; 415.345.3900); if they're interested in a little European atmosphere, I'd take them to Café Andrée (562 Sutter, 415.217.4001). If we have any energy left, we might catch a late night flick at the Embarcadero Cinema (best art films in town. 1 Embarcadero Center. 415.352.0810).
