It’s that time of year. AGAIN. Hard to believe, I know, but Christmas is right around the corner. I’ve already completed all my shopping (mostly online, I admit) and I’ve even wrapped most everything.
For the past three years, my friend and I have driven into downtown San Francisco to visit Union Square and walk around the area, visiting some shops, looking at windows, visiting the lobby of the St. Francis Hotel, stopping off in Macy’s 7th floor Holiday Village where each year I swear Santa looks more and more unauthentic.
We park in the Union Square garage and the first item on our agenda is to take pictures alongside the tree. We then cross the street to use the ladies room in the wonderfully decorated St. Francis Hotel
Francis Hotel, is a luxury hotel located on Powell and Geary Streets on Union Square in San Francisco, California. The two twelve-story south wings of the hotel were built in 1904, and the double-width north wing was completed in 1913, initially as apartments for permanent guests.
Our tradition includes walking over Sutter Street to browse through the holiday inventory at Samuel Scheuer Linens.
After fleeing Europe in the 1930’s, dry goods merchants Samuel and Rosel Scheuer settled in San Francisco, where they soon began calling on the city’s well-heeled residents with samples of tablecloths, towels, and sheets. Working tirelessly from their small Nob Hill flat, Samuel and Rosel eventually transformed “Scheuer Linens” into a thriving multi-generational business. Since 1935, Samuel Scheuer has been San Francisco’s quintessential resource for exquisite linens.
This is the first year since Gump’s closed its doors after last year’s holiday season. Visiting Gumps was something I did almost every time I went downtown San Francisco and it always had very special meaning to me because my dad always loved browsing through the store when he came to visit and I always bought him an ornament or something each year. But it looks like you can still shop them online!
Gump's is a luxury American home furnishings and home décor retailer, founded in 1861 in San Francisco, California. The company was acquired by the Chachas family in June 2019 and announced that it would be opening a San Francisco location for the holiday season as well as an e-commerce business.
Holidays at Gump’s is a magical winter wonderland that captivates with modern creations, traditional handcrafted treasures, exquisite fine jewelry and one-of-a-kind gifts as enchanting as the season itself.
Our day ended as we drove out of the garage and were pulled over by the police. Apparently, I had been driving in a lane reserved for busses. “Are you okay to drive?” the officer asked. OMG. Am I? I wondered. Fortunately, he didn’t ticket us.
What are your holiday traditions? Are there any places near you that combine history with enchantment during each year?
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