Blast from the Past: A Preservation Wonderland

My wife and I recently spent a wonderful weekend in the Presidio in San Francisco.  If you're into historic preservation and reuse as much as I am, this place is a wonderland.

We stayed at the beautiful Inn at the Presidio.  This magnificently restored former single Officers quarters reopened as a hotel about a year ago.  From the built-in cabinets to the lead-glass windows, this property exudes a charm the chain hotels simply cannot duplicate.  Restoration was environmentally focused, down to the glassware -- old bottles with the tops sheared off and the edges rounded.  Even the bottled water available in each room is locally sourced, and the glass bottles can be refilled for free.

The Presidio itself is an amazing trip back in time.  The restored homes along the former Officers' Row are now used by private businesses.  The barracks buildings along the newly restored parade grounds also host many businesses, including the Walt Disney Family Museum.  The Letterman District, where the base hospital used to stand, is now the home of Lucasfilm Ltd., Industrial Light & Magic, and LucasArts.

If you want to explore, free shuttles are available to take you all around the Presidio, including one that runs downtown (weekdays only).  Yes, free transportation.  In the City.  Who knew?

Dining options also abound here, from cafes and snack bars to fine dining.  We had a wonderful meal (although the service was a bit uneven) at the Presidio Social Club, in yet another restored former barracks.  There's even a bowling alley, where we enjoyed some late-night games just a few blocks from the Inn.

If you want to escape to another time, The Presidio is it's own little universe.  Spending a day or two there, you'd have no idea you were in San Francisco.  Well, except for the spectacular views of the Golden Gate, Alcatraz, Baker Beach, the Palace of Fine Arts...