Friday, November 30, 2012

Beyond the Doors

The last segment of my San Francisco City Hall tour leads to more private areas of the city's offices.
This door leads to the foyer of the Mayor's office where his assistants work. From inside, another door leads to the Mayor's private office which we did not get to see.
The statues outside are of former Mayors of San Francisco, Dianne Feinstein on the left who is now a California Senator and George Moscone on the right was assassinated in 1978 while in office. As a matter of fact, this week marked the 34th anniversary of his tragic death by a disgruntled employee.

This is the Board of Supervisors Chambers where they hold meetings and conduct city business. There are 11 Supervisors representing different districts of the city. The public is welcomed at these meetings to hear what they have to say.
The wood paneling is made of the now extinct Manchurian Oak so the window blinds have to be drawn to preserve the wood.
You can't quite see it, but the carpet pattern is of dahlias, the official flower of San Francisco.

These two photos were taken inside the International Room where the Mayor meets with VIPS. The items on display are gifts to the city from various visitors over the years.

- Karen



Tuesday, November 27, 2012

Wordless Wednesday - San Francisco City Hall Dome

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- Karen




Sunday, November 25, 2012

The Wedding Place

Did you know there are free tours of San Francisco's City Hall conducted on regular basis during the week? A volunteer docent leads the hour-long tour through public and a few private areas. Recently, I took advantage of this program as I have not been inside in decades. Everyone in the group was from out of town and I felt a little guilty as I am a native San Franciscan.

The City Hall is not only a busy place to conduct government and city business, but it is a popular location to hold weddings during the week. A quick 30 minute service will set you back $99 for the marriage certificate plus $75 for the County Clerk to conduct the ceremony. A more private event with 100 guests will be $1,002 or one held during a Saturday is $4,000 for up to 200 guests.

While I was there for my tour, I saw a few couples taking their photos in the rotunda during their special day.

- Karen


Tuesday, November 20, 2012

Wordless Wednesday - Goddess of Progress

This is how the statue looked prior to the San Francisco 1906 earthquake compliments of the imagekind.com website.
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Saturday, November 17, 2012

Hotel Josephine

Hotel Josephine was located in Grants Pass, Oregon.
As you can see, this is a mural of the former 23-room hotel built in 1893. According to the Josephine County Historical Society, it was the first hotel in the area to have gas for cooking and heating.

Unfortunately, the hotel was destroyed by fire in 1975 and this mural by Canadian artist John Michener, is the only reminder of its former days.
Click on this link if you want to see a picture of the real Hotel Josephine.

- Karen



Tuesday, November 13, 2012

Wordless Wednesday - Downtown Bears

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- Karen