From fork-admin@xent.com Mon Sep 23 23:34:29 2002 Return-Path: Delivered-To: yyyy@localhost.example.com Received: from localhost (jalapeno [127.0.0.1]) by jmason.org (Postfix) with ESMTP id 1841616F03 for ; Mon, 23 Sep 2002 23:34:26 +0100 (IST) Received: from jalapeno [127.0.0.1] by localhost with IMAP (fetchmail-5.9.0) for jm@localhost (single-drop); Mon, 23 Sep 2002 23:34:26 +0100 (IST) Received: from xent.com ([64.161.22.236]) by dogma.slashnull.org (8.11.6/8.11.6) with ESMTP id g8NMSIC05539 for ; Mon, 23 Sep 2002 23:28:19 +0100 Received: from lair.xent.com (localhost [127.0.0.1]) by xent.com (Postfix) with ESMTP id 529EB2941DD; Mon, 23 Sep 2002 15:22:08 -0700 (PDT) Delivered-To: fork@example.com Received: from alumnus.caltech.edu (alumnus.caltech.edu [131.215.49.51]) by xent.com (Postfix) with ESMTP id 067E12941DC for ; Mon, 23 Sep 2002 15:21:02 -0700 (PDT) Received: from localhost (localhost [127.0.0.1]) by alumnus.caltech.edu (8.12.3/8.12.3) with ESMTP id g8NMOeSV005331; Mon, 23 Sep 2002 15:24:40 -0700 (PDT) Subject: SF Weekly's Ultimate SF Date lineup :-) Content-Type: text/plain; charset=ISO-8859-1; format=flowed MIME-Version: 1.0 (Apple Message framework v482) Cc: arvind@bea.com To: Fork@xent.com From: Rohit Khare Message-Id: <431A5C36-CF43-11D6-817E-000393A46DEA@alumni.caltech.edu> X-Mailer: Apple Mail (2.482) Sender: fork-admin@xent.com Errors-To: fork-admin@xent.com X-Beenthere: fork@example.com X-Mailman-Version: 2.0.11 Precedence: bulk List-Help: List-Post: List-Subscribe: , List-Id: Friends of Rohit Khare List-Unsubscribe: , List-Archive: Date: Mon, 23 Sep 2002 15:24:44 -0700 Content-Transfer-Encoding: 8bit X-MIME-Autoconverted: from quoted-printable to 8bit by dogma.slashnull.org id g8NMSIC05539 X-Spam-Status: No, hits=-2.9 required=5.0 tests=AWL,KNOWN_MAILING_LIST,QUOTED_EMAIL_TEXT, USER_AGENT_APPLEMAIL version=2.50-cvs X-Spam-Level: I love the absurd sense of humor it takes to build up such an elaborate evening only to note that "even if the date's a bust you can always have a hundred people up for cocktails" in your penthouse suite at the end of the night :-) Personally, I'd put one point in favor of the Redwood Room over Lapis: on a weeknight, you can still whip out a TiBook and write, since it's a hotel bar. And it seems to give people all sorts of license to interrogate you as to why you're writing with a double of scotch :-) Best, Rohit > Five Best Ways to Impress Your Date > > You've met the biped of your dreams at the corner laundromat and, > wonder of wonders, she's agreed to go out with you this Saturday. Don't > blow it! Follow the instructions below and even if you impress your > date so much you never see her again, your evening will be a memorable > one. All you need are a chauffeur, a change of clothes, and several > hundred thousand dollars. > > Luxury Suite at Pacific Bell Park > > Third and King streets, 972-2000, www.sfgiants.com > > Kick off your date with an afternoon at the ballpark -- not just any > ballpark, but just about the best ballpark in the country, and not in > some drafty, behind-the-plate box seat but in one of the park's lushly > accessorized luxury suites. An elevator whisks you from a private > entrance on Willie Mays Plaza to your dwelling place above the infield. > Besides the excellent views of the bay, the park, and the Giants in > action, there's a balcony, a wet bar, a refrigerator, two televisions, > a stereo/CD player, a dual-line phone, Internet access, room service, > and a concierge to call you a cab or make your restaurant reservations > for you. No one is admitted without proper clearance, ensuring your > utmost privacy. Next: Pull yourself together for ... > > Cocktails at Lapis > > Pier 33 (Embarcadero at Bay), 982-0203, > > www.lapis-sf.com > > Now that the Redwood Room has devolved into just another velvet-rope > yuppie hangout, the city has no clear-cut, top-of-the-line cocktail > lounge such as Chicago's Pump Room or New York's King Cole Bar > (although Maxfield's, the Compass Rose, and the Top of the Mark are > excellent runners-up). Best of all is Lapis, where the wannabe Noel > Coward can sip an estimable Gibson in the lounge adjoining the dining > room. The dramatically backlit bar is framed by lush bronze draperies > that complement the room's deep-blue setting, and towering ceilings > give the lounge a graceful, airy ambience. Floor-to-ceiling windows > provide a lush panorama of the bay and the hills beyond. > > > Dinner at the Dining Room > > Ritz-Carlton Hotel, 600 Stockton (between Pine and > > California), 296-7465, www.ritzcarlton.com > > Your next stop on the road to beguilement is one of the handsomest > dining rooms in the country. The tranquil sounds of a harp underscore a > sumptuous setting of polished mahogany, soft linens, and fine crystal > gleaming in the candlelight. Chef Sylvain Portay prepares luxurious > nouvelle cuisine in several courses: lobster salad with caviar cream; > turbot with crayfish and truffles; roasted squab with port-marinated > figs; saffron-poached pear with guanaja chocolate gratin. Sommelier > Stéphane Lacroix maintains a fabulous cellar, the service is impeccable > and inviting, and intimate discourse is practically inevitable. Next: > > Charter the Rendezvous From Rendezvous Charters > > Pier 40 (in South Beach Harbor), 543-7333, > > www.baysail.com > > Nothing's more enticing than an evening cruise around San Francisco > Bay, and the islands, bridges, and lights of the city are especially > entrancing viewed from this vintage brigantine schooner. Built in 1933 > and recently restored to its former glory, the 78-foot Rendezvous looks > like a clipper ship out of the Gold Rush era, with its 80-foot masts > and square-rigged sails. Intricately carved mahogany, pecan, ash, and > rosewood accent the brass-railed, velvet-cushioned rooms below decks, > the perfect spot for a sip of Veuve Cliquot and some subtle canoodling. > > Penthouse Suite at the Fairmont Hotel > > 950 Mason (between California and Sacramento), > > 772-5000, www.fairmont.com > > Last but not least, escort your companion to what has been described as > the most expensive hotel accommodation in the world: the Fairmont's > elaborate penthouse. The eight-room suite (including three bedrooms, > three baths, a dining room, a library, a billiard room, a fully > equipped kitchen, and a living room with fireplace and baby grand > piano) comes with its own maid, butler, and limousine and is accessed > by private elevator. The library alone is worth investigating: two > circular floors of books encapsulated by a domed ceiling etched with > the constellations. The view from the terrace is enthralling, and even > if the date's a bust you can always have a hundred people up for > cocktails. > > sfweekly.com | originally published: May 15, 2002