San Francisco: A Tale of Two Malls

Since we were staying at the Palace Hotel, we were in walking distance to Union Square and the former Westfield mall, so we did a little of what Steven dubbed "disaster tourism." This elegant area of downtown SF has hit hard times. Mostly closed during the pandemic, foot traffic slowed to a trickle as people worked from home and continue to work from home. In January 2024, the San Francisco Chronicle reported that more than half of the 1.5 million-square-foot Westfield complex is empty. Nordstrom departed in August 2023 and five more busineses closed in January. Bloomingdale remains to anchor what feels like a ghost town.

It felt like there were more security guards than guests, and the remaining store employees were busy on their phones in stores devoid of shoppers. A few pop up stores appeared here and there - brow waxing and nail salons, but not enough to reverse the feeling of irreversible decline. At the Fifth Street entrance, the top four floors were walled off and dark (see picture above).

Further in the mall, a domed rotunda was empty but for a grand piano, where before it was surrounded by high end restaurants and Nordstrom's biggest store.

The cinema is closed too; all movie posters gone. The San Francisco Standard reported in February that the new owners (Westfield defaulted in 2023), will rename the mall, the "Emporium Centre San Francisco" and are looking for a new anchor tenant to fill Nordstrom's space, while holding on to the tenants they do have. They are also considering bringing in medical, education, tech and fitness tenants. Done right, perhaps it will be the next happening place in SF.

Meanwhile, some malls are flourishing. The Stonestown Galleria in the Stonetown neighborhood of SF is jumping. We had to circle to find parking, and were lucky to find a seat for a late lunch in the food court. Not as upscale as the Westfield mall, but certainly thriving.

San Francisco - High Tea at Palace Hotel

I’ll save the denouement for the last. But to set the stage, the Chesslers are enjoying another staycation in San Francisco. This time, we’re staying at the Palace Hotel, near Union Square. The hotel takes up a whole block (two acres) within easy walking distance of luxury shopping.

The hotel has been in operation pretty well continuously since 1875. The first version was one of the biggest hotels in the world at the time, and had a beautiful covered carriage entrance, later converted to a rather exotic lounge. And while the first hotel survived the 9.7 magnitude 1906 earthquake, it didn’t survive the subsequent fire that erupted right after the earthquake.

The hotel was rebuilt in beautiful style, opening in 1909 with 750 guests drinking to the success of the new hostelry. Here at the Hotel Palace presidents visited (Wilson, 1919; Eisenhower, 1956, etc.) and a Hawaiian king died (King David Kalakau, 1891). Here also the Green Goddess dressing was invented (1923), and old fashioned mail chutes line the walls near the elevators.

But the big draw is the Garden Court. 110 feet long by 85 feet wide, it is crowned with a stained glass ceiling with 72,000 individual pieces of glass. At the time of its construction it cost $7 million. In 1969, the Garden Court was designated San Francisco Landmark #18. And it was here that we partook in the “experience” of the afternoon tea service. The catch is that it is priced at $120 per person. My brief research revealed that it used to cost much, much less.

Notwithstanding the price, it appears tea service here is a status symbol, and plenty of people are willing to pay. (We managed to get an Amex discount, but with tax and tip, still an expense.) What do you get for your $120? You get one teapot of tea (very good), which they will refill with hot water, but you can’t order a second batch of a different tea (verboten), savory petit sandwiches (excellent) and scones and pastries (also excellent). Plus clotted cream and jelly on the side. Oh, and you can have your table for two hours, though the bill was presented after about an hour for us. There is also live music. A harpist played while we supped. The atmosphere is undeniably elegant. You are sitting under Austrian crystal chandeliers, next to massive marble columns, and under a magnificent stained glass roof, with very chic persons at tables nearby. However, and here's the denouement, I suggest you remove yourself to the lounge, exactly next to the Garden Court and order a coffee, where you can soak up the atmosphere equally well for a fraction of the cost.