We decided we needed a little r&r this Thanksgiving and that some alone time would be swell too. So we packed our bags and drove a couple of miles up to Nob Hill to the Intercontinental Mark Hopkins hotel.
Due to its high elevation and panoramic views of The City (Union Square to the South, Chinatown to the East, Fisherman’s Wharf to the North), it has long been an affluent area with lavish mansions of some of San Francisco most influential families, including the ‘Big Four’ of the Central Pacific Railroad (the Stanfords, the Huntingtons, the Hopkins and the Crockers). While most of the Nob Hill mansions burned in the 1908 earthquake fires, the names, gorgeous architecture and affluence are still present. The Stanford Court Hotel stands on the site of the former Stanford mansion. The Huntington Hotel is where the Huntington mansion used to be.
And the historic and elegant Intercontinental Mark Hopkins is where the former Hopkins mansion stood.
After checking in, we headed up to the Top of the Mark for our 1:30 Thanksgiving dinner reservation.
From our table we could look out in the distance and see our house. That was pretty funny.
On the other side we could see the Flood Mansion, Grace Cathedral and the Golden Gate bridge in the distance.
We ended up sitting in an alcove with one couple in from Elk Grove, another from Boston and another couple who where neighbors of ours in Dogpatch.
The spread was pretty amazing. There were many of the standard Thanksgiving offerings (turkey, stuffing, sweet potatoes, gravy), plus lots of deluxe additions including prime rib, lobster parisienne …
a seafood bar …
a lovely selection of meats and cheeses…
salads, a couple of breakfast items and even caviar and blinis.
Then of course, the sumptuous dessert buffet.
The only thing missing was pecan pie. As a Southern girl, Thanksgiving just isn’t Thanksgiving without pecan pie. I made do though.
This is us post feast (and an example of why one should avoid self portraits at all costs … though Deb looks pretty cute).
After dinner we walked around the neighborhood to work off some of the excess. A walk couldn’t have really been long enough to fully recover!
Then we went down to the Metreon to watch Pirate Radio. I can’t recommend this movie highly enough. It was fantastic! Wonderful music and an amazing cast of colorful characters.
Friday morning we took another walk through the neighborhood to forage for a good breakfast. We ended up at Dottie’s True Blue Cafe in the Tenderloin. There’s always a line out the door and today was no exception.
Deb’s giving me the ‘why are you taking a pre-caffeine picture of me?’ look.
Their coconut honey muffins and gargantuan cinnamon rolls were on display next to their tiny but talented kitchen. 
We shared the True Blue Breakfast (eggs, whole wheat toast, bacon and home fries) and their stupendous whole wheat ginger blueberry pancakes with real maple syrup.
After walking back to the hotel (all uphill), Deb packed up to go home and I was off to Union Square for a little Black Friday shopping action.
