Written by: Dominick A. Miserandino Photography by: Margherita Miserandino
Our Big Fat Greek Hotel Adventure... Nob Hill and a really good show that is not a circus.
The first thing we did after re-arriving in San Francisco was to go straight to our hotel, The Nob Hill Hotel. It’s a small, reconverted 1900’s building which is decorated with a European flare. Depending on who you get at the front desk it can feel a bit like "My Big Fat Greek Wedding", as when we approached we were scolded for arriving too early by an elderly Greek woman who didn’t seem to happy to see us. We should have known to arrive after 3:00 PM. When we did arrive at 3:00 we had to wait 45 minutes to check in but at least we weren’t scolded this time.
I apologized for being too early, and we left our bags in their back room. We quickly ran off to make the eleven o’clock Nob Hill Tours appointment.
I didn’t want to focus on just the touristy parts like Fisherman’s Wharf and Chinatown, but then heard about Nob Hill which is touristy, but not so touristy. We met up with Nob Hill Tours which tells you the entire story of the area from the history of the Big Four who made their mansions to modern day. Nob Hill is where the rich and famous of San Francisco lived. Specifically there were four businessmen who built their mansions here, only one of which survives- the Flood Mansion. Now it’s famous for the Fairmount Hotel, Grace Cathedral and some gorgeous buildings all around.
Within a three-block range you can see the entire history of Nob Hill and learn the story of the area from beginning to present day. Without the proper knowledge it looks just like big buildings. But after a tour, you learn that they’re big buildings with a great story.
We decided to grab lunch and went to Solea on Bush Street. Fortunately it’s downhill from Nob Hill so it was a rather easy walk.
Solea is located adjacent to the Orchard Hotel, and there is one major feature that comes to mind when it refers to the restaurant... the presentation. They say that presentation is everything and with Solea, they take the cake.
I had a salmon looking dish and Margherita had a pork looking dish. I mention them more because they appeared to be salmon and pork but were such works of art it was beyond food. The plates were completely hand crafted and unique. Each dish was bent and warped, and unique in a cool avant-garde way.
The food was filled with pointy things and sharp things, pretty things and colorful things that left the food as decorative as it was good. Yes, the food was damn good, but to me the overall issue was the presentation.
We were supposed to do a tour of Barbary Coast Trail with Barbary Coast Tours, but unfortunately, we were standing in the rain until 2:45 when they were to be there at 2:30. We went back to the hotel to rest and change.
A room at the Nob Hill Hotel
The room is exquisite and well decorated with a B&B feel. Antiques are everywhere and the Victorian artwork and color scheme is cute.
Tonight was dinner at Teatro Zinzanni. Teatro Zinzanni is a show with dinner and I specifically phrased it as such because it wasn’t dinner theater. It also has been compared to Cirque Du Soleil, but that comparison merely works because there are some performers who do circus-type performances.
Of all of the hundreds of shows that we’ve seen, Teatro Zinzanni is nearly the best . It’s a barrage of stimuli, camp and interaction that doesn’t leave you bored. You start off in this tent, named Le Palais Nostalgique, which is one of the last remaining, hand built tents from Europe in the '20s. That is your setting. The characters fit that setting, ranging from a French Chef to a Czechoslovakian waiter. Each character performs their own acts which ranges from street performer style to circus act style. For example, there’s a tap dancer and a hula-hoop artist.
Every few months the lead changes, and the show changes slightly to fit that. We saw it with El Vez which had that Latin empowerment theme and after that Joan Baez played the lead.
Why did I love it though? It was a mix of everything- highbrow, lowbrow and campy, interactive acting that wasn’t in your face but allowed you to watch and feel comfortable.
Then it was a walk to the taxi and time to settle in.
