Urban Resorts Details: When it comes to location, few boutiques rival San Francisco's new Hotel Vitale, perched on the Embarcadero just far enough away from Fisherman's Wharf to maintain its cool. The rooftop spa invites you to ogle the Bay while soaking in a tub of goat's milk and rosemary amid a bamboo garden. Below that, 199 rooms comfort with 440-thread-count linens, flat-screen TVs, spa-inspired bathrooms with Fresh amenities and, in the better quarters, waterfront views from window seats beside a wall of glass. If you can't afford one of those views, sip a drink or two in the lobby's circular Cocktail Lounge, where you're assured the panorama. Americano, chef Paul Arenstam's restaurant, modernizes Italian food made with produce from the farmer's market next door. Nearby Sights: Leaving the building, you'll find yourself plunked in the middle of the tourist-flocked waterfront. Stroll next door to the recently opened Ferry Building Marketplace to pick up picnic provisions from Frog Hollow Farm, Cowgirl Creamery, Acme Bread Company (artisan loaves) and Ferry Plaza Wine Merchant (vino) and find a spot to nosh while watching the passing ferry parade. Leave the cable cars to the tourists and hop a sightseeing ride on the F-line streetcars - vintage cars reclaimed the cities as far-flung as Milan and Baltimore - that connect the waterfront to the Castro district via lively Market Street. Neighborhood Eats, Drinks: When the Ferry Building Marketplace opened, it lured the sleek Vietnamese hot spot Slanted Door from the Mission District. The city's beloved Boulevard Restaurant from chef Nancy Oakes is across the street from the hotel. And the snack cart wheeled onto the patio at the new Jack Falstaff restaurant near baseball's SBC Park is a good post-game base. Shopping Scene: San Francisco's chicest shopping is in Union Square, a 10-minute walk from the hotel. Who's-who retailers include Gucci, Ted Baker, Agnes b., Marc Jacobs and Saks Fifth Avenue. Spain's hip label Zara, which sells trendy but affordable men's and women's clothes, will open a shop here in 2006. |
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