TEAS, TREES, & TREATS
Step into a Nutcracker wonderland at The Palace Hotel this holiday season. The hotel’s famous tree lighting celebration takes place on December 5 from 6-8 p.m. with a live jazz band, complimentary hot cider, hot chocolate, and ginger cookies for all. Holiday afternoon tea is served every Thursday and Friday in December, while Santa afternoon tea is served on Saturdays and Sundays, with a chance for kids to meet the man in red in the enchanting sparkling lights of Garden Court. There’s a grand brunch on Christmas Day with 1 p.m. and 4 p.m. seatings, and a new holiday package includes cable car tickets and vouchers for Ghirardelli hot chocolate. 2 New Montgomery Street, palacehotelsanfrancisco.247activities.com
FESTIVE FAIRMONT
Holiday magic comes to life at San Francisco’s most iconic historic hotel, with a life-sized, two-story gingerbread house in the lobby baked by the pastry team where up to ten guests can dine, a new Santa-themed afternoon tea inviting guests to sip with St. Nick, and two over-the-top Santa suites decked out in sophisticated holiday décor. This winter, local artisans will be part of the brand new Fairmont Holiday Rooftop Faire in the quaint gardens, offering the highest quality craftsmanship for all your holiday gifting needs. This unique open-air market will bring the charm of a European holiday village to Nob Hill, complete with lights, festive music, and panoramic city views. 950 Mason Street, fairmont-san-francisco. com/explore/holidays
BANG & OLUFSEN GOES BIG
Luxury Danish audio brand Bang & Olufsen just opened its largest store in the world in San Francisco’s Union Square just in time for holiday shopping, including the new Centennial Collection of headphones and speakers to commemorate the brand’s 100th anniversary. The 5,100-square-foot flagship spans two floors and showcases the brand’s extensive portfolio of luxury speakers and televisions through intimate vignettes and immersive listening zones evocative of customers’ own homes. The store also serves as a cultural hub, hosting live performances, vinyl listening sessions, film screenings, artist talks, and community programming. “The vision for our new store is inspired by the golden era of record shops spaces that blended culture and commerce,” said Jean Maraine-Jin, Bang & Olufsen’s West Coast market director. 146 Geary Street, bang-olufsen.com/en/us
DINE SO FINE
San Francisco restaurant veterans Carrie and Rupert Blease of Lord Stanley and Tommy Halvorson of The Fire Society just opened their first joint restaurant in the Dogpatch neighborhood. Wolfsbane is a welcoming hub for food lovers that fosters balance, connection, and a shared sense of humanity. The nine-course tasting menu starts with delicate, bright notes like a trio of shellfish bites, then builds to rich, soul-nourishing flavors like dry-aged Liberty Farms duck breast with roasted figs and house sourdough pain au jus gently toasted over coals with red wine sauce and salted house-cultured butter. The eclectic wine list features small producers and lesser-known varietals from Eastern France and Switzerland. 2495 3rd Street, wolfsbanesf.com
STAY, SIP & SKATE
photography by Albert Law : www.porkbellystudio.com
Hotel Emblem is one of San Francisco’s most thoughtful boutique hotels, with 96 rooms inspired by the Beat Generation and unorthodox complimentary amenities like record players, coloring books, meditation bowls, tarot cards, and bath bombs. You can even request a typewriter in your room, and the hotel will mail letters on your behalf. The central location is just a block from Union Square’s famous ice skating rink, and the hotel offers a “Stay, Sip & Skate” package for the holidays that includes tickets for two to the ice rink with skates provided, and hot chocolate to warm up upon return. Obscenity Bar & Lounge also has a special menu of festive cocktails, plus milk and freshly baked cookies. 562 Sutter Street, hotelemblem.com