At the advent of the 1848 Gold rush, there were less than 175,000 residents in the entire territory of California. But with lightning speed, San Francisco became the hub of West Coast business and enterprise. By 1861 Western Union telegraph lines connected the city by the bay with Washington DC and by 1869 the Transcontinental Railway was completed and delivered passengers from the east coast in relative comfort and speed. Amazingly just ten years after the conclusion of the Civil War, San Francisco was firmly established as a major city. When the Palace Hotel www.luxurycollection.com/palacehotel opened its doors in 1875 it was heralded as the largest in America.
The Hotel survived the 1906 earthquake but was consumed by the ensuing fires that raged down Market Street. Rebuilt and reopened in 1909, the Hotel welcomed Woodrow Wilson, served an opening banquet for the opening Session of the United Nations, and subsequently received Nakita Khrushchev, Nixon and more. The legendary Palace Hotel lives on today as the most historic hotel in the “City by The Bay”.
Join correspondent, Tom Wilmer, at the palace Hotel for a conversation with Renee Roberts who talks about the hotel’s illustrious past and present. Jesse LLapitan, Executive Chef talks about the legacy cuisine at the Palace that honors the past and sets the pace for cutting edge Organic and locally sourced culinary offerings on a grand scale. We’ll also visit with Christophe Thomas, General Manager.
Check out this episode on NPR.ORG’s Journeys of Discovery with Tom Wilmer Podcast site