Looking for a showstopping date night? Without leaving town? On short notice?
Because Valentine’s Day is six days away. And you, aspiring Lothario, need a cut-and-dry plan.
Luckily, this one’s no farther than Market Street.
Awaiting you: a private “jewel-box” dining room, drinks with a view and the sexiest hotel room west of the Bay Bridge.
Bring your jammies. You won’t be coming home till morning.
WHERE TO STAY
Even with a slew of new hotels on the way, it’s going to be hard to take Proper’s crown for the best designed room in the city. We’re also suckers for the Aesop body products in the gleaming black-and-white bathrooms. Super sexy, super buzzy, and right in the middle of it all.
WHERE TO EAT
Fortunes are being made and lost beneath the Kelly Wearstler gallery walls at Villon, the neighborhood’s swank new dining spot. We’d go back for the gnudo with cremini mushrooms, and the people-watching. P.S.: if you’re arranging a private dinner anytime soon, get a look at their super-glam, private “jewel box” space while you’re there. It’s got room for up to 14.
WHERE TO DRINK
It’s just the best new rooftop cocktail bar in town: Charmaine’s. It’s worth trying to go before sunset for the views. If you’d prefer something closer to the ground, head to Dirty Water.
WHAT TO DO
There’s no better metaphor for the neighborhood’s evolution than the Strand, the A.C.T.’s new performance space, which began its life in 1917 as The Jewel but later became a porn theater “infamous for its unsavory clientele and activities.” Now it’s spic ‘n’ span — and soon to play host to a road-movie-style play called Vietgone.
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