Tuesday, September 7, 2010

California here I come...

Last week I had the fortune of visiting two of our publishers in San Francisco. First up was Chronicle Books. Their new(ish) office is absolutely amazing. Four floors of unbridled creativity in a very cool location. Chronicle does not publish jusr regular books and their office is a reflection of that. The top floor, is totally devoted to common space, whether it is a cafe, board room or a spot to do lunch time yoga. Every year they have Volunteer Day which means the staff get a day off to volunteer at their favourite charity...what a super cool idea!
After that hopped on the BART (their subway) to go to Lonely Planet. Their office is in Oakland.



Gary and Marc (pictured to the left) gave me a tour that included root beer floats. I have always been a fan of the LP travel guides and have used them for 20 years. I used their guide on this trip to pick my hotel: The Berkeley City Club. It is in Berkeley right beside the university and close to the BART.

It is an historic hotel designed by Julia Morgen, the architect that designed the Hearst Castle at San Simeon. While it is not what you would expect from a big chain hotel (no a/c or TV's), the architecture is amazing and there are even secret gardens! I wish I had brought my swim suit, as the pool is stunning. My room had a spectacular view of the Golden Gate Bridge and Alcatraz. Until next time...

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