Postcard: Cliff House, San Francisco

"World Famous Cliff House since 1858. The Cliff House is built upon a cliff at the most westerly point in San Francisco, overlooking the Golden Gate Straits famed Seal Rocks and the ever-changing scenes of the blue Pacific Ocean. The present building is the fifth to be built upon this spot."

As any San Franciscan knows, the Cliff House is a part of our story. Burnt to the ground five or six times, changed owners, reinvented, and then absorbed as part of the National Parks, the place is still standing, still thriving, and still serving a darn good meal over 150 years later. I would sum it up or paraphrase it for you, but instead I encourage everyone to read this brief history of the place because not only is it fascinating, but it serves as a sort of microcosm of the whole San Francisco narrative: historic, regal, fun, and haphazard all in one. In fact, if you read one thing out of this post it should be this history of the Cliff House - I learned so much I don't know what to tell you first!

Of course this postcard is now a lie, of sorts. The Cliff House does not even look like this any longer, after a long and beautiful renovation in 2003. It's now the 6th or maybe 7th building to be on the spot, and the famous sea lions have since migrated to Pier 39 within San Francisco Bay. Ships rarely (but still do) founder on the rocks out there, but mostly its surfers these days. 

The only thing that really remains true are the "ever-changing scenes of the blue Pacific Ocean". But even that is sometimes gray, olive green, teal, turquoise, or cobalt, depending upon the weather, and always with a rim of frothy foam just at the edge.

Comments

[postcard printing]

I like the postcard of the Cliff House is really beautiful It built upon the cliff at the westerly point in San Francisco.The present buildings is the fifth to be build upon of the Spot.Its really beautiful pictures of the Cliff House. I hope you can further updates of the postcards.