Being out west and staying at the Cartwright Hotel I can’t help think about Ben, his three boys and Hop Sing the Chinese cook. Ben was the consummate stern but loving father, the oldest son Adam was a dark and brooding sort, Hoss was big, somewhat clumsy and loveable, and Little Joe was the TV heartthrob. All of which has nothing to do with the Cartwright Hotel aside from the name.
The Cartwright Hotel on Sutter Street.
The Cartwright is 101 years old in 2015. It is what is called a Boutique Hotel. That being a smaller, charming and unique alternative to the typical $300 a night big box hotels by Marriot, Hilton, etc. The Cartwright is a sturdy edifice of eight floors boasting 70 some rooms. We are in a Junior Suite which offers a bedroom, very large bathroom and a sitting room overlooking Sutter Street. Sutter seems to be a favorite for emergency vehicles as no less than four different fires or emergencies occurred our first night in town and all the equipment drove right past our hotel. Life in the big city.
The hotel is situated just one block from Union Square (a major shopping mecca in San Francisco) and half a block from a cable-car line. More on the Cable Cars later. It is very handy to all manner of eateries, a Walgreens, a 7-Eleven is right across the street (no gas pumps), a bunch of other hotels, office buildings and traffic. However, I am sitting at the desk near a window in our sitting room writing this at 7:30 on a Wednesday morning and the traffic outside is very light.
Being more than a hundred years old, electricity was an afterthought. The electric lines and boxes are all surface mounted but out of the way and there are plenty of them. The windows are all new and open easily to let in the surprisingly fresh California air. None of the windows have screens on them but bugs don’t seem to be a problem. The rooms are tastefully furnished with comfortable furniture and the bed is firm and very sleep able. The WiFi is free and reasonably fast and there are good sized flat screen TVs in both rooms. On the downside, there is no Air Conditioning and no kitchen for room service
This place has character and I like it. The trim around the doors and windows looks original. The rooms have funky angles to them because the suite obviously is the result of combining two former single rooms. This means we have two doors out to the hallway. Everything is solid and substantial, which I reckon one would expect in earthquake country.
The Cartwright has a small and rather slow elevator which is a good thing because the stairs between floors are narrow, steep and relatively dark. I don’t know if the elevator is original to the building, but it boggles my mind to think of guests schlepping their bags up eight floors on those stairs. While small, the elevator is quiet and covered in a rich cherry paneling. It’s the real thing too as some scratches and scarring reveal real wood beneath the surface.
From a people perspective, the front desk personnel have been very friendly and have gone out of their way to be accommodating and helpful. After going out to the nearby Starbucks to get coffee and breakfast sandwiches the desk manager spent time digging up some salt and pepper packets for me and promised to raid McDonalds later that day to have more for me tomorrow.
The lobby has comfortable looking chairs with big windows looking out onto Sutter Street. Behind the main desk is a bar area which is cozy and intimate. We haven’t had drinks there yet, but it looks inviting. All things considered, the Cartwright wears its age well, is charming, comfortable and the staff is friendly and helpful.