Hotel Shaw - San Francisco, California - 1942

The Hotel Shaw was built in 1909, originally as a two story office building named the Capitol Building. In 1936, five additional floors were added and it became a first class four star property. In the 1920's to 1940's, the hotel catered to the rich and well to do. It remained the Shaw Hotel up until the late 1970's. The name changed to Miramar Hotel and then the U.N.Plaza Hotel in the 1980's. It is now the Renoir Hotel.

Bernstein's Fish Grotto - San Francisco, California

Opened by Maurice Bernstein in 1907, Bernstein's Fish Grotto was known worldwide for its unique entrance, a ship's bow jutting into the sidewalk. The ship was a faithful reproduction of Christopher Columbus's Nina. Inside the restaurant, the marine theme continued. Bernstein's had seven colorful dining rooms: the Fisherman's Cave, the Pilot Room, the Sun Deck, the Main Salon, the Cabin Nooks, the Upper Deck, and the Porthole Counter.

Riviera Restaurant - San Francisco

A colorful 1930's linen of the "Distinctively Continental" Rivera Restaurant
in San Francisco.

Let Them Eat Cake!

I would have loved to have seen this cake in person. The postcard doesn't really give you a feel for the size of this beast! Here is a little bit of info regarding Bill Baker:

Mr. Baker has been called the World’s Greatest Cake Decorator. Baker's style of decorating is a lost art today. He created personalized birthday and Christmas cakes for presidents such as Calvin Coolidge, Herbert Hoover and Franklin D. Roosevelt.

His greatest achievement was a cake named “Wonder of Treasure Island” (weighing 1,000 pounds), which was presented at the 1939 San Francisco World’s Fair. It featured a replica of Treasure Island, the 19 California Missions, the Golden Gate Bridge and San Francisco Bay. A near life-size picture of this masterpiece along with several other pictures of Baker’s creations and the stories behind them are displayed in the Ojai bakery today.