Starlight Room, San Francisco

Night View of
San Francisco from the Starlite Roof
Sir Francis Drake Hotel
“Twenty-one stories high in the sky
Between the stars and the Cable Cars”
is the world-famous Starlight Roof, the most beautiful cocktail lounge in the world, known for its breath-taking view of San Francisco and the bay, luxurious decor, and delightful refreshments.
Color photo by Cal-Pictures

Pub. by Smith News Cor., 1338 Mission St., S.F.Calif.
Mirro-Krome Card by H.S. Crocker Co., Inc., San Francisco 1, Calif.

This lovely vintage postcard is unused.

The beautiful Starlight Room (aka Starlite Roof) is still wowing the crowds at the Sir Francis Drake. The room was remodeled in 2011 (read about it here). However, it seems like maybe what I pictured as refined quietness in the postcard above is no more. John Compisi writes in an examiner.com article “Make no doubt about it, this is a retro Night Club scene and is not for the faint of heart. The music is loud and current with a throbbing disco beat and DJs who are capable of doing on the fly mixes.”

Yelp! reviews are so-so. Some people love it. Some people feel a bit intimidated by the minimum drink purchases (and the prices, at $12 for your basic drink – check out the menu). There’s also a $50 per swipe hold fee on credit cards, it seems…plan accordingly.

The website has a bit of history on the Sir Francis Drake Hotel: “Built for the princely sum of $5 million [opened in 1928] by Midwestern hotel developers, the Sir Francis Drake Hotel offered impressive innovations like an indoor golf course, ice water on tap, and radios in every guest room. The window panes were made of Vitaglass, so-called because it let even the healthful ultra-violet rays into each room, making it possible, according to early advertisements, to suntan without going outside. Another feature was the Servidor, a handy panel in the guest room doors, which allowed staff to discreetly deliver dry cleaning or other items without disturbing guests.”