Things to Do in Nob Hill

Nob Hill floats above downtown San Francisco like a polished relic of the Gilded Age, all Beaux-Arts stone and whispered money. Cable cars clang up the steep incline, metal wheels shrieking while the salty Bay breeze carries car exhaust mingled with blooming ginkgos. You'll notice the hush first. Different from the Mission's buzz or Union Square's retail chaos. Here doormen in white gloves stand sentinel outside converted mansions, and designer heels click across polished marble instead of the usual sidewalk percussion. Even the fog behaves, rolling in with a polite veil that softens brass lobby lamps and makes the neon "Top of the Mark" sign look like it's blushing. A casual walk might include the distant tinkle of a grand piano from a penthouse window and cedar aroma from the Fairmont's cigar terrace drifting above California Street.