Nashville union and American. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1868-1875, 1874-01-04
SAN FRANCISCO. .
A Lady's Impressions of the Oceident-
ri HefrOnOiis.

n l8EtesActAS int
81 Metropolis.
Correspondence, Of the Union and American.
The subject of hotels is apt to occupy
a prominent place In the mind of the
westward traveller. Its interest en-
hances with each day additional travel
until towards the last of the seven days
Journey hepositivelyr evels IN heantici-
pated pleasure of having room enough
to turn around in and being able to
enjoy the inestimable privilege of pay
ing his respects to the wash-bowl In
undisturbed tranquility. What greater
sense Of luxury can there be in this
world than that arising from the per-
formance Of this everyday ceremony
in the usual everyday manner, after
experiencing the Inconvenience of all
the modern cOarenieHceS" of
RAILROAD TRAVEL?
One looks at the water IN pleased as
constituent to see it remain placidly
within its prescribed limits. And hav-
ing been Convinced for several days of
the .f-isly nature of soap, one is really
surprised to find the piece just where
he puts it instead of in some out of the
way corner, under a chair or behind the
bed, which his late habits would sug-
gest rs the most probable place for it.
Now, if it is a luxury for the water to
remain in the bowl, and the soap IN the
sOapdish, fo- the floor to stand still un-
der one, AMI the walls to kindly alb
stain from playing "battle1Oor and
shuttlecock" with one, what is it to be
domiciled at the Grand Hotel at San
Francisco:
There arahotels here of every de-
scription. The Grand, Lick, COsmO-
pohtan and Occidental rank first. In
making a final decision between the
first two. We chose the former as hav-
ing rather of more inviting name.
In location and external appearance,
the Grand, rShich is the newest house,
has a decided advantage over the
others. The main building is only four
stories high. A greater height is
avoided here in building, on account Of
THE EARTHQUAKES
which occasionally visit the vicinity
a pretty TEXTURE of it, and one charac-
teTistic Of tie houses in San Francisco
is the bay windows which cover its
whole exterior. They are not merely
ornamental. but almost essential to
comfort in this climate. The object is
to take IN the greatest possible amount
Of sun. Sunshine in a room here makes
it more comfortable without fire than
a sunless room can be with one. Owing
to this fact, houses and apartments
having a sunny exposure, command
propOrtionately high prices and rents.
The Grand Is IN every respect a first
class hotel, with pleasant, well furnish
ed apartments, unexceptional attend
ance and above all, hOme-like feeling
pervading it. But its interior ar
rangement Is not nearly as pretty as
the Maxwell House, which VIII compare
favOrably with any hotel IN the country,
and which, IS we are not unfrequently
told by those that have stopped
there while visiting Nashville, Is
held by them in lasting and pleas
ant remembrance. a new hotel is pro-
jected and about to be commenced ON
the corner opposite the Grand. 1t is
under the management of one of the
well known Leland brothers of New
York. He told us in the most profound
secrecy that his business here was 10
complete the plans for the finest
hotel that WIS ever constructed on this
terrestrial globe. We never had such
4 BIG SECRET
before. 1t was all We could do 10 con-
tain it. We expected every day to
''out with it. The hotel, which l sup
pose Will be the Great Grand" is to
enclose a court, around which VIII be a
promenade and drive, and corridors on
every floor. The lower story will be &C.
cupied by stores which viii open on. the
court as well as on the street, making it
a sort of mammoth bazaar or miniature
city. What a fine place it Will be for
ladies to do shopping and for the exhi-
bitiOn of drygoods both before and
after they are purchased. Every room
Orsuite ofrOcms VIII front either on the
street or on the court, and be provided
with hot and cold water, gas, bath, etc.
One Is constantly and forcibly remind
ed of the
UPS AND DOWNS
Of lif0 IL San Francisco, by the rugged
character Of Is location, as well as its
peculiar social status. 1t is unfortu-
nate that its first settlers could not or
did not anticipate the Importance
which 1t WAS destined to attain as a
railroad centre and seaport. Rightly
planned, with its naturally beautiful
location and surroundings, it might
have been one Of the most beautiful
cities Ii the world. Whereas it is ex-
pensively and badly laid out. Never
less, to one with taste for variety it is
exceedingly picturesque. For want Of
enough low land the business portion
of the city is constantly eHcrGac hing on
the Bay. The resident portion of it IS
going with the tide of the country to-
wards sunset. The hills On which much
of it is built are high and so steep as to
make carriage travel up and down
some Of them rather hazardous. TIE
construction of many of these side-hill
houses is rather peculiar. While one
side of then may be two or three
stories high the other side runs into a
sand bank, or at most is only one story
above it. Access to the front doors of
some houses is only gained by ascend
ing a flight of sometimes as many as
thirty steps from the street. High
hvers, these San Franciscans! One
Of the most pleasant localities, al
though only five blocks from the prin-
cipal retail street, Is 800 feet high
it, and commands a tine view not only
Of the city but the bay that skirts it
and Oakland and Alameda nestled
among the foothills ON the other side
eight and ter miles distant. Then in