by Ted Sherman

Created on: October 25, 2008   Last Updated: December 04, 2008

Call me sentimental. Call me ancient. You'd be right on both counts. My favorite four hotels in San Francisco are the Fairmont, the Mark Hopkins, the Palace and the (Westin) St. Francis. OK, they're among the oldest hotels in the famed Bay city, but are still wonderfully multi-star, luxurious places to meet, sleep, drink, dance, romance, eat and serve as bases for tourist treks.

As the required fifth hotel on my list, I'll reluctantly name a newish glass and glitter monument to corporate excess. The InterContinental is not only an expensive tourist trap, but because it is in the financial district next to the city's huge Moscone Center, it is also a super-expensive corporate expense account trap. Its nightly basic room rates start at about $400 and go higher, much higher. But more about it later.

My first choice has to be the Mark Hopkins, perched atop Nob Hill across the street from the equally classic St. Francis. If you get a room with a big window or balcony overlooking the city and the Bay, it's worth sitting there sipping a drink just to enjoy the view, both day and night.

My first contact with the vintage hotel was in 1944, when just assigned my first ship. A bunch of us, mostly teenagers just out of boot camp, were invited by our commanding officer to join him and other crew members for a party at the Top of the Mark. While the older ones drank, we teenagers could only watch, or depend on 21-year-old pals to slip us drinks.

The Top is a restaurant/nightclub/meeting room suite on the hotel's highest floor, and throughout World War II, served as a last hurrah for Navy guys before they shipped out to the Pacific. When they returned, it was also traditional to celebrate their survival again at the Top of the Mark.

The rooms were featured in several movies about the Navy. Among them was 1957's, "Kiss Them For Me", starring Cary Grant. If you read the book or saw the 1954 movie, "The Caine Mutiny", you know the officers of the Navy minesweeper gathered there to celebrate winning their court martial instigated by their insane captain, Lieutenant Commander Queeg (Humphrey Bogart).

Despite its age, the stately Mark Hopkins has luxurious facilities. It costs $300 plus a night for a basic room, and offers great restaurants, meeting rooms, and if you're feeling sentimental, the Top of the Mark. If you listen closely when you're there, you may hear some of the haunting laughter echoing from bygone Navy, Coast Guard, Marine, Air Force and Army veterans who celebrated going

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