Cliff House, San Francisco

A gentle walk from Ocean Beach brings you to Cliff House. This old hotel still serves up fine (but expensive) food, but perhaps the great thing concerning Cliff House, is the viewing platform, from which you have some spectacular views down to Ocean Beach, and to the North, up the Pacific Coast.
There is no charge to stand on the viewing platform.

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Former Mayor Adolf Sutro Made the Sutro Heights (Including the Sutro Baths and Cliffside) in 1896 and he envisioned Big complex wherein one can have a bath literally then stroll around and see his extensive world wide collections of stuff and see a concert at a concert hall. Sutro Baths was created as a huge swimming and bathing facility, offering six saltwater swimming tanks of varying sizes, shapes and water temperatures that provided exercise and recreation to the San Francisco public but due to high operating cost, it went bankcrupt and in 1966, was destroyed by a fire. Today, it's ruins are a popular sideshow if one goes to visit the nearby cliffhhouse.

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The Cliff House is a historical building located at the West end of San Francisco on a bluff hanging over the ocean. The Cliff House that is currently standing was built in 1907. Two former Cliff Houses have been destroyed. The current Cliff House was acquired in 1977 by the National Parks and Recreation Service, which now maintains it.

The Cliff House is a popular tourist destination--especially in the summer. (You can see Seal Rock, Sutro's Baths, Panoramic Views of Ocean Beach and Great Highway) It is often foggy over the water, but on days when the weather cooperates, the views are quite lovely. Walks along the beach are pleasant, and most of the visitors on sunny days in the winter are San Fran locals, but be warned. Conditions can be cold and windy.

Open Hours:
Mon-Thu 9:00 a.m.-9:30 p.m.
Fri-Sat 9:00 a.m.-10:00 p.m.
Sun 8:30 a.m.-9:00 p.m.

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The Cliff House is as it's name states on a cliff that overlooks Ocean Beach, Point Lobos and ruins of Sutro Baths, and Seal Rocks. Besides these photos, there are a couple of good non-authorized websites with more images and information about Cliff House. The Giant Camera, or Camera Obscura, may be closed for you as it was for us. Before 2001, the National Park Service had planned to either demolish or move the camera, but local protest resulted in putting the only camera obscura in America on the National Register of Historic Places insted. Don't skip the opportunity to go inside should it be open for you.

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Since 1977, the Cliff House has been owned by the National Parks Service and is part of the Golden Gate National Recreation Area. Before that it was owned by George Whitney, who had bought it from the Sutro family in 1952. It was during the ownership of Adolph Sutro and family that the Cliff House spent it's heyday, as part of Playland and the Sutro Baths. Even before Sutro though, the Cliff House had considerable fame, having been first built by Butler and Buckley in 1863. In the early days, the wealthy, including three US Presidents, rode their carriages out to the restaurant as part of a day of horse racing at Ocean Beach. The original structure burned on Christmas Day 1894, after Sutro had built a railroad to allow the masses to visit the area. In 1896, Sutro built an eight story structure complete with towering spires and a viewing platform some 200 feet above sea level. During this period, the Sutro baths were also built, making the Point Lobos recreation complex one of the most visited attractions in the city. While the Cliff House survived the 1906 Earthquake and Fire, it burned to the ground a year later. Adolph Sutro's daughter Emma rebuilt the cliff house in a smaller neo-classical design. After Whitney purchased it, it was remodeled several times to meet tourist needs, but never regained the glamour of the Sutro days. Most recently, the restaurant underwent a two-year remodeling project to create a contemporary two-story room with a wall of glass looking out to ocean, a design that recalls the old steel beam ceiling of the Sutro Baths. The restaurant views are great, but local reviews of the food quality produced by the National Park Service concession make the views, rather than the food, the reason to come here. See Part 2 of this series for more information and great views as seen from the Cliff House.

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Built in 1909 by Adolph Sutro, this unusual structure sits astride high bluffs overlooking the Pacific and the southern side of the Bay. Inside is a restaurant, with a variety of dishes and a reception hall. This is one of San Francisco's most famous places.

Nearby are the Seal Rocks, where seals and sea lions stop to relax. Also close by are the Sutro Baths. These public baths were opened in 1896, and went through many different changes over the years. They burned down in 1966.

A nice side trip while visiting the California Palace of the Legion of Honor, the Presidio, or Golden Gate Park.

The Cliff House in San Francisco is on the western edge of San Francisco, in the family-oriented district of the Outer Sunset, and provides a spectacular panorama of Ocean Beach. While Ocean Beach's waters are cold (and so you will rarely ever see people swimming, although there are often brave surfers on the water), on a clear day, the views are beautiful. From Downtown, you can take the N Judah line and get off at the very last stop (47th Ave and Judah), which will take about 40 minutes or so. You will then walk east, where you will see the Cliff House in plain view. Often, San Franciscans walk and jog along the beach, and you will see many jogging in that direction. The Cliff House holds a restaurant, however, you do not have to dine there to enjoy the free views!

Down the hill from the Cliff House are the ruins of the old Sutro Baths. Back in the old days this was one of the big attractions of the city - other folks have documented its' history in their tips. It's been built and burned numerous times, and now all that's left are the foundations, which are alot of fun to climb on. There's lots of cool tidepools in the area. Keep an eye on your kids - the waters around here can be treacherous!