Top of the Mark
Encyclopedia
The Top of the Mark is a rooftop bar
located at the top of the Mark Hopkins Hotel on Nob Hill at California-
and Mason Streets in San Francisco, California
. Located at the highest point of downtown San Francisco, on fog-free days the Top of the Mark features spectacular views of the financial district, Chinatown
, North Beach, The San Francisco Bay
, and especially of Grace Cathedral and Huntington Park. The bar was included in the original design of the Mark Hopkins Hotel, which is interesting because the hotel was designed and built during prohibition
. The hotel itself was built on the site of the old Mark Hopkins mansion, which burnt down after the San Francisco earthquake of 1906.
The Top of the Mark features over 100 variations on the martini
. During World War II
, when San Francisco was a major transit point for troops going to the Pacific Theater
, US Navy officers traditionally had a farewell drink before shipping out while watching the sun set over the Golden Gate Bridge
. The bar remains popular today, featuring dancing and live music most days of the week.
Bar (establishment)
A bar is a business establishment that serves alcoholic drinks — beer, wine, liquor, and cocktails — for consumption on the premises.Bars provide stools or chairs that are placed at tables or counters for their patrons. Some bars have entertainment on a stage, such as a live band, comedians, go-go...
located at the top of the Mark Hopkins Hotel on Nob Hill at California-
California Street (San Francisco)
California Street is a major thoroughfare in San Francisco, California. Fifty-four blocks of California Street, from Van Ness Avenue westward to 32nd Avenue, comprised the last major leg of the final 1928 alignment of the Lincoln Highway, the first road across America, leading out to the highway's...
and Mason Streets in San Francisco, California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
. Located at the highest point of downtown San Francisco, on fog-free days the Top of the Mark features spectacular views of the financial district, Chinatown
Chinatown
A Chinatown is an ethnic enclave of overseas Chinese people, although it is often generalized to include various Southeast Asian people. Chinatowns exist throughout the world, including East Asia, Southeast Asia, the Americas, Australasia, and Europe. Binondo's Chinatown located in Manila,...
, North Beach, The San Francisco Bay
San Francisco Bay
San Francisco Bay is a shallow, productive estuary through which water draining from approximately forty percent of California, flowing in the Sacramento and San Joaquin rivers from the Sierra Nevada mountains, enters the Pacific Ocean...
, and especially of Grace Cathedral and Huntington Park. The bar was included in the original design of the Mark Hopkins Hotel, which is interesting because the hotel was designed and built during prohibition
Prohibition
Prohibition of alcohol, often referred to simply as prohibition, is the practice of prohibiting the manufacture, transportation, import, export, sale, and consumption of alcohol and alcoholic beverages. The term can also apply to the periods in the histories of the countries during which the...
. The hotel itself was built on the site of the old Mark Hopkins mansion, which burnt down after the San Francisco earthquake of 1906.
The Top of the Mark features over 100 variations on the martini
Martini (cocktail)
The martini is a cocktail made with gin and vermouth, and garnished with an olive or a lemon twist. Over the years, the martini has become one of the best-known mixed alcoholic beverages. H. L. Mencken called the martini "the only American invention as perfect as the sonnet" and E. B...
. During World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
, when San Francisco was a major transit point for troops going to the Pacific Theater
Pacific Ocean theater of World War II
The Pacific Ocean theatre was one of four major naval theatres of war of World War II, which pitted the forces of Japan against those of the United States, the British Commonwealth, the Netherlands and France....
, US Navy officers traditionally had a farewell drink before shipping out while watching the sun set over the Golden Gate Bridge
Golden Gate Bridge
The Golden Gate Bridge is a suspension bridge spanning the Golden Gate, the opening of the San Francisco Bay into the Pacific Ocean. As part of both U.S. Route 101 and California State Route 1, the structure links the city of San Francisco, on the northern tip of the San Francisco Peninsula, to...
. The bar remains popular today, featuring dancing and live music most days of the week.