| The Beach Chalet is a gem located on the Western | | | | The Chalet had a colorful history. According to Carroll, |
| edge of San Francisco where Golden Gate Park | | | | "The Beach Chalet was remote enough from the rest |
| meets the Pacific Ocean. Have your Quicksilver | | | | of San Francisco that it could seem to be operating |
| TownCar driver stop at on your way San Francisco | | | | under different laws. A 1932 police raid netted a dozen |
| International Airport. Look at the murals on t he first | | | | men who were charged with sponsoring lewd shows |
| floor. Have a handcrafted beer in the upstairs | | | | and gambling parties." |
| restaurant, catch the surf in your toes and if you have | | | | During World War II the Chalet served as a coastal |
| time before your TownCar whisks you to the airport, | | | | defense headquarters. |
| watch the sun set over the pacific. | | | | After the war big city shenanigans took over as the |
| The building or Chalet was designed by noted local | | | | city leased the Beach Chalet to the Veterans of |
| architect Willis Polk, opened in 1925 with a lounge and | | | | Foreign Wars for $50 a month. Soon it became San |
| changing rooms on the first floor and a restaurant on | | | | Francisco westernmost den of inequity. In 1952 smoker |
| the second. | | | | was reported to police. The agenda included gambling, |
| The wall murals, mosaics and wood carvings portray | | | | strippers and lewd films. The SFPD were called when |
| an outstanding San Francisco panorama, they were | | | | a crowd of rowdy teenagers wanted to participate. |
| completed in 1936 as part of a federal works program. | | | | Alas, they were not veterans and so were barred. |
| Both murals and structure are listed in the National | | | | In the early 70's when Quicksilver Messenger Service |
| Register as Landmark 179. | | | | was founded, the Chalet was a bikers bar attracting a |
| In the 1930s the Works Progress Administration | | | | crowd of, bike messengers and original hippies from |
| commissioned artist Lucien Labaudt to create | | | | the Family Dog rock shows at Playland just down the |
| frescoes on the downstairs walls. Labaudt's 1,500 | | | | beach. |
| square feet of frescoes, according to Chronicle | | | | After a decade under padlock the building was |
| reporter Jerry Carroll, "Show well-fed people taking | | | | restored with a restaurant on the second floor and a |
| their ease with waxy looks of placid contentment." | | | | one-of-a-kind City of San Francisco gift shop on the |
| Just north, a Dutch windmill peeks above the cypress | | | | first floor which features a line of unique San Francisco |
| trees. Quicksilver, 800.486.9622, can take you there on | | | | Beach and Surfing T-shirts and old city street signs for |
| your way into town or on the way out. | | | | sale. Today gift shop is closed. The view of the sea at |
| Restored in the 90's to their original colors, the scenes | | | | this beachside eatery is incredible, especially if your |
| include a Baker Beach barbecue with the Golden Gate | | | | dining room doesn't overlook the Pacific Ocean. |
| Bridge under construction in the background. They | | | | After your exotic and historic break at the Beach |
| show pigeon-feeding at Union Square, longshoremen | | | | Chalet, your Quicksilver driver can have you at San |
| at Pier 26, Seal Rock, and the ethnic neighborhoods of | | | | Francisco International airport is a half hour for your |
| Chinatown, the Mission and Fisherman's Wharf. | | | | flight home. |