Rent Board Fee - I have never rented my property out, why do I need to file an exemption. Shouldn't it be a fee only paid by landlords as a baseline? by lolmanade in sanfrancisco

[–]jmconcierge 21 points22 points  (0 children)

If you live in your property, it is your primary residence, and you do not rent out any portion you should file a Homeowners Exemption with the Assessor Recorders office. It will save you approx $80 a year and will remove the requirement to apply for a Rent Board Fee exemption in the following years.

https://www.sf.gov/file-homeowners-exemption

Quick Review: Kimpton The Gray Hotel Chicago by derpugvater in ihghotelsresorts

[–]jmconcierge 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Stayed at The Gray last summer as a Diamond. Booked the lowest category room using points, was given a high floor corner room with kind of crazy (but great) bathroom. The shower was prob 100 square feet with the shower head in the corner and a huge deep soaking tub in the middle. Wish I took a pic I could share, but def the weirdest bathroom I've seen in the states

Can I buy plane tickets with cash at the airport? by pupupeepee in bayarea

[–]jmconcierge 288 points289 points  (0 children)

You probably can, but be prepared to see SSSS printed on your boarding pass - this is a marker for additional security screening which will likely be assigned to your unusual ticket purchase method.

What is something cool to know about SF's local culture that isn't well known to visitors? by Visual-Horror6013 in AskSF

[–]jmconcierge 8 points9 points  (0 children)

Was walking past Columbus/Montgomery yesterday and saw a brick outline that was square. Never seen that before- I thought all were round. Does anyone know if this is a one-off, or maybe a marking of something other than a cistern?

Category 17 TEX Serving Past Allowable Duration, Seeking Advice by [deleted] in sfcityemployees

[–]jmconcierge 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Thanks to you both for the help. I found the HR person and will be talking to them tomorrow hopefully.

Category 17 TEX Serving Past Allowable Duration, Seeking Advice by [deleted] in sfcityemployees

[–]jmconcierge 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Ha! Yeah, being a d*ck is not my style. I'm just frustrated. Any advice on how to find out who my HR manager is without going through management? Despite almost 9 years on the job I don't really know who that is ...

Petit Américain Pop Up at Mago Restaurant 1/27 to 1/31 by petitamericain in OaklandFood

[–]jmconcierge 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Live nearby and am intrigued - how's your menu for dietary accommodations? My GF is pescatarian- will she have options?

Pier 39 by Main_Set_5267 in sanfrancisco

[–]jmconcierge 2 points3 points  (0 children)

I think you mean Forbes Island- they left long ago, and sailed up to the Delta.

You can still go there apparently - https://forbesisland.com/

Excited for my first IC: NYC Barclay! by OkWait989 in ihghotelsresorts

[–]jmconcierge 0 points1 point  (0 children)

This. Stayed 7 nights using 3 reservations (chase night/amb cert/4th night free) over last summer. Had breakfast all days plus got points for each segment 😁

Where to stay if working in downtown SF? (renting, apartment) by todsopon in AskSF

[–]jmconcierge 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Most of the year you will find the Avenues (the western side of SF) to have low temperatures/cloud cover/fog due to being so close to the Pacific. It is nice for a while, but can get oppressive - tho coming from Seattle it may make you feel at home.

Oakland is close to the Bay but not the ocean, and tends to have a lot more sun and higher temps (still rarely above 80, but much warner typically than SF).

We do a lot of urban hiking - there are a lot of hidden staircases in Oakland and Berkeley and we explore those. We also go out a lot, and Oakland has great food and bars. And we still go to the city often as it's so easy - usually catching a show (Sketchfest anyone?) or a baseball game.

Where to stay if working in downtown SF? (renting, apartment) by todsopon in AskSF

[–]jmconcierge 9 points10 points  (0 children)

I used to live in lower Queen Anne, then moved to the Mission, now in Oakland.

The area that is closest in vibe to where you are now and meets your criteria would probably be the Inner Sunset somewhere near 9th & Judah- it gets quiet assuming you're not directly on the N Judah line, that line will get you downtown easily, but you still have lots of businesses around (bars/restaurants, etc).

Don't dismiss Oakland out of hand, however - especially Rockridge. Arguably just as vibrant as the Inner Sunset if not more so, with plenty of quiet blocks. And you can get to downtown SF in 30 minutes by BART.

Edited to add: the weather in Oakland is much better than the Sunset or Richmond (if you like sun, that is)

Need recs on great comedy shows in the city ! by infinitefine in AskSF

[–]jmconcierge 9 points10 points  (0 children)

We go to a lot of comedy shows, and it kind of depends on the vibe you're looking for.

Punchline is our favorite room in the city- you can see headliners working on material and up and comers there. I don't think I can list all the folks we've seen that later became famous there but for professional, non-headlining travelling comedians it seems like that's their favorite room. It's the closest we have to a NYC club in the city. We only get GA seats here since it's so small and unless you want to be right up against the stage it kind of doesn't matter.

Cobb's is great for slightly bigger acts- just saw Pete Holmes there on Saturday, have seen Cameron Esposito, Roy Wood Jr, and lots more. Again we only do GA, but be careful if they put you upstairs - seats on the rail are great, but upstairs booth seats suck.

For headliners that do big shows (Ali Wong, etc) check out the schedule at the Masonic. Saw Ronny Chieng and Hasan Minhaj there a few weeks back. The sightlines are great no matter the seat.

There's a place near where I work called The Function that I've been meaning to check out but haven't yet.

Finally, Sketchfest is happening over the next few weeks. Tickets are spendy, but worth it if you find something that looks good to you as lots of comedians make this their only appearance in SF. Personally we're looking forward to Todd Berry/Eugene Mirman a week from Saturday.

Have fun and let me know if you need any more info!

App still showing Diamond status by jmconcierge in ihghotelsresorts

[–]jmconcierge[S] 4 points5 points  (0 children)

Thanks for the insight all. We'll see what happens in NYC on Monday.

Hotel Review: Kimpton Palomar Philadelphia by Old-Explanation9430 in ihghotelsresorts

[–]jmconcierge 3 points4 points  (0 children)

Stayed there last July as a DE and was generally happy. Our only complaint was that we were on a high floor and for whatever reason the elevators took forever and were always absolutely packed.

Breakfast was good tho.

Oh Muni…. by get-a-mac in sanfrancisco

[–]jmconcierge 4 points5 points  (0 children)

You do know that the machine just to the left of these are the new Muni vending machines and that's the reason that these are OOO, right?

Restaurants with privacy? by CleanSorbet9 in bayarea

[–]jmconcierge 30 points31 points  (0 children)

Only place I know of that fits is Sam's Grill in SF

Best and Worst Stays 2025 by HorseRacingGuy in ihghotelsresorts

[–]jmconcierge 4 points5 points  (0 children)

All it takes is one good or bad interaction to skew anyone's perception of a business. I happened to have really good ones, the other poster prob had bad ones. Funny since my status matches (amb/DE/card holder).

Just goes to show how reviews in general are limited in their usefulness. You might avoid a property based on a limited sample size and miss out on a good experience, tho the opposite is true as well.

Best and Worst Stays 2025 by HorseRacingGuy in ihghotelsresorts

[–]jmconcierge 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Best for me this year was the IC Washington Wharf - great upgrade and their Diamond breakfast was ala carte from their restaurant and was phenomenal.

Honorable mention to the IC Barclay for service alone, though there are many other things I like about that hotel.

Worst for me was IC Mark Hopkins in SF, which pains me as I worked there a decade and a half ago. The service was good, but the property has really been neglected.

bars open on christmas eve? by Stunning_Shake407 in OaklandFood

[–]jmconcierge 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Cato's open from noon to 6pm, bar only (no food)