Greatly damaged by the terrible earthquake in 1906, the Westin St Francis Hotel was restored in a somewhat overbearing Baroque Renaissance spirit. Without going as far as staying the night, you can admire the lobby, depicted by huge marble columns, a coffered ceiling, and its clock, a longstanding meeting point for San Franciscans. Photographers will want to take the glass elevators of the next-door tower for some fine views of the high-rise skyline of Financial District.