Learn About The San Francisco Bay Area & Beyond
Antique village rugs from Claremont Rug Company bring a sense of unity to the expansive vistas of a client’s lakefront home in Lake Tahoe, California.
Claremont Rug Company’s clients travel from countries all over the world, notably Italy, Germany, France, England, the UK, Australia, Brazil and Lebanon to consider our unparalleled selection of art-caliber Persian rugs and other antique Oriental carpets. Included in this extensive collection are many types of rugs from Second Golden Age of Persian Weaving (ca. 1800 to ca. 1910). On your visit, you will have an opportunity to consider all the major styles of antique Persian carpets and tribal rugs, such as Feraghan, Laver Kirman, Sultanabad, Tabriz and Bakshaish. Explore our three showrooms housing our world-class collection in all sizes from mats and runners to hard-to-find, spectacular antique palace-size carpets.
Our central location just across the bridge from San Francisco affords almost limitless destinations in Northern California & further south. Our region has become world-famous for its astounding natural beauty, cultural attractions, theater, cutting edge technology communities, as well as its uniquely comfortable climate.
Whatever your interest, a visit to Claremont Rug Company’s two galleries of exquisite antique rugs can be paired with a truly exciting, world class opportunity to indulge in the passions you enjoy best–as well as new passions yet to be discovered.
Your Visit to our Home
Whether you come to us for a day, a week or a month, our Northern California home can provide you with any number of attractions and memorable moments. We hope that this overview helps you plan your stop and offers advice that you find helpful. Please feel free to contact us to discuss your appointment at the Gallery and for additional information about how to take advantage of the myriad sights of Northern California.
The California Experience
Although millions of people visit California annually, with a modicum of planning, you can make your trip a very private and personal one. Claremont Rug Company is located in an area that boasts three international airports and more than half a dozen private jet/fixed based operators. As a result, appointments with us can be transformed into luxurious breaks. Whether it is fine dining in San Francisco or the many trendy restaurants near us in Oakland and Berkeley, private wine tours in Napa and Sonoma or simply a world-class accommodation, we can assist you to tailor your visit to your schedule and your interests.
Because we have clients on five continents, we are experienced in working with international travelers who seek to combine an appointment to consult with us about their interests in antique Oriental rugs with a visit to the many world class attractions within easy reach of the Gallery.
The San Francisco Bay Area is justly known for its astounding natural beauty, cultural attractions, theater, and internationally recognized restaurants and cuisine, as well as its uniquely comfortable climate. However, please note that San Francisco and Oakland are generally cool during the summer months but enjoy warm fall and temperate winters.
WHERE TO STAY
A visit to Northern California provides ample opportunity to indulge in the world-class hospitality of the Bay Area’s landmark hotel properties and resorts and sample Michelin-starred restaurants and world class wines.
San Francisco offers a wealth of intimate boutique hotels, as do the Napa and Sonoma wine counties and the Monterey/Carmel Peninsula, all less than two hours by automobile. In San Francisco, the venerable grand dame of Nob Hill is the Fairmont Hotel as well as its right-across-the-street neighbor, the Huntington Hotel. There are also numerous boutique properties such as the Taj Campton Place, located centrally at Union Square. In addition to, and especially alluring, are the Ritz Carlton, Four Seasons and Loews Regency, each known for impeccable service.
Just a five-minute drive from our main Claremont Rug Company gallery is the historic Claremont Resort and Spa, with its breathtaking views of the entire San Francisco Bay Area and a private “double nine,” 18-hole golf course. Even if just stopping by for a memorable brunch or leisurely cocktail in an especially atmospheric setting, Northern California’s best hotels offer an experience that should be included in every traveler’s itinerary. And, for those who might also be visiting the Silicon Valley, the exceptional Rosewood on Sand Hill Road in Menlo Park is in a class by itself and favored by high tech entrepreneurs and financiers.
In the Napa Valley, Auberge du Soleil in Rutherford continues to satisfy its sophisticated clientele with personally tailored service and exquisite cuisine. Another gem is Meadowood Napa Valley in St. Helena, with its unique accommodations and three-star Michelin restaurant.
FOOD & WINE
Northern California is also justly known for its fine dining, boasting no less than 38 Michelin-starred restaurants and such world-renowned establishments such as:
- Alice Waters’ famous Chez Panisse (in Berkeley, only three miles from our Gallery), where fresh, local, seasonal menus have been setting trends and winning awards since 1971.
- The Restaurant at Meadowood (St. Helena, Napa Valley) named the James Beard Foundation winner in 2014 for Outstanding Service.
Wine aficionados will find much to explore in the area, where there are more than 600 wineries within a 90-mile radius of San Francisco/Oakland. Outside of the world-renowned vintages of Napa and Sonoma Valleys, nearby Sonoma County wineries on Sonoma Mountain, in the Russian River and Dry Creek regions, as well as the Alexander Valley, await discovery by oenophiles for their surprisingly sophisticated reds.
Enjoy a unique wine tasting experience at Maisonry, in Napa Valley’s Yountville, where artisan wines are “paired with exquisite art and furnishings, in a historic setting.”
California’s cool nights, warm days, and abundant sunshine support a tremendous range of spectacular wines.
CULTURAL ATTRACTIONS
The Bay Area’s celebrated museums provide a firm cultural anchor.
The M. H. de Young Memorial Museum. Photo by Brian Kinney.
The M. H. de Young Memorial Museum houses American art from the 17th to the 21st century. Updated in 2005 by Herzog & Meuron, the building itself is as intriguing as the exhibits housed within. Of particular note at the de Young is the fantastic collection of antique rugs and the Caroline and H. McCoy Jones Collection of kilims. Other important museums include the Palace of Fine Arts, the Contemporary Jewish Museum and the Haas Lilienthal House. The San Francisco Museum of Modern Art recently re-opened after a major renovation in 2016.
Art enthusiasts will find much to engage them in the Bay Area’s gallery scene. Always home to artistic exploration and avant garde lifestyle trends, San Francisco continues its trailblazing path with its crop of new galleries, many of which showcase local artists who have taken this unique city as their inspiration. The City’s various ethnic communities are unusually well represented here, and accessible, to-the-minute works–from murals to graffiti art and street sculpture–are intimately woven into the San Franciscan’s everyday experience. Pop-up galleries and monthly art walks continue this encouragement of talent, most notably in downtown Oakland, which is rapidly gaining national notice for its burgeoning art scene.
Also not to miss are the Exploratorium, a vibrant and interactive experience for all ages, and San Francisco’s many “Painted Ladies,” brightly painted Victorian homes, some of which survived the 1906 Earthquake.
GOLF & RECREATION
Devoted golf enthusiasts already know that Northern California has some of the most scenic and challenging courses in the world. Playable nearly year-round, the numerous public and private clubs are enjoyable for every skill level, from the scratch player to the casual golfer. The legendary Pebble Beach in Carmel is world-famous for its one-of-a-kind blend of dramatic seaside scenery and natural golf terrain that make it the top-ranked public course in the U.S. and home to annual PGA Tour events as well as many U.S. Opens (next scheduled for 2024).
The Pebble Beach Golf experience comes complete with splendid coastal vistas.
Clients who belong to private country clubs can often enjoy reciprocal privileges at the many similar clubs in the area, including Olympic Club and San Francisco Club (in San Francisco), Menlo Country Club (in the Silicon Valley), Mayacamas Golf Club (in Sonoma), Sonoma Country Club (in Sonoma) and Orinda Country Club (in the East Bay). Additionally, there are semi-private and public courses available for play, including Harding Park and Presidio (San Francisco) and Pasatiempo (Santa Cruz).
Expanding Your Stay to Other Scenic Areas of California
HISTORIC MONTEREY BAY AND CARMEL-BY-THE SEA
Less than two hours south of San Francisco lies the Monterey Bay and the small village of Carmel-by-the-Sea. World famous for the Pebble Beach Lodge and Golf Links and the Bay with its teeming sea life, the area boasts a variety of small hotels and spectacular properties. The town of Monterey and the historic Cannery Row were first made famous by author John Steinbeck and remain an important stop on a visit to the area. Also not be missed is the Monterey Bay Aquarium which reflects the abundance of sea creatures, including whales, otters, seals and sea lions which call the Bay itself home much of the year.
The 17-Mile Drive showcases stunning vistas of the Pacific.
Carmel-by-the-sea, less than 15 minutes from Monterey boasts the world famous 17-Mile Drive amid one-of-kind residential estates and compounds. The small village of Carmel is chock-a-block with small shops, galleries and restaurants and easily walkable. A 15-minute drive from the town is the Carmel Valley which boasts more resort-like properties, catering to tennis, golf and relaxation.
NATURAL BEAUTY, SPECTACULAR DRIVES AND WINTER SPORTS
There is spectacular natural beauty less than an hour’s drive in all directions, including the massive and protected Golden Gate National Recreation Area as well as Muir Woods (Marin County), with its pristine Redwood trees, some of which are thousands of years old.
Baylands at Point Reyes Natural Seashore, less than a one-hour drive from our gallery. Note great egret at mid-frame.
The California Coast, stretching from Sea Ranch to the north and Big Sur to the south, contains some of the most breathtaking seashore driving in the world. Towns and villages, including Carmel, Stinson Beach and Mendocino, retain their natural beauty and charm as seaside communities, bounded by the Pacific Ocean on one side and a gentle mountain range on the other.
For those with more time, the High Sierras, including both Lake Tahoe and Yosemite National Park are ideal destinations and four-hour drives from San Francisco/Oakland.
The Tahoe region, both on the California and Nevada sides, offers boating, golf, endless hiking trails and nightlife in the summer and is a favorite of skiers and snowboarders in the winter who are attracted by spectacular views and world-class ski resorts, including Heavenly Valley, Kirkwood, Northstar, and Squaw Valley (former site of the Winter Olympics).
Spectacular views, an epic 400 inches of snow per year, and world-class ski resorts draw adventurers from all over the world to Lake Tahoe.
In Yosemite, famed for its natural beauty and the iconic Half Dome (8389 feet) and Yosemite Falls, the most sought-after accommodations are at The Majestic Yosemite Hotel (formerly the famous Ahwahnee Lodge) which contains 99 room and 24 individual cabins. Sometimes inaccessible during the winter, Yosemite is one of the most spectacularly situated national parks in the country and the subject of the famous photographic work of Ansel Adams.
Visiting Southern California
Long known for its sunny skies, warm beaches and inviting, relaxed climate, Southern California has welcomed and is a unique world of its own. Whether a visitor is seeking the expansive white sand beaches to the one-in-the-world shopping experience of Beverly Hills and Rodeo Drive, many Claremont clients make time for the one-hour flight to the area. For those seeking a sense of the thrill of the rugged California coastline, the drive is about eight hours from San Francisco and offers stopover and stop-off opportunities in the Monterey area, the wine country of the central coast and the glamorous communities of Santa Barbara and Montecito.
The Los Angeles itself (known as the LA Basin) offers coastal communities ranging from Santa Monica, Pacific Palisades and Malibu to Venice by-the-beach, Newport Beach and Balboa Island.
The J. Paul Getty Museum at the Getty Center in Los Angeles houses European paintings, drawings, sculpture, illuminated manuscripts, decorative arts, and European and American photographs.
And, of course, the important Getty Museum which is perhaps the most conspicuous of L.A.’s landmarks, an architectural masterpiece by star architects Richard Meier that is both a critical and popular favorite. Perched dramatically atop a hillside in the Brentwood neighborhood, its modern lines, travertine marble and sweeping Pacific Ocean views make it a must-visit, as much for its award-winning art collection as for the inimitable way it captures the mise-en-place of this unique city.
Beverly Hills, BelAir, Hancock Park and Hollywood retain their allure as much as ever, with the diverse social scene benefitting from classic standby institutions like the Chateau Marmont and Beverly Hilton hotels nearby to the Rodeo Drive shopping district. Several newer destination hotels have ably continued these traditions with a comfortable, casual yet completely on-point and up-to-the-minute. Both the Mondrian and the Standard are not-so-well-kept secrets while the ever-welcoming Roosevelt Hotel invites fun-loving guests with its old-Hollywood heritage and enjoyable pool scene. Nearby Chateau Marmont the famed Sunset Boulevard will provide the perfect opportunity to become acquainted with, or further immersed in, the latest trends, with its bustling boutique shopping and open air dining venues.
About 90 minutes south the community of LaJolla, along the coast, and San Diego boast year-round “perfect” weather and welcoming accommodations, including Torrey Pines and the grand Hotel del Coronado, known for its brilliantly preserved turn-of-the-century Victorian charm, provides an excellent base for sampling the city’s diverse attractions.
La Jolla offers some of the most breathtaking beaches in all of California. Located just 15 miles North of downtown San Diego, it’s a must-experience for swimming, surfing, sun-bathing and seal-watching.
For those seeking respite from colder climes, Rancho Santa Fe and Palm Springs, both about two hours from Los Angeles, are idyllic communities with an abundance of premier golf, exceptional dining, exclusive resorts and spa offerings and–of course–glorious sunshine.
Getting To The SF Bay Area By Air
Northern California is easily accessible via several IFR airports, which serve commercial, corporate and private aircraft. San Francisco International Airport and Oakland International Airport are the region’s major domestic and international hubs. San Jose is another popular facility, particularly for visitors to Silicon Valley’s thriving tech companies. Fields, with fix-based operators and controlled airspace are located in the Napa, Contra Costa, San Mateo, Sonoma, Monterey and Sacramento areas.
PRIMARY AIRPORTS IN THE REGION:
From SFO: 40 minutes (commercial and private traffic)
From OAK: 20 minutes (commercial, corporate and private traffic)
From San Jose Airport: 1 hour (commercial, corporate and private traffic)
From Charles M. Schultz Airport (Santa Rosa), 1 hour 15 minutes (commercial, corporate and private traffic)
From Sacramento Airport: 1 hour 25 minutes (commercial, corporate and private traffic)
From Concord-Buchanan Field, 45 minutes (corporate and private traffic)
From Hayward Executive Airport: 30 minutes (corporate and private traffic)
From Livermore Municipal Airport: 50 minutes (corporate and private traffic)
From Monterey Peninsula Airport: 1 hour 50 minutes (commercial, corporate and private traffic)
From Napa County Airport: 50 minutes (private traffic)
From San Carlos, 45 minutes (corporate and private traffic)
