The Castle Ballroom, to the left:

      The Castle Ballroom, to the right:

      View of the four floor swimming pool: (You better believe I made use of this one.  :) )

      Two roughly opposing views through the roof of the swimming pool area.  This was really cool---every morning, it was like swimming among the towers of a now bygone prosperous age. . . .

      The Castle is sort of like. . . .  Well, imagine that someone had this incredible vision, and made that vision reality---and then it was bought (and in now managed) by Jews.  Everything from the original construction was grandiose, solid--about the best that money and a dream could produce.  Then . . . well, everything newly added is garish, ugly, and emminently "cost effective." The phones are modern, and cheap plastic.  There were Internet ports in each room, but they stuck out of the floor in ugly boxes, even with visible wiring.  And the employees---while courteous, were. . . .  I have no problem bustin' on a place, but bustin' on peeps whose situation in not their fault. . . .  Well, one more: Let's just say that their housekeeping staff couldn't speak English, and were of . . . dubious immigration status.  ;)

On to more San Francisco pics, 'n stuff.