The Pied Piper Bar & Grill, San Francisco

Most people are unaware that the famous King Cole Bar in the St. Regis New York has a cousin on the west coast. The Pied Piper Bar & Grill in San Francisco's Palace Hotel is home to another another utterly captivating mural by Maxfield Parrish. It has hung above the bar of the hotel since since 1909, except for a short stay at the De Young Museum  (1989-1901) during the property's renovation and seismic retrofit. Parrish depicted himself as the checkered protagonist and his two sons also appear in the painting. In a city that relentlessly celebrates the new and modern, The Pied Piper Bar is an relaxing, old-fashioned alternative. In the words of Mr. Parrish, “When customers can no longer tell how many children they can count on the [Pied Piper] mural, send them home to their families. A guest drawing a glass is apt to note a child in the painting that resembles a little one at home and then and there cancel their wish for an additional glass.”

Palace Hotel, 2 Montgomery Street, (415) 512-1111, Monday-Friday 11:30 a.m. to 12:00 a.m., Saturday 11:00 a.m. to 12:oo a.m., Sunday, 10:00 a.m. to 12:00 a.m.