Ceremony
Saturday, July twenty-fifth at 2:00pm
The Cathedral of Saint Mary of the Assumption
1111 Gough Street at Geary Boulevard
San Francisco, California 94109
415.567.2020
Map
The Cathedral of Saint Mary of the Assumption is located in the Cathedral Hill neighborhood at the intersection of Gough Street and Geary Boulevard. There is ample parking at the cathedral and it is also readily accessible by public transportation via the Geary 38 bus.The cathedral's striking design flows from the geometric principle of the hyperbolic paraboloid, in which the structure curves upward in graceful lines from the four comers meeting in a cross. The cathedral soars to 190 feet high and is crowned with a 55 foot golden cross.
Four corner pylons, each one designed to withstand ten million pounds of pressure, support the cupola, which rises 19 stories above the floor. The pylons measure just 24 feet in circumference at their narrowest point and extend 90 feet down into bedrock. The inner surface of the cupola is made up of 1680 pre-cast triangular coffers of 128 different sizes, designed to distribute the weight of the cupola. At each comer of the cathedral, vast windows look out upon spectacular views of San Francisco, the City of Saint Francis of Assisi. The cathedral's red brick floor recalls early Mission architecture, and the rich heritage of the local church.
Above the altar is a kinetic sculpture by Richard Lippold. Alive with reflected light, the 14 tiers of triangular aluminum rods symbolize the channel of love and grace from God to His people, and their prayers and praise rising to him. The sculpture, suspended by gold wires, is 15 stories high and weighs one ton.
Replacing the previous St. Mary's Cathedral which was destoyed by fire in 1962, plans soon took a dramatic turn as a result of a controversy ignited by an article written by architectural critic Allen Temko, who advocated a move beyond traditional architectural concepts to create a bold, new cathedral that would reflect San Francisco's status as a major international urban center and to incorporate the new liturgical directives promulgated by the Second Vatican Council. To build a cathedral which would reflect the soul of San Francisco, Archbishop McGucken added two internationally known architects to his team, Italian-born Pietro Belluschi, Dean of the School of Architecture of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, who was placed in charge of designs, and Pier-Luigi Nervi, an engineering genius from Rome, who took over structural concerns.
Ground was broken in August 1965 and Apostolic Delegate Luigi Raimondi blessed the cornerstone on December 13, 1967. The building was completed in 1970. The new cathedral was formally blessed on May 5,1971, again with Cardinal Raimondi presiding, and ceremonies completing its dedication took place on October 5, 1996 with Archbishop William J. Levada presiding.
Reception
Saturday, July twenty-fifth at 5:30 pm
Town Hall
342 Howard Street at Fremont Street
San Francisco, California 94105
415.908.3900
MapTown Hall Restaurant is located in the SoMA (South of Market) neighborhood at the intersection of Howard and Fremont Streets. There are several parking lots close to the restaurant and metered street parking on Saturday is free after six o’clock p.m. The Geary 38 bus stops a few blocks away at the Transbay Terminal.
Accommodations
Courtyard Marriott Downtown San Francisco
299 Second Street near Folsom Street
San Francisco, California 94105
415.947.0700
800.321.2211
MapRooms have been reserved at a special rate at the Courtyard by Marriott San Francisco Downtown. Please make your reservations prior to June 24, 2009 and reference group code "wswwswa" for a standard king room and "wswwswb" for a standard queen double. The Marriott is a ten minute walk from Town Hall.
The Westin San Francisco Market Street
50 Third Street near Market Street
San Francisco, CA 94103
415.974.6400
888.627.8561
MapThere are numerous options for places to stay and we also recommend the Westin. The Westin is a 15 minute walk from Town Hall. If you seek out alternate accommodations, please keep in mind that the San Francisco Marathon will be held on Sunday, July 26 and the Embarcadero area will be busy. It is also advised to avoid the Civic Center and Theater District areas.
Contact Us
Transportation
Airlines
We often fly Jet Blue from JFK to San Francisco (SFO) or Oakland (OAK). SFO offers connection to downtown San Francisco via BART train. OAK often has better deals on flights and rental cars, has more flights from JFK, but requires a bus connection to BART.
Around San Francisco
The Cathedral is accessible via public transportation or taxi from near the Marriott and the Westin. However, if you would like to have more flexibility, explore the Bay Area, or if you want to try your Bullit or What's up Doc driving skills, you may consider renting a car. We often rent at the airport from Dollar. Be warned that parking in San Francisco is like any other city and can be challenging and pricey.
Registry
Gifts can be made to the Susan G. Komen for the Cure charity in memorial of Mariko Watanabe
Heath Ceramics - tableware
Sur la Table - kitchen equipment
Amazon.com - housewares and glassware
Things to do in San Francisco
View larger map and address listingSoMA
Check out the angles on the new Contemporary Jewish Museum of San Francisco at 736 Mission Street by architect Daniel Libeskind. Stroll over to Union Square for shopping and people watching. Xanadu Gallery is the closest building by Frank Lloyd Wright near Union Square at 140 Maiden Lane. The cable car turn-around at Powell Street and Market Street is good for a spin or two.
The Ferry Building Marketplace at the eastern end of Market Street on the Embarcadero contains gourmet shops everyday and hosts a farmers market on Tuesdays and Saturdays until 2:00pm. The San Francisco Marathon kicks off in multiples waves between 5:30 and 8:30am on Sunday, 07.26.09 at the Embarcadero at Mission Street and traces a route around the perimeter of the city, ending where it started.
Cathedral Hill
Japantown is a few blocks west of St. Mary's and, per the web site "It’s like visiting Japan without the hassle and expense of a long trip across the Pacific". We're not sure about that, but it does feature the Watanabe favorite Mifune for noodles and lots of other stores.
Golden Gate Park
On your way to Golden Gate Park, you can check out the hippies in Haight Ashbury and Amoeba Music. Aside from the hippies in the park, two museums stand out. The deYoung Museum was designed by Swiss architects Herzog and de Meuron, with landscaping by Sandy's professor, Walter Hood, and houses a collection of fine art. If you don't have time for the whole museum, you can appreciate the perforated wall panels and access the tower for free. Just across the court is the Renzo Piano designed California Academy of Sciences which opened in 2008 and contains interactive exhibits about the natural world. If you haven't seen the Pacific, it may be worth dipping your toes in the surprisingly chilly water all the way at the western end.
North
For Michael's first trip out west, his friend Graham recommended Coit Tower at 1 Telegraph Hill, near Lombard Street and Kearny Street, for a view around the city and the Cable Car Museum at Mason Street and Washington Street to see the big machines that power San Francisco's landmark mode of transportation. Very popular tourist destinations include the barking seals at Pier 39, Fisherman's Wharf, Ghirardelli Square for chocolates, and the zigzagging hill of Lombard Street at Hyde Street. Or head two blocks south, away from the tourists, to Filbert Street, for the city's steepest street with a grade of 31.5%.
We appreciated the brutalist stylings of the San Francisco Art Institute at 800 Chestnut Street, near Jones Street, and the hard working people in the The Diego Rivera Mural, just off of the peaceful entrance court. You can walk across the landmark Golden Gate Bridge, just save your legs for the walk back or investigate transportation options for the trip back.
Chinatown
We love New York's sprawling Chinatown for five-for-a-dollar dumplings, fresh produce and fish, and high commercial density. So we also like to visit other city's Chinatowns and San Francisco's is North America's oldest and largest, offering great produce markets, interesting grocery stores, and bakeries with tasty pork buns, if you need a quick pick-me-up. The Chinatown Gate at Grant Avenue and Bush Street is a main tourist attraction, while Stockton Street near Clay Street offers a more genuine shopping experience.
Burritos
In New York we have pizza. In San Francisco they have burritos. In New York we are severely burrito deprived - they're just ok, not as big as your arm, and they're not super cheap. In San Francisco, they're great, giant, and around $4! Our friends Graham and Tatyana recommend El Farolito at 2779 Mission St near 24th Street.
Things to do in the Bay Area
View larger map and address listingBerkeley and East
Take the BART transbay tube to Sandy's old stomping ground of UC Berkeley. After checking out the campus, head to Cafe Mattina (formally Cafe Intermezzo) at 2442 Telegraph Avenue near Haste Street for crazy big salads and sandwiches, the Cheese Board Collective at 1504 Shattuck Avenue near Vine Street for a scone, or the famous Chez Panisse at 1517 Shattuck Avenue for the place that started the local food craze (be sure to make reservations at Chez Panisse). To work off the snacks, the gallery-like atmosphere of Jitensha Studio at 2250 Bancroft Way near Else Street might convince you that you should purchase one of their elegant bikes.
Shops to check out in south Berkeley include Builders Booksource to get your fill of design books and study up on the latest IBC, or window shop at the other boutiques along 4th Street near Hearst Avenue.
Further east, near Walnut Creek is Rivendell Bicycle Works which distributes beautiful, sensible bicycles and accessories out of it's no-frills warehouse. If you ask nicely before you arrive, catch them on a good day, and maybe buy them lunch, they are more than willing to let you borrow a bike to ride up Mt. Diablo. Don't let the 15 mile distance fool you - the 3000ft climb and no tree cover earn the mountain it's name.
Napa and Sonoma
Napa offers endless wineries along Highway 29, but we encourage you to get off the main drag and visit Frog's Leap at 8815 Conn Creek Road for its great gardens. Reserve a tour ahead of time or walk through the gardens on your own. We had a great lunch at the Rutherford Grill, nearby at the intersection of Rutherford Road and Highway 29. We also enjoyed sampling the bewildering selection of olive oils at St Helena Olive Oil Company, across the street.
While up north, you can swing by the Watanabe's Sebastopol farmstead for some fresh persimmons and ume or stop in Occidental for a plate of pasta at the Union Hotel.
Marin
While in Marin, the you can tour the Frank Lloyd Wright designed Marin County Civic Center on Wednesday mornings and enjoy the retro-futurism that drew in George Lucas for THX 1138 and Andrew Niccol for Gattaca. If you haven't seen redwoods, the closet and most accessible are in Muir Woods (Ewok Forest like) just 11 miles north of the Golden Gate Bridge. The tallest tree is 258 feet tall and about 1200 years old! Nearby Mount Tamalpais offers challenging biking and hiking, and was were mountain biking started over thirty years ago.
While in Sausalito on a Saturday or Sunday morning, take a factory tour of Heath Ceramics or take a look at their tile and tableware any day. The San Francisco Bay Model Visitor Center features a 1:5 working hydraulic model of the bay system.
About a two hour drive north, over the Golden Gate Bridge, and along coastal Route 1, is the picturesque waterfront of Bodega Bay, just watch our for the birds.
Yosemite
About a four hour drive east through strawberry and almond farms is Yosemite National Park where we were engaged on June 5, 2008 while over looking Illouette Falls along the Panorama trail from Glacier Pint to the valley floor. We highly recommend Yosemite for the high concentration of waterfalls, steep mountains, and amazing scenery. We also highly recommend you book your trip early if you plan to stay in the valley. However, we did nab a quiet camp site in Dry Gulch, about a 40 minute drive from the valley when we were there.
Monterey
About a two hour drive south of San Francisco is Monterey, offering shopping along Alvarado Street and walks in the Monterey State Historic Park. Call ahead to find out when feeding time is at the Monterey Bay Aquarium, but watch out for all the tourists on Cannery Row.
updated 07.04.09