The Seal Rock Inn San Francisco

"Dawn is breaking in San Francisco now: 6:09 a.m. at the Seal Rock Inn. ... Here at the end of Geary Street: that's the end of the line, for buses and everything else, the west edge of America." Immortalized by the words of Hunter S. Thompson, the Seal Rock Inn is located 545 Point Lobos Av in the northwest corner of San Francisco. The hotel is next to the quiet, scenic surrounding of Sutro Heights Park, Sutro Baths ruins and Land’s End, all now a part of the federal Golden Gate National Recreational Area. 

A contact sheet of Alan Rinzler (left) with Thompson in 1973, putting the finishing touches on Thompson’s book “Fear and Loathing: On the Campaign Trail ’72” at the Seal Rock Inn. Photo: Courtesy Alan Rinzler.

Little has changed since its heyday in the 1970s, and it remains an understated hotel with stunning views of the Pacific. I was lucky enough to stay here at the Seal Rock Inn a few years ago ... in 2008 while attending at the Legend of Motorcycles gathering in Half Moon Bay. Sadly, the hotel's independent restaurant was forced to close after being hit by massive rent increases, when they were already struggling with the 2020 pandemic lockdown.

Construction of the lodge and adjoining restaurant began in 1959 in the mid-century modern style but updates to decor and amenities appear to have peaked around 1974 and that's a good thing. Spacious bedrooms with thick green rugs, comfy faux leather futon sofas, floral curtains with (almost) matching bedspreads make the room feel like an inviting apartment that's nice to look at.

Here is the original interior of the dining room when the restaurant opened that year.

“The highway from the airport to the city was one of the ugliest stretches of road I have ever seen in my life. The whole landscape was a desert of hostile black rocks, mile after mile of raw moonscape and ominous low-flying clouds. Captain Steve said we were going through an old lava flow. Far to the right, a thin line of coconut palms marked America's new western frontier, a lonely wall of jagged black lava cliffs overlooking the white-peaked Pacific. We were 2,500 miles west of the Seal Rock Inn, halfway to China, and the first thing I saw on the outskirts was a Texaco station, then a McDonald's burger stand.

- Hunter S. Thompson, The Curse of Lono

And by the way, owned by the same family since its construction, Seal Rock Inn is seeking a innovative restauranteur to lease approximately 2,000 square feet of sunny restaurant space. The restaurant is located on the corner of the property with direct access to the building lobby. It features a dramatic window line overlooking the Pacific Ocean, a full kitchen, and an attractive rent schedule for the right operator.