'Weeper's Corner' a window into military history at Top of the Mark lounge in San Francisco
SAN FRANCISCO -- With the start of Fleet Week in San Francisco, on Nob Hill there is a reminder of some important Bay Area history: a window packed with history, memories, and buckets of tears.
At the landmark Intercontinental Mark Hopkins Hotel, I met with Director of Food and Beverage Phil Amidon at the hotel's famed "Top of the Mark" lounge who steered me over to a corner window with a spectacular view:
He then launched into a remarkable story.
"So anytime that the military would get ready to ship out, they would come here - the wives and the girlfriends - and they would stand in this corner called "Weepers' Corner and they would watch as they shipped out," explained Amidon.
READ MORE: Fleet Week San Francisco 2022
There was a dress code, so they all wore hats and gloves. Once positioned at the corner window, many a tear was shed.
"Of course, there would be some weeping. There would be some tissues .. a very emotional time," said Amidon. "But then it was also a celebration when they would come home and there would be a celebration over at the bar with the active military and their wives."
The view stretches from Alcatraz to Fort Mason and the Golden Gate Bridge. Fort Mason was an important part of the San Francisco Port of Embarkation. During the Second World War, more than 1.6 million soldiers and sailors took the trip under the bridge and out to the Pacific and into danger.