Hotel Adrien is a haven from chaos in a gritty part of San Francisco. Its cheap rooms -- perched above a liquor store, across the street from another liquor store -- provide a diverse clientele with basic shelter for the night.
For my purposes, the location was very convenient. Sutter Hospital and Clinic are about 10 minutes away walk, the Asian open-air market is an easy five minutes. Good and excellent restaurants are everywhere.
My sister picked me up at the SF airport around midnight and when we got there, we were apprehensive because homeless people live on the nesrby sidewalks. I had to call several different numbers before my call was answered by a south-Asian man who described where the entrance was located and promptly buzzed me in.
My room was next to the corner office, had a combination lock, a garish cealing light, a comfortable single bed with clean sheets, desk, chair, night stand, a small closet, and a sink. Two cracked and dirty windows had dark curtains that effectively blocked out the street lighting. The TV offered a few clear channels with good movies and other programs. Toilet and shower facilities were just down the hallway. Two towels were provided at check-in.
This room was loud. Guests and potential customers streamed in and out all hours of the day and night. I could write a pretty good book based on the overheard conversations outside my doorway and in the intersecting streets below. I slept well through most of it.
