Built in 1956 as the Caravan Lodge and reborn in 1987 as the city’s rock-and-roll inn, the Phoenix has hosted touring musicians from David Bowie to Kurt Cobain around its palm-fringed heated pool. The 44 rooms wrap a midcentury courtyard, and the on-site Chambers bar keeps the after-dark energy going. It sits in the gritty Tenderloin, so it helps to be street-smart walking back at night. Come for the courtyard scene and the story, not for polish.
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601 Eddy St · 44-room 1950s motor lodge · heated courtyard pool and rock-and-roll history