While reading Bill Yenne's great book "San Francisco: Then and Now" I saw a picture of a block of Pacific St by Kearny called "International Settlement". You may know it, with the sign that said "International Settlement" a la the "Biggest little city in the world" sign in Reno. There were nightclubs and diners. One nightclub that I saw was entitled "Arabian Nights". It seems to have vanished without a trace. Was it part of the Barbary Coast? Why name something which was neither international nor a settlement with a name like that? Please respond quickly. Thank you.

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Good night and have a pleasant tomorrow.

-- Sean M. Hall (TheSanFranciscoFanclub@groups.msn.com), November 16, 2002

Answers

There was the "International Hotel" on Kearney that was occupied by mostly Phillipinos. The occupants were evicted and the building was razed to the ground with much hullabaloo.

-- Bill Williams (oceans1129@yahoo.com), November 16, 2002.

Enjoy!

-- Piano Man (seanmhall14@hotmail.com), January 19, 2003.

Hello, In regard to the Internatioanl Settle on Pacific St. in San Francisco, rent the movie video of "Pal Joey" starring Frank Sinatra, Rita Hayworth and Kim Novack at the very opening of the movie (approx. 3 or 4 minutes into it), you will see the sign over Pacific Street that reads INTERNATIONAL SETTLEMENT,and there were night clubs on both side of the street Moulin Rouge, Bela Pacific, Sahara, Gay N' Frisky. Arabian Nights, Spider Kelly's, Barbaray Coast, Goman's Gay 90's, etc. etc. In the movie Frank Sinatra ends up getting a job at the Barbary Coast club it was right next to Goman's Gay 90's. Many of the scenes were filled there, it is a enjoyable film and very entertaining. Pal Joey was released in December of 1957. Chris

-- Chris Crist (cccrist@aol.com), March 09, 2004.

-- strange (stranger@yahoo.com), March 09, 2004.

1956

-- strange (stranger@yahoo.com), March 09, 2004.