Mr. Quantum's Christmas...And The City That He Loves

As even the most urbane among us will attest, there’s just something different about San Francisco. It’s romantic, but bawdy. Geographically small, but within a square mile of hilly landscape, you can experience four microclimates, and hear languages from nearly every spot on the globe. It’s part of the old west, but at the forefront of technology. It’s been the epicenter for gold miners, hippies, techies, debutantes, and those with new money, old money, and no money. Once you fall in love with San Francisco, there’s just no going back, you are part of her story. And that is why she was part of mine.

In my novel, The Heart of Henry Quantum, San Francisco was not just a bland could-be-anywhere backdrop for Henry’s walk to buy his wife a Christmas present. San Francisco was a major character, actively participating in the story with Henry, Margaret and Daisy. The city challenges them, teases them, alters their courses, and messes with their minds.

If you haven’t been to the spectacular City by the Bay, do not despair, you will get there someday, and here I’ve included a peek at Henry’s beloved city through his eyes. And if you know San Francisco well, you just might enjoy seeing these familiar spots. And as a holiday bonus… I’ve thrown in a few holiday experiences unique to the city that you will love! 

Haven't read the book yet? Pick it up here... http://www.pepperharding.com/take-action/

Henry starts his work day in North Beach...

He starts his walk to Macy’s…

Chinatown...

Considers stopping for tea but moves on…

Past Cafe de la Presse...

He contemplates change in front of the Taj Campton Hotel…

His encounter with Daisy have him lurking ever closer to Union Square, his original destination…

And finally en route to Union Square….

What were your favorite locations?

Mr. Quantum’s Christmas (in San Francisco)

A gift certificate for a romantic overnight stay at the Mountain Home Inn, or at least a brunch.

The book, 111 Places in San Francisco That You Must Not Miss, by Floriana Petersen - and a date to go to at least 11 of them.

A date to go to SFMOMA and reserve a docent tour. Then pick up the Golden Gate Bridge Model Kit to make together. Don't forget to buy Elmer's Glue.

A romantic lunch or dinner at Café Claude and sit at Henry and Daisy's special table. Or maybe even book for New Year's Eve.

Celebrate the holidays by going Ice skating at Union Square, followed by coffee and biscotti at the café on the Square.

For the Henry Quantum think-alike, the Solar System Mobile

So, You've Found Yourself in the Last Minute

Hi.  My character Henry Quantum, star of THE HEART OF HENRY QUANTUM, waited till the very last minute to buy his wife a Christmas gift – and all he could think of was perfume.  Now, he did come up with a good one, but he was aware it was a rather perfunctory gift.  Happily there are a lot more last minute options to save your butt this Christmas.  Here are just a few:

For her:

Chanel No.5 was Henry’s choice, and, let’s face it, it is the gold standard.  But if your partner is younger than 40,  you might try the new No. 5 L’Eau – it’s lighter and more modern, very bright and youthful, and I think quite charming.  Of course when it comes to perfume, most women have a particular scent that defines them.  My advice: check her dressing table (or bathroom counter) and see what’s almost empty.  Then buy it.  And don’t cheap out with eau de toilette.  Get real perfume or eau de parfum if she prefers a lighter spray.  

Anything from Tiffany & Co.  The only thing that matters is the little blue box.  Because if she hates what you buy, she can always exchange it.  Just remember: gold is better than silver and jewels are better than plain gold, but if you include a love poem you’ve written yourself, you can put cubic zirconia in there and she’ll swoon.

You might be tempted to think, “Last minute gift? Chocolates!”  No!  A thousand times no! But going to Switzerland to visit the Maison Cailler chocolate factory in the little hamlet of Broc?  Stellar!  In fact, you can take a full Chocolate Tour of Switzerland including truffle hunting, Michelin-starred restaurants, and a sunset cruise if you check out www.alpenwild.com  As a last minute gift, just write up a fake “ticket” with all the details – airline, hotel, how long a stay, etc.  If you’re lucky, she’ll forget about it in a few weeks.  If not, take her to bloody Switzerland.  (Don’t want to do the tour?  The Ritz Carlton in Geneva is quite nice! Or for super romantic, try the Park Hotel on the lake in Vitznau).

Also, do NOT buy her candles, even though she loves candles.  Girlfriends by her candles.  You have to buy her a weekend at Canyon Ranch Resort.  Trust me, they will supply all the candles she needs.  www.canyonranchdestinations.com

A puppy.  Yes, a puppy.  A cute adorable, hopefully housebroken puppy (in fact, possibly full-grown barker) which you’ve fallen in love with at the animal shelter.  This way she will remember you long after she’s broken up with you, which conceivably could happen that very night – unless of course, the puppy comes with you attached – forever.

For him:

Okay this one is a breeze. It’s expensive, but worth every penny if you want your guy to know you deeply understand him.  Just go to your local liquor emporium (believe me, it’s open on Christmas Eve day) and say to the clerk, “I would like to buy four single malt scotches.” He will be very happy with you.  Include the following: McCallum, Oban, Highland Park, and one more that no one has ever heard and has a totally unpronounceable name.  (This is very important as there is a correlation between indecipherable and his pleasure). Put it all in a box on which you write the words SCOTCH FLIGHT and be sure to include two tumblers, one for him, and one – yes – for you – thus proving you are much more woman than he bargained for.

A really, really, really expensive watch.  Ladies, this is what every man wants even though he doesn’t know it.  It will make him feel he’s finally arrived, even if he’s only half-way there.  So, if you’ve got five to ten grand to blow, look for brands like Cartier, Jaeger, Ebel, Baume & Mercier –  actually you can even get a lower end but fabulous Rolex for about 12K.  But if you really want to impress, up your budget to 25 to 50K for an Oyster or a Patek Philippe.  But no matter how much you spend one thing is for sure: every time he looks at his wrist, he’ll see your faith in him reflected there.

A week away from you.  No, don’t be insulted.  We’re just talking boy time.  Send him (and a pal, if you can get someone else in on this) for a canoe trip deep into the heart of the Amazon rainforest.  He can join a small group of 4 to 8 other hearty souls by signing up at www.untamedpath.com or www.amazonadventures.com – there are lots of other options on line as well.  Let him wander through uncharted jungle, fish for man-eating piranha, and get bitten to death by bugs as big as house cats, while you hang out around the fireplace with all your girlfriends!  Good for you, good for him, and very good for the relationship!

.Okay, this one could be for either of you, but let’s put it here because I can’t think of anything else.  It’s about golf.  We all know you can’t buy a real golfer a golf club (unless he’s described EXACTLY what he wants and has tried it out twenty times himself at the golf shop).  But you can buy a gift certificate for the golf club of his or her choice.  Safer, however, and easier, is a gift certificate to the play on the course of his dreams (Pebble Beach, anyone?).  Just go to www.playgolf.com   The card is digital so it’s perfect for last-minute, and you can redeem it at over 5000 courses.  Easy peasy.  

For the friend, family member or neighbor who didn’t vote the way you wanted him or her to:  A copy of the Constitution – just might come in handy these days. www.amazon.com

Or you can forget all of that, and pick up a copy of The Heart of Henry Quantum for everybody on your list...perfect for the man, the woman, the reader, the romantic, the comedian, the intellectual, the philosopher, the San Franciscan, and the scientist in your life. www.pepperharding.com/take-action/

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No. 5: Just A Few Drops

In 1952, LIFE Magazine asked then-26-year-old Marilyn Monroe, “What do you wear to bed?” Her famous answer: “Just a few drops of No. 5.”

In a Chanel marketing film recently released, you can hear Marilyn in an interview laughing and saying she wanted to tell the truth but couldn't use the word “nude.” I think her phrasing choice was actually a risqué and clever improvement over a straightforward answer, and I love her for it.

In my novel The Heart of Henry Quantum, the plot is centered around hero Henry’s plight(s) as he desperately journeys through the streets of San Francisco with a mission of purchasing his wife a bottle of the iconic Chanel No. 5 for Christmas.

Why is Henry searching for Chanel No. 5? Why not, say, White Diamonds by Elizabeth Taylor? Eternity by Calvin Klein? Well, first off, you can buy White Diamonds at WalMart, no offense to Walmart shoppers. And Eternity only has 241 “likes” on Facebook, while Chanel No. 5 has 77,115 last time I looked (OK, just about 5 minutes ago).

How would you describe the intoxicating, earthy pull of Chanel No. 5? My friends who claim it as their scent are die-hards, in for the long haul. If you wear Chanel No. 5, you wear Chanel No. 5. That’s it. No testing around, no checking out the latest Dolce & Gabbana sample. They just absolutely have fully internalized a deep love of the scent itself. And maybe have fallen a little head over heels for decades and decades of ingenious marketing.

For me, the allure is all in the bottle. Literally, the bottle design itself intrigues me. So solid, square-ish, clear glass, no fluff. I once read that Mademoiselle Chanel designed it to look like her lover’s whiskey flask. That idea appeals to me; it does look like you could easily keep it the inside pocket of your evening jacket. Although you’d only want to consume its contents by “drinking in” the musk of a woman enveloped in your arms. Or a man, I suppose … anyone is capable of picking up the little glass container filled with history, mystery and cultural weight and pressing down on the atomizer.

The history beguiles me, as well. I mean, how many perfumes were created to fight for women’s rights? Maybe a slight exaggeration … maybe not.  According to the Wikpedia entry on Chanel No. 5, “Traditionally, fragrance worn by women had adhered to two basic categories: respectable women favored the pure essence of a single garden flower, and sexually provocative perfumes heavy with animal musk or jasmine were associated with women of the demi-monde, prostitutes or courtesans. Chanel felt the time was right for the debut of a scent that would epitomize the flapper and would speak to the liberated spirit of the 1920s.”

Besides Miss Marilyn and the mesmerizing Coco Chanel herself, this iconic perfume has romanced celebrities and the wealthy for a long time. Ann Woodward’s favorite scent was Chanel No. 5.

If you’ve never heard of this socialite – accused of murdering her husband in 1955 by one of my favorite authors Truman Capote in his story Answered Prayers – then I suggest you Google her name for a nice, creepy tale of upward mobility and murder. And a nice, iconic whiff of Chanel No. 5.