Models from Ripley’s Believe It Or Not! at Hyatt Regency San Francisco

By Emma Krasov, photography by Yuri Krasov

Alive and well at Hyatt Regency San Francisco, “Hyatt Culture Club” entered this year’s second quarter with a thematic exhibition dedicated to the city’s rich history.

Coming from Ripley’s Believe It Or Not! and fittingly displayed at the hotel’s Guinness Book of World Records’ 42,000 square feet atrium lobby, a matchstick cable car and a toothpick Golden Gate Bridge are now the toast of the town.

The Golden Gate Bridge, firmly associated with San Francisco by world- and arm-chair travelers alike, celebrates its 75th birthday this year.

For the occasion, the famous bridge’s model, made of 30,000 toothpicks and glue, traveled to the hotel lobby to greet the city visitors.

Steven J. Backman, who built the 13’x4”x16 ½” model, was present at the launch of the exhibition and spoke about his labor of love and the amazing life-like construction. Photographed with all its miniature lights along the railings, the artifact looks like an image of the real bridge, if taken from an airplane.

Originally created for the 50th anniversary of the historic landmark, twenty-five years later, the Golden Gate Bridge model is as awe-inspiring and beautiful to behold as its gorgeous prototype.   

To celebrate the second quarter of “Hyatt Culture Club,” the hotel threw a lavish party featuring the best of the local cuisine – fresh seafood, Chinatown-style dumplings, and locally produced chocolates.

A matchbook model of San Francisco’s iconic cable car and wire sculptures of two of the City’s most prominent musicians – Jerry Garcia of the Grateful Dead and Carlos Santana complete the current Culture Club exhibition.

The matchstick cable car was created out of 270,836 matchsticks, 21 pints of glue and 940 work hours by Reg Pollard (Manchester, England) and presents an eight-foot long authentically detailed 1/3 scale model complete with moving parts.

Wired for Sound: Jerry Garcia and Carlos Santana display was authored by an Australian sculptor Ivan Lovatt who used chicken wire for his many sculptures of rock musicians.

The exhibition will be on display at the Hyatt Regency lobby through June 30.

Ripley’s Believe It or Not! San Francisco Odditorium and Mirror Maze is located at 175 Jefferson Street at the Fisherman’s Wharf. More information at: www.ripleys.com

Past “Hyatt Culture Club” partners include:

Beach Blanket Babylon - www.beachblanketbabylon.com

Cable Cars – www.sfmta.com

Ghirardelli Chocolates – http://www.ghirardelli.com/   

Jelly Belly Candy Company – www.jellybelly.com

the ExplOratorium – www.exploratorium.org

San Francisco Symphony – www.sfsymphony.org

Monterey Bay Aquarium - www.montereybayaquarium.org

Napa Valley Wine Train – www.winetrain.com  

In the third quarter of 2012, The ExplOratorium will revisit the hotel with a three month interactive display of some of the museum’s most popular innovations.

In the fourth quarter, Over-the-top snow village display will be in the grand atrium lobby with snow falling three times a day.