I'm going to finish it one of these days.......
Anyway, by far one of of the most fun gigs Ash had last year was being the magician in residence for this remarkable restaurant which occupies the top floor of the Mark Hopkins hotel atop Nob Hill. The staff and I designed a new kind of show in which patrons would come onto the stage, and sit in front of the table for a 20 minute show of close-up magic with cards, coins, and everyday objects. By doing it this way, patrons got a quality experience, and as is always the goal, both the parents and the kids had a ball.
I also found some great give-aways for this Magical Holiday Tea program, and every kid went home with a really good quality collection of magic tricks. Hopefully, the amount of pleasure it generated outweighed the amount of pieces stuck in the vacuum cleaners of patrons after a day of play.
For Ash, he always began his day with the steep hike up Nob Hill in his tux, carrying his microphone system and case of magic equipment. He told me his favorite part was getting to have a cookie or two (or in his case, three), as management was quite generous with their pastries. I got to try them too, and think that the chefs there make the best holiday pastries I've had.
In San Francisco, that's a high standard! The goal was a magic show as intimate and extraordinary as the venue, and I think we succeeded.
