Editors, designers, social mavens, restauranteurs, and a host of San Francisco's finest gathered at the penthouse at The Battery to celebrate the launch of 7x7's October Hot 20 Issue and the multitude of Bay Area trailblazers honored within its pages. Every year, 7x7 editors highlight top Bay Area movers and shakers in the October Hot 20 issue, selecting 20 of the most influential innovators in tech, food, style, the arts, and design. 2014 honorees in attendance included Gary Friedman of Restoration Hardware, Kevin Sessums of FourTwoNine, Matt Semmelhack and Mark Liberman of Mercer Restaurant Group (AQ, TBD), Erich Pearson of Sparc, Nate Levine and Zac Bookman of OpenGov, and Josh Tetrick of Hampton Creek (find them all here).
No location could have been more apt than the penthouse at The Battery, a groundbreaking San Francisco institution that's been making significant cultural waves since its inception last summer. With sprawling views of the Bay Lights and the iconic Transamerica Building, the penthouse set the scene for an unforgettable evening. Both the indoor and outdoor spaces on the penthouse were flush with activities, from scotch tastings at the Balvenie bar cart to Ploom's loose-leaf vaporizer experience.
Guests sipped custom-mixed cocktails featuring Balvenie 12-Year-Old Doublewood, Milagro Tequila Silver, Hendrick's Gin, and Reyka Vodka. Illy was onsite with their custom espresso bar, offering guests drinks made by their master barista Giorgio Milos or fresh cold brewed ice coffee. Attendees on the terrace flocked to the hot espresso, but the night remained mild. Even SF's ever-present fog remained at bay until the conclusion of the evening, somehow sensing that it had no place in the shimmering evening.
Photography by Drew Altizer.
