During the 1849 Gold Rush, more than 700 ships sailed into San Francisco Bay, many abandoned by crews who left them behind for the gold fields. Among them was the General Harrison, a 126-foot-long merchant supply ship that arrived in San Francisco in 1850. Its crew, caught up in Gold Fever, deserted the ship, leaving it to lay idle among others along the waterfront.
As the number of abandoned ships grew, San Francisco entrepreneurs found solutions to overcrowding by subdividing the area and filling in the shoreline. When frequent fires created a shortage of buildings, the General Harrison was given a new purpose as a “storeship” or floating warehouse.
In 1851, however, the ship and its neighbors burned in one of the many fires that reshaped the young city. Once again, San Franciscans adapted, demonstrating the fortitude and ingenuity of the people. The remains were covered with sand and other materials as the shoreline continued to expand.
The story of the General Harrison is, in many ways, a story of San Francisco itself: a city built through reinvention, innovation, problem-solving, and a willingness to find new possibilities in what already exists. When circumstances changed, people adapted. When something was no longer serving its original purpose, they repurposed it. And when obstacles arose, they kept building and moving forward.
175 years later, we gathered for Dinner Diplomacy with the remnants of that ship beneath our feet.
On September 24, 2026, Global Ties San Francisco hosted our Global Social Hour, a Dinner Diplomacy event held at partner hotel Club Quarters in downtown San Francisco. The gathering brought together 31 local community members and our delegation of four AI and strategic technology cooperation professionals from India for conversation, food, and connection.
With support from Global Ties U.S. and Marriott International, the event introduced community members to our diplomacy work and how they can get involved. The evening centered on the act of sharing a meal, with delicious food from San Francisco staple La Méditerranée as the backdrop.
Home Hospitality host Jacki shared her experience welcoming visitors into her home, including a memorable moment when a visitor needed a quiet place to take a work call. She opened the door to a home office that she felt was hardly guest-ready — but by then, everyone had become comfortable enough that it simply did not matter.
Her story captured something essential about Home Hospitality: It is not about presenting a perfect home. It is about opening your door, sharing what you have, and creating space for genuine human connection.
That same spirit carried throughout the evening. Attendees examined how international exchange can strengthen cross-cultural understanding, workforce and business development, and our local economy, while sharing their own experiences of travel and cross-cultural engagement. Their stories highlighted the lasting impact of these experiences: expanding worldviews and curiosity, deepening empathy and human connection, “making the world feel smaller” and more intertwined, and sometimes changing the trajectory of one’s life.
“[I learned] how connected we are as humans and how we can all play a role in our shared adventure on this earth.”
Travel creates opportunities to encounter people, perspectives, and experiences beyond our own, fostering the curiosity, empathy, and human connection that can bridge cultural divides. Through meaningful international engagement, travel can deepen our understanding of our shared humanity and help build the relationships and mutual understanding that are essential to peace.
In a sense, the evening echoed the history beneath our feet. The General Harrison arrived in San Francisco for one purpose, was repurposed when circumstances changed, and ultimately became part of the foundation on which the city continued to build. Nearly two centuries later, we gathered above its remains to create something new in our community through a similar act of adaptation and connection: bringing people together around a table.
Demonstrating local diplomacy in action, we brought the world to the table—and, for one evening, added another chapter to San Francisco’s long story of reinvention, connection, and moving forward.
You can access and download all event photos HERE.