Google Maps markers to show where celebs like to do business

Connected: Mayor Gavin Newsom praised Favorite Places on Wednesday as “a way to promote small business and a way for small businesses to promote themselves.” (Cindy Chew/The Examiner)

For six years, Reem Nasra’s sandwiches have fed countless high-powered attorneys, esteemed judges and irritable jurors. The wraps at Nasra’s Mint Cafe in the basement of the Civic Center courthouse are also a staple of Mayor Gavin Newsom’s diet.

So, when Google asked some “experts and trendsetters” to chime in on their favorite places across the globe, Newsom naturally chose the tiny cafe as one of a handful of places he frequents.

Google unveiled the new project, called Favorite Places, at City Hall on Wednesday. It’s a collection of Google Maps custom-designed by “luminaries from around the world” to highlight their favorite places in their respective cities.

The idea is to draw attention to local businesses in the area by placing bright, physical versions of the Google Maps pin in front of merchants. The online version corresponds to those businesses across San Francisco and the world. 

The inverted teardrops showing up around town also serve as a reminder to small businesses that if you do not provide information online, your shop is practically invisible to potential customers, the majority of whom research local businesses online.

“This is a new idea, a way to promote small business and a way for small businesses to promote themselves,” Newsom said.

Nasra, who has been doing business in The City for 15 years, does not have a Web site and does not market online. Now, that has changed.

“If anything, this tells me that you need to embrace technology and go with it,” she said.

So where else does Newsom frequent? He buys his green tea at La Boulange de Polk and introduces prospective college students to San Francisco State University.

Chez Panisse chef Alice Waters thinks the best sushi in San Francisco is at the tiny restaurant Sebo. Party maestro Stanlee Gatti likes the “pure tobacco patina” on the walls of Tosca Cafe. And Nate Query, bassist for the Decemberists, likes to hang out at the Make-Out Room for a drink.

Adventurer David de Rothschild was at the launch of the Google initiative. One of his favorite places is Norilsk, Russia, a tiny northern town he was stuck in for five days on his way to the North Pole.

“I just chose places that were kind of special to me, ones that told a story,” he said.

bbegin@sfexaminer.com