by Dorothy Jordon & David Ferber Ahh, San Francisco — the City by the Bay — a perennial favorite for tourists and locals alike. One can only imagine how pleased we were when our son Russell opted to do his "externship" portion of his culinary education in this fair city. Not only did it require a visit to help him find a living situation quickly, we knew that we would visit him during his tenure working at (the now defunct) Redwood Park restaurant. So, after a quick trip in late November, we all returned in December to help Russell celebrate his 21st birthday. We returned again last summer to spend the anniversary of his fatal car accident — spending the day doing "Russell things" in this city that had captured his heart.
We began our day waiting on line for breakfast at Mamas on Washington Square. (There always seems to be a line here but it's always worth the wait.) Located just around the corner from Russell's apartment in North Beach, it's a local favorite. Next on the agenda was renting bikes and heading over the Golden Gate Bridge. After gearing up at Blazing Saddles — a terrific bike rental shop that can provide every need: child seats, helmets, etc. — we were on our way. San Francisco is very hilly but with a lot of huffing and puffing we made it to the bridge, crossing to the midpoint. Then, we meandered on our bikes through various parts of the city, staying near the edges of the city so as not to encounter too many hills. It was delightful. Our son, Jordon, biked all the way to Sausalito and took the ferry back, meeting up with us to return the bikes.
Then it was time to check out the Ferry Building at the foot of Market Street. Dating to 1898, it was the main transportation hub of the city until the 1950s. Its recent redevelopment encompasses the more than 60,000 sq. ft. Marketplace featuring the Bay Area's finest food purveyors under one roof. An outdoor Farmers Market operates on Tuesday, Thursday, Saturday and Sunday until 2pm, where locals vie with the city's restaurateurs for the finest produce. We weren't there on a Market day but we were impressed with the eclectic collection of shops and restaurants, all of which celebrate food — from artisan cheeses to handmade chocolates and cuisine from the Mediterranean to Thailand. Later in the day we met up with Russell's chef/mentor, George Morrone, who surprised us by taking us to dinner at the new Michael Mina restaurant in the Westin St. Francis Hotel on Union Square. What a wonderful treat — spending time with George and his family while having an unbelievable meal. We were only sorry that George's own new restaurant, Tartare, was not due to open for another week. We did little sightseeing on this trip. On two previous visits however, equipped with CityPasses, we explored this wonderful and interesting city — continually surprised that no matter how many times we've visited, there was always more than we could experience during our stay. Like us, we know you'll leave a part of your heart in San Francisco. FABULOUS FAMILY FARE CityPass San Francisco offers an eclectic collection of activities, and includes the option of entry to either the Legion of Honor or the California Academy of Sciences. More importantly, the Pass covers unlimited transportation for a week on the MUNI bus system and the Cable Cars. We recommend purchasing your passes directly from Blue & Gold Fleet because you can then substitute the Alcatraz Tour for the Bay Cruise. Alcatraz is well worth a visit. Not only do guests explore the infamous prison, once home to Al Capone and the Birdman, Robert Stroud, but this National Park also provides incredible views of the city and the Golden Gate Bridge. On a nice day you can hike the Agave Trail, passing through a bird sanctuary and the parade ground where the guards and their families once lived. Access to the Cell House is via a steep hill. (415-705-5555/ www.blueandgoldfleet.com/) SFMoMA, the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art, located across from the Yerba Buena Center for the Arts, is bright and airy, focusing on art of the 20th and 21st Centuries. Current exhibits include Robert Bechtle: A Retrospective (through 6/5) and Jeremy Blake: Winchester (through 10/10). The former traces the career of the photorealist artist providing "an uncanny reflection of middle-class American culture." The latter was inspired by the Winchester Mystery House and encompasses digital animations of the bizarre experiences of the heiress to the gothic mansion, Sarah Winchester. Both are sure to be of interest to all ages. The museum's family programs are diverse, some focusing on a particluar exhibit, others drop-in workshops for a hands-on art experience. Twice a year the museum hosts Family Day, with activities featured from 11am-4pm. The next date is 6/19. (415-357-4000/ www.sfmoma.org) Without a doubt, our family says, don't dare miss visiting the Exploratorium, one of our nation's first hands-on science museums founded in 1969. This experimental, cavernous museum, located in the Palace of Fine Arts, was designed to spark curiosity — regardless of age or familiarity with science. There are literally hundreds of exhibits begging to be touched, picked up and played with. Not for the faint of heart, reserve a spot at the museum's Tactile Dome (extra fee), a walk through total darkness with touch as your guide. Leave lots of time to visit here as you explore the science of music, visit a microscope imaging station or create a space-age ant farm, just a sampling of the many activities that enchant. Leave time (and money) for the fabulous museum store! (www.exploratorium.edu/415-561-0360/415-561-0362 for Tactile Dome reservations.) The Legion of Honor is one of the city's top art museums, with works of art dating to Medieval times and home to a spectacular collection of French impressionists. Artwear: Fashion and Anti-fashion, an exhibit running 5/14-10/30, will focus on wearable art, starting from the hippie movement to the present — certainly an exhibit that will engage teenagers and baby boomer parents alike! The museum is located in Lincoln Park. (415-863-3330/ www.legionofhonor.org) If this is too much museuming for your group, in lieu of the Legion of Honor, CityPass offers the option of visiting the California Academy of Sciences — a natural history museum, aquarium and planetarium all rolled into one (at its new location at 875 Howard St). At the Natural History Museum: ANTS: Hidden Worlds Revealed highlights six colonies of live ants and their distinctive habits. At the Aquarium: guests come face to face with penguins, wet their hands at the Touch Tidepool and explore a coral reef. The Planetarium is currently closed. Chocolate, The Exhibition, currently on display at the Field Museum in Chicago, is due to arrive here in June (6/11-9/5). (415-750-7145/ www.calacademy.org) We were both pleased and surprised to find that the Asian Art Museum, one of the largest museums in a Western city devoted exclusively to Asian art, is so child-friendly. Its wide array of programs focus on families and kids, with AsiaAlive, a drop-in interactive program offered daily from noon-4pm. Storytelling is offered every weekend and, on the first Tuesday of each month, when the museum is free, a performance or film is offered. The first Saturday of every month features a Family Art Encounter from 1-4pm and Family Festivals are on tap in May and November. (415-581-3500/ 415-581-3666-family programs/ www.asianart.org) There's much more to do and see in San Francisco in addition to the CityPass attractions above. Here are a few other suggestions: If you're traveling with younger kids, cross the Golden Gate Bridge and head for Sausalito's Bay Area Discovery Museum where indoor and outdoor fun await. Open since 1987, and aimed at children ages 10 and under, it quickly outgrew its original space and now occupies nine renovated army buildings at Fort Baker, at the foot of the bridge. (415-339-3900/ www.badm.org) Take a tour of Boudin Bakery at Fisherman's Wharf, where San Francisco's famous Sourdough French bread is made by artisan bakers. (www.boudinbakery.com) Check out the artwork that went into creating Calvin and Hobbes, Snoopy and other comic strips and books at the Cartoon Art Museum on Mission St. Cartooning workshops are offered Saturday afternoons to ages 6-14. (415-227-8666/www.cartoonart.org) Does your child like to clown around? Check out the Summer Circus Day Camp at Circus Center, home to the San Francisco School of Circus Arts, the New Pickle Circus and the San Francisco Youth Circus. Kids aged 7-15 can sign on for a week or more. (415-759-8123/ www.circuscenter.org)
Glide up and down the hills of the city on a Guided Segway Tour with the San Francisco Electric Tour Company. Following a half hour training session, the three-hour tours take in Fisherman's Wharf, Ghirardelli Square, the National Maritime Museum, the Palace of Fine Arts and more. Riders must be 12 years or older and weigh 100 lbs. (415-474-3130/877-474-3130/ www.sfelectrictour.com) For a look at what only doctors and medical students get to see, head up to the Nob Hill Masonic Center to take in its exhibit, The Universe Within: The Human Body Gets Under The Skin. On display through 9/4, there are real preserved human bodies and organs, 200 specimens in all. (415-292-9191/ www.theuniversewithin.org) Yerba Buena Gardens, a green oasis in the heart of the SOMA district, sports several attractions. Sony's Metreon is a huge complex with a mix of restaurants, shopping, theaters and the West Coast's largest IMAX theatre.It also has an incredible array of the latest video and virtual-reality games. (415-369-6000/ www.metreon.com) Also in the area is Zeum, another unique hands-on museum, exploring technology as a creative tool in the arts. It's best for ages 8 and up (415-777-2800/ www.zeum.org) If you always wanted to learn to kayak but never made the time, check out Sea Trek (in nearby Sausalito) by signing on for one of its Take the Kids three-hour trips. Integrating games and other activities geared to kids, this gentle family kayaking adventure offers fun for all ages. (415-488-1000 / www.SeaTrekKayak.com)
Need more? Watch the San Francisco Giants play ball at SBC Ballpark. Even if there is no game on, you can visit the Coca Cola Fan Lot, where fans can enjoy a slide into home plate from inside an 80-foot wooden Coca-Cola bottle. Little Giants Park, a miniature stadium aimed at the 3-7 age group, provide kids the opportunity to hit and pitch and see if they're the Giants of tomorrow. Entrance is free. (415-972-2000/ www.sfgiants.com) And, oh yes, Fisherman's Wharf, Ghiradelli Square, Pier 39, Chinatown, Haight-Ashbury . . . to name a few other areas of San Francisco you'll want to explore.
BEST BEDS Kimpton Hotels operates 12 hotels in San Francisco — but they are not the cookie cutter properties one usually finds in a hotel chain. Rather, in their own words, they are: "a unique collection of lifestyle hotels, created with only one person in mind — our guest." We’ve stayed at two of the properties — the Harbor Court Hotel and The Serrano — and really enjoyed them both. Although the stylish, tastefully colorfully decorated guest rooms are not large in either property, we found them both particularly welcoming, with a gracious helpful staff and a host of amenities — from complimentary tea and coffee in the morning to free wine and fruit each evening. All the hotels have an in-room yoga program with yoga mat, strap and block: Om Away From Home. Each Kimpton Hotel has a very good restaurant attached to it and a top-notch concierge staff. It was hard not to notice and be impressed by the hands-on style of the hotel managers. (www.kimptonhotels.com)
The 131-room Harbor Court Hotel, located near the Financial District, with its oversized serene and welcoming lobby, overlooks San Francisco Bay, and provided us with the best view in the city of the fireworks on New Year's Eve. We were pleasantly surprised to discover that it was eminently accessible to the Fisherman's Wharf area, Union Square and SOMA, using buses, the F Line train and the Cable Cars. Plus, it's just a short walk to SBC Ballpark and the Ferry Building. Weekday mornings the hotel provides free towncar transportation to SOMA and the Financial District. Guests also have complimentary access to the Embarcadero Y, a top-rated facility where there’s an Olympic sized swimming pool, a real plus when traveling with kids. The adjacent Ozumo Sushi Bar and Robata Grill dishes out some terrific Japanese cuisine, including selections even finicky eaters will enjoy. Although the rooms are not large (unless you book the one suite, you will need two rooms), they are quite attractive and are filled with amenities, from flat-screen TVs to complimentary WIFI and plush terry bathrobes. Kids of all ages will appreciate the warm cookies and milk at bedtime. (800-346-0555/415-882-1300/www.harborcourthotel.com)
In July, we opted to stay at the 236-room The Serrano, located in the heart of the theater district, just steps from Union Square and a short walk to the SOMA district. Again, our rooms in the 17-story Spanish revival building were not large but pleasantly decorated. The hotel boasts 19 suites and executive kings, some of which feature "oversized" Jacuzzis and multi-head showers. Other amenities include complimentary high speed internet (and wifi access in the lounge), plush robes, irons and ironing boards, room service from Pan-Asian Ponzu Restaurant, nintendo video games and Aveda bath amenities. We enjoyed a wonderful meal at Ponzu. With its contemporary décor, kids will be enchanted by the three 125-gallon aquariums, stocked with vividly colored tropical fish. We happened to be at the hotel when it hosted the winner of the National Young Game Inventor's Contest, 8-year-old Greata Pfundt. She and her family certainly enjoyed their stay at The Serrano. We think yours will too. (866-289-6561/415-474-4879/www.theserranohotel.com)
Ok, we're biased, but we do believe that anyone who loves fine food must dine at world-class chef George Morrone's latest creation, Tartare. George, whose culinary hot spots have included The Hotel Bel-Air in Los Angeles, Aqua, One Market and The Fifth Floor in San Francisco, will dazzle you with his interpretation of French-California food. It's no wonder he's considered the Bay Area's most exciting chef. (415-434-3100) Morrone's protégé and former partner, Michael Mina, is also cooking up a storm at his restaurant in the Westin St. Francis on Union Square. The contemporary restaurant has been called the "prettiest dining room in the city" and is elegantly decorated in ivory and pale blue with accents of brown, yet is not the least bit intimidating. The prix-fixe three course menu is quite unique, each course featuring three mini-dishes — exceptional. We tried just about every dish on the menu and would be hard-pressed to choose which one was better than the next. A menu with one-dish entrees is also offered and features his famous lobster pot pie. There's an extensive and impressive wine list as well as an eclectic selection of desserts. (415-397-9222) Speaking of desserts, Citizen Cake, calling itself The Pastry Chef's Restaurant, is the handiwork of pastry chef Elizabeth Falkner. Located in the "happening" Hayes Valley neighborhood, diners now have the option of brunch, lunch and dinner in addition to a vast selection of breads and pastries. If you're a chocoholic, don't miss her signature After Midnight chocolate cake. (415-861-2228)
HELPING HANDS The website of the San Francisco Convention and Visitor's Bureau, www.sfvisitor.org, can help you plan a weekend getaway or a weeklong vacation. It even includes a section, Kid City, in its itinerary suggestions. Just about everything you'll want to know about San Francisco with kids can be found at www.gocitykids.com/?area=199. Not quite as user-friendly, but filled with information, is the website of Bay Area Parent magazine, www.sanfrancisco.parenthood.com/. You also might want to check out our article by Lisa Hetler-Smith, which appeared in FTT in Winter 2001.
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