washington national cathedral gift shop U.S. (2 4 w eeks abr oad), and many include air fare, accommodations in university dormitories or mo

100 touches that make this a definite cut above the usual, utilitarian Best Western. Better yet, rooms come with two queen-siz e beds, as opposed to the cramped double-double configurations more common in the moderately priced hotels downtown. Four sets of rooms interconnect; two of these connect a room with a king-size bed with a room that has two queen-size beds. Depending on your kids interests, the most attractive option of all may be of the gaming suites, which contain the latest S ony PlayStation, Wii, bean bag chairs, and a 6-foot LCD projection screen. If your kids are teens, let them play a couple rounds of video games while y ou shop for lo vely Japanese ceramics or a ne w kimono around the corner in the Japantown shops. Some rooms on higher floors have neighborhood views.

U.S. (2 4 w eeks abr oad), and many include air fare, accommodations in university dormitories or modest inns, meals, and tuition. Members of AARP (formerly kno wn as the American Association of R etired

Har gau: Shrimp dumplings encased in a transluc ent wrapper and st eamed Siu mai: Rec tangles of pork and shrimp washington national cathedral gift shop in a sheer noodle wrapper Gau choi gau: Chives, alone or with shrimp or scallops Jun jui k au: R ice pearl balls with seasoned g round pork and ric e Law mai gai: Stick y ric e with bits of meat and mushr ooms wrapped in a lotus leaf Char siu bau: Steamed pork buns bits of barbecued meat in a dough y roll Guk char siu ban: Baked pork buns bits of barbecued meat in a glaz ed roll Chun guen: Spring r olls smaller, less cr owded v ersions of egg r olls Gau ji: Pot stickers a thick , cr escent-shaped dough filled with g round pork cuisine, y ou can do no better than p. 135. F or inexpensiv e Mexican food Antica Trattoria (2400 Polk St.; &415/ with a vie w, y ou could do no better 928-5797). See p. 140. Best Fish: At Great Eastern (649 Jackson St.; &415/986-2500) your dinner gets plucked fr om the fish tanks in the than Mijita (O ne Ferry Building, No. 44; &415/399-0814; p. 161), created by one of SF s most renowned chefs. See p. 125. F or a humble but terrific bur- back of the dining r oom, so ther e s no question the fish is fr esh. S ee p. 118. The longtime favorite of city hall mo vers and shakers, Hayes S treet G rill (320 Hayes St.; &415/863-5545) uses the Bay Area s finest pur veyors of fish, rito, head do wn to the M ission to La Corneta Taqueria (2731 M ission S t.; &415/643-7001). See p. 147. Best Ice Cream: And the winner is. Mitchell s (688 San Jose Ave.; & 415/ 648-2300) for cr eamy, luscious ice meat, and produce and puts out bright, simple plates of r ecognizable food. S ee creams in flav ors both ex otic (bab y coconut, sw eet corn) and comfor ting p. 132. Best Mexican: Mamacita washington national cathedral gift shop (2317 Chestnut S t.; & 415/346-8494) ser ves ultra-fresh, flavorful Mexican specialties and makes an ex cellent guacamole. See (Mexican chocolate, vanilla). See p. 147. Best Afternoon Tea: Treat the kids to a special child-friendly tea menu at the Fairmont H otel s Laur el Cour t (950 Mason S t.; & 415/772-5259). S ee