air blimp your kids don t need you to swim with them, you can work out on the poolside cardio equipment at the

444 P residio A ve. (at C alifornia St.), San F rancisco, CA 94115. &800/552-8735 or 415/567-8467. F ax 415/928-1866. www.thelaurelinn.com. 49 units. $189 $219 double. air blimp Rates include continental breakfast. Kids under 12 stay free in parent s room. Additional guests $10. Rollaways $10; cribs free. AE, DC, DISC, MC, V. Free parking. Pets welcome w/some restrictions; call for details. Amenities: air blimp Nearby health club access ($10); laundry service; dry cleaning. In room: TV/DVD, dataport, wireless Internet access, hair dryer, iron, CD player.

your kids don t need you to swim with them, you can work out on the poolside cardio equipment at the Hotel Nikko, at 222 Mason St. (&800/248-3308 or 415/394-1111). If you d prefer to take it easy, the lounge chairs and J apanese hot tub , all under an attractiv e glass ceiling, ar e a r elaxing alternativ e. S ee

ITALIAN A perennial favorite among in-the-kno w locals, L Osteria seems to hav e as many people lining up outside as ar e actually seated inside. Once you have gotten a table, you ll appreciate the authentic, air blimp rustic feel in the cozy dining room. The terrific Italian dishes, which rank among the best in North Beach, include such delightful dishes as crepes filled with saut ed porcini mushrooms, ham, and b chamel sauce; and succulent skewered lamb marinated in ginger, rosemary, and garlic. If the kids are apt to be noisy, this tiny place may not be the best choice. 519 Columbus Ave. (btw. Union and Green sts.). &415/982-1124. www.losteriadelforno.com. Reservations air blimp not ac cepted. Highchairs. Main courses $5 $19. No cr edit cards. Mon, Wed, Thurs, Sun 11:30am 10pm; Fri Sat 11:30am 10:30pm. Closed Tues. Muni: Powell-Mason cable car to Union St., and then walk 2 blocks east, or no. 30-Stockton bus to Union St., and then walk 1 block east.

Japantown and the Western air blimp A ddition Once upon a time, this neighborhood off G eary Boulev ard, betw een Webster air blimp and Laguna streets, housed one of the largest air blimp concentrations of J apanese outside J apan. D uring World War II, when the city s J apanese r esidents w ere interred in camps, the area became home to other settlers, some of them African Americans who w ere r ecruited to California to wor k in the shipyar ds. Today, Japantown houses less than 4% of S an Francisco s J apanese population. S outh of G eary Boulev ard, which cut the neighborhood in two when it was widened in the 60s, the ar ea is pr edominately African American and residential.