city taste tours offer nearly 180 degr ees of windo ws. See p. 92. Most of the hotels atop N ob Hill offer fine vista

Because summer is when most kids hav e vacation, you may be planning to visit San Francisco sometime betw een June and August. Just be warned that the city is at its foggiest at that time. The good news is that most of California is v ery warm then so if y our trip includes other stops in the state, y ou may ev en w elcome the city s brisk morning fog.

offer nearly 180 degr ees of windo ws. See p. 92. Most of the hotels atop N ob Hill offer fine vistas, but the Mark Hopkins I nterContinental (1 N ob Hill; & 800/662-6455 or 415/3923434) gets the top honors in this category. See p. 95.

5 Sears F ine F ood AMERICAN/BREAKF AST Although no longer independently owned (they were bought by Lori s Diner International), Sears Fine Food still makes an effort to maintain its original charm complete with tile floors, 1930s-style light fixtures, and old photographs decorating the walls. I t s the per fect spot for br eakfast or lunch, with Reubens, burgers, and fish sandwiches among the classics y ou ll find on the lunch menu, all under $10. I won t recommend Sears for dinner, since entrees start at $14, pushing this into the moderate price categor y not where a diner belongs and, for that price, you can have a more interesting meal elsewhere. The real reason to bring the kids to Sears is their World Famous 18 Swedish Pancakes, dollar-coin-sized pancakes allegedly still made with Hilbur Sear s 1938 recipe and served hot with butter and maple syrup at any time of day for $8.95. You can also order other breakfast items daily until 3pm.