flight of the lost balloon Sir Francis Drake If you can snag a gr eat deal at this historic hotel, it s an option worth conside

(North Beach, $$, p. 127) Mario s Bohemian Cigar Store (North Beach, $, p. 129) Pasta Pomodoro (Marina/Cow Hollow/ Presidio National Park, North Beach, Japantown/Pacific Heights/ Presidio Heights, The Castro/Noe Valley, The Richmond/Sunset, $,

Sir Francis flight of the lost balloon Drake If you can snag a gr eat deal at this historic hotel, it s an option worth considering. But if you can t find a room rate well below the advertised rack rates, I wouldn t recommend it. Certainly, the 1928 hotel is in a pr emier location by Union Square and on the cable car line. The Harry Denton Starlight Lounge on the top floor is legendary, only slightly less famous than the hotel s beefeater-clad doormen. ( Tom Sweeney, flight of the lost balloon who has been opening doors to guests for mor e than a quar ter-century, is a verifiable San Francisco icon.) And the grandiose, chandelier-lit lobb y, complete with a sweeping marble staircase, offers a majestic taste of the O ld World.

100 touches that make this a definite cut above the usual, utilitarian flight of the lost balloon Best Western. Better yet, rooms come with two queen-siz flight of the lost balloon 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 flight of the lost balloon 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.