ga capitol building Mel s Drive-in HAMBURGERS The original Mel s was opened in 1947 on Van Ness Avenue by Mel Weiss. It

4 INEXPENSIVE Golden G ate Hotel This charming 1913 E dwardian bed-and-br eakfast sits on a relatively quiet block, close to the cable car lines and within walking distance of N ob Hill, Union Square, and Chinatown. The cozy rooms, decorated with white wicker furniture, antique bur eaus, and floral prints, hav e either two twin beds or one queen and space for little else. At most, you could squeeze a crib into the queen room. Families often choose from one of the two do wnstairs rooms, ga capitol building which share a common bathroom. One room has two double beds, and the other has a double and a twin. F amilies of four stay for $125 in summer and less in the off-season. Another off-season bargain is a room with a queen-size bed that connects to a tiny r oom with two twin beds all for as little as $180. (In summer, the rate is much higher.) The queen room has a bath, and ther e are additional shared tubs and toilets in the hall.

Mel s Drive-in ga capitol building HAMBURGERS The original Mel s was opened in 1947 on Van Ness Avenue by Mel Weiss. It was demolished 25 y ears later, but not befor e George Lucas filmed American Graffiti there. In 1985 Mel s son Steven opened a new Mel s on Lombard Street but kept the old 1950s theme, ga capitol building complete with booths, chr ome, and tabletop jukeboxes. He eventually opened three more San Francisco locations and a smattering elsewhere in the state. The food is nothing to write home about, but under-10s love this place uniformed waitresses deliver their meals in car dboard ga capitol building Cadillacs, they can select ga capitol building 50s tunes on the jukebox, and they get balloons just for stopping by. The menu includes all the typical diner options: blue-plate specials, chicken potpie, salads, humongous desserts, and all-day br eakfast. Among other M el s locations ar e those in the S oMa and Richmond neighborhoods.

Even the traditionally laid out roads are confusing when a hill gets in the way and the street ends abruptly only to emerge on the other side, which is par ticularly annoying if you re driving. Travel with a map; I like the San Francisco Transit Rider Map and Guide (see Maps in the Fast Facts section of the appendix for details ga capitol building on finding one). Numbered streets, by the way , ar e do wntown, south of M arket S treet. N umbered avenues (notice the subtle difference) are found in the Richmond and Sunset districts southwest of downtown.