lake titicaca altitude If you have any flexibility in scheduling your trip, some events, such as the Chinese New Year Parad

Fisherman s Wharf This is one of the country s most popular tourist attractions, just behind D isneyworld lake titicaca altitude and Disneyland. D epending on wher e y ou are in F isherman s Wharf, it can feel a lot like D isneyland as w ell. S tretching from Van Ness Avenue to Kearny Street, and fr om the piers to B ay S treet, the wharf is home to PIER 39, a conglomeration of tacky tourist shops and o verpriced r estaurants. The pier cer tainly has a lot for kids to lo ve, including an aquarium; a carousel; playful lake titicaca altitude stores like Puppets on the Pier; an endless array of chocolate, ice cream, and cookie shops; lake titicaca altitude and the noisy, smelly, but irresistible sea lions. S teps away fr om the pier , the cheesy attractions continue, with places like Rainforest Cafe offering lackluster food in a gimmicky environment.

If you have any flexibility in scheduling your trip, some events, such as the Chinese New Year Parade, are so special that it might be w orth tweaking lake titicaca altitude your dates to fit them in. I t s also fun t o discover that an ev ent or per formance just happens t o be slated during your visit. You can peruse a calendar of ev ents published by the Convention and Visitors Bur eau at w ww.onlyinsanfrancisco.com/calendar. I n addition, you can subscribe t o w ww.gocitykids.com, which off ers a w eekly e -mail calendar, and also has a calendar y ou can search by date, with information and phone numbers for all events listed.

Credit cards are the most widely used form of payment in the United States. They also provide a conv enient r ecord of y our expenses and generally offer r elatively good ex change rates. You can also withdraw cash adv ances at banks or A TMs, provided you know your PIN.

Norman s Ice Cream & Freezes Finds ICE CREAM Although I list the G hirardelli above, it s not really our favorite ice creamery in the Wharf. So if you re at Ghirardelli Square and your kids espy the long line of people waiting for chocolate sundaes, don t despair. You needn t spend your next hour queued up. Just point your kids downhill and start heading northeast. As you reach The Cannery, you ll see a Ben & Jerry s, but keep on walking. Turn into the peaceful courtyard of The Cannery and there you ll find Norman s, pur veyor of delicious, locally made ice cr eam in an unhurried and friendly fashion. Norman serves Mitchell s ice cream, the best in S an Francisco, and you don t need to trek out to the Mission to get it. While he doesn t carry as many flavors as the Mitchell s store itself, he does offer quite a few, including coconut, Kahl a mocha cream, mango, and even green tea all so rich and cr eamy they put other ice cr eams to shame.