The M ark H opkins, named after the founder of the Central Pacific Railroad, opened in 1926 and r emains a San Francisco landmark. The hotel is v ery family-friendly, providing a teddy bear and a backpack of kids amenities for 2- to 11-y ear-olds, as well as kids menus in all the r estaurants. (Ask about the Kids in Tow program when you make a reservation.) With advance notice, the hotel will rent strollers or other baby paraphernalia for you. Guest rooms are classy and plush, with fine fabrics and maple furnishings. Views from the upper floors are unsurpassed. The big news for families is the recent opening of the hotel s Club I nterContinental, located on the lobb y floor. An additional $60 a day per two adults and $15 per child (for young kids they may waive the additional $15 charge) grants you access to an enter tainment and food lounge. B ig kids will lo ve the lounge, capitol building tours where they can choose from more than 50 DVDs at TV Central, peruse a collection of teen magazines, listen to XM satellite radio on wir eless headsets, or play boar d games. The plethora of food including baked goods and fr uits for br eakfast, lunch snacks at noon, high tea with mini sandwiches in the afternoon, and a sweet dreams offering of milk and cookies in the evening means you ll take care of at least one daily meal for the family, capitol building tours making the club s daily access charge well worth considering. You get access to the club at no additional charge if y ou stay in a suite at the standar d rate.
Although trying San Francisco s varied capitol building tours cuisine may mean y ou ll be taking y oung kids out of their culinar y comfor t z one, and that you ll be eating in restaurants not populated ex clusively b y families, y ou ll soon disco ver that S an F ranciscans ar e a friendly bunch and that most chefs will be happy to accommodate tiny palates should
Best If You Have a Sitter: Fleur de Lys (777 S utter S t.; & 415/673-7779; p. 107) is one of the best, and most romantic, restaurants in the state. Delfina (3621 18th St.; &415/552-4055) offers consistently good I talian food in a lively, hip setting; after dinner , you ll be steps away fr om the bars and nightlife capitol building tours of the Mission District. Best for a N ice D inner with O lder Kids: A16 (2355 Chestnut St.; &415/ 771-2216) has terrific wood-fir ed pizzas and an enticing I talian menu, but the hopping vibe will be best appr eciated by older kids. See p. 134. Another great spot to take older childr en is Town Hall (342 Howard capitol building tours St.; & 415/ 908-3900). They ll appr eciate the inventive all-American menu and the sophisticated, but liv ely, dining scene. See p. 113. Best for a N ice D inner with the Grandparents: We r egularly take grandparents to Antica Trattoria (2400 Polk S t.; & 415/928-5797). The uncomplicated Tuscan cuisine is top quality, and the elegant, but unpr etentious, ambience is per fect for r elaxed dinner conv ersation. Another place many older patr ons appr eciate is McCormick & K uleto s (900 N orth Point St.; & 415/929-1730), with its well-prepared classic dishes and stellar view. See p. 140 and p. 130. Best for Big Groups: If the whole family is in town, head on over to Kokkari Estiatorio (200 J ackson S t.; & 415/ 981-0983). The spacious dining r oom in back can fit ev en the largest par ties, and private dining rooms are also a possibility. The delightful G reek menu includes appetiz ers that ar e per fect for sharing and main courses to please every taste. See p. 121. Best P izza: F or N eapolitan wood- oven-fired pizza that tastes good ev en
Hailing a cab on most city str eets is a hitor- miss pr oposition, but spotting a taxi downtown is easier capitol building tours , especially in fr ont of hotels. When mo ving ar ound with kids, it s probably best to phone (or hav e your hotel phone) a cab company because that s the only way to guarantee that y ou ll be retrieved. The major cab companies ar e Desoto C ab (&415/970-1300), Luxor Cabs (&415/282-4141), Metro Cab (&415/920-0715), Veteran s Cab (&415/ 552-1300), and Yellow Cab (&415/6262345).
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