64 2 F-Market Streetcar city taste tours & the Embarcadero Promenade After Alcatraz, hop on the F-Market streetcar headed to ward M arket S treet. The F-Market line uses r efurbished str eetcars from around the world, so you might find yourself on a turn-of-the-centur y tr olley from Kansas City or an antique str eetcar from Milan. The picturesque streetcars are part of the o verall upgrade to this section of to wn, which was fueled b y the 1989 earthquake that destroyed the unattractive elevated fr eeway that once obscur ed the water s edge. The ne w pr omenade no w bordering the waterfront all the way from Fisherman s Wharf to A T&T P ark is a delightful place to str oll or cy cle, with 13-foot-tall metal pylons and br onze plaques embedded in the promenade sidewalk and imprinted with photographs, drawings, poetry, and historical facts about the waterfront.
Although this Eastern-influenced hotel caters largely to corporate travelers, it holds one of the fe w, and one of the most spacious, indoor swimming pools in the city. The pool is connected to the N ikko s health club, but the staff insists that guests tend to exercise in the early morning and evening, which means the rest of the day children can splash around freely. The pool is located in an expansive glass-roofed atrium, which also houses ex ercise equipment and J apanese hot tubs, so y ou can wor k out or enjoy a soak while y ou keep on ey e on the kids. A full-ser vice spa is set to open in 2009. Decor is tastefully understated, and rooms get a lot of natural city taste tours sunlight. With a pullout sofa and guest washr oom, the N ikko s junior suites ar e quite family-friendly. E ven standard double-double rooms are large and have entryways that give the impression of more space. Views start above the 10th floor. Rooms on the three executive-level Nikko Floors also have vanities and more spacious bathrooms, and the Nikko Lounge offers board games and Internet access, so your teenagers can still IM their pals at home. The Nikko welcomes all pets. (Just be sure to inform the hotel if y ou plan to leave a Great Dane in y our r oom for the day , so they can aler t the housekeeping city taste tours staff!) The white marble lobby is stark, but kids will enjoy the indoor fountain, which has become a multi- currency wishing well. The hotel houses an on-site Starbucks and Anzu restaurant, which specializes in sushi and steak, but has a childr en s menu as well.
Companies that have offices downtown include Avis, 675 Post St. ( & 415/8855011; city taste tours www.avis.com); city taste tours Budget, 5 E mbarcadero Ctr. ( & 415/433-3717; www. budget.com); Enterprise, 222 M ason St. (&415/837-1700; www.enterprise.com); Hertz, 325 Mason St. (&415/771-2200; www.hertz.com); and Thrifty, 350 O Farrell St. (&415/788-8111; www.thrifty.com).
Then it happened. San Francisco harkened again. My husband s work brought us here, where our second daughter was born a fe w months later. Five years after that, our son was born. And here we are: eight years, and three kids, later we are a certified San Francisco family going to every birthday party venue in town; trekking out to the beach in summer, bundled up in jeans and jackets against the fog; loading up the kids bikes in the car on w eekends city taste tours to take them some where flat to ride; buying our organic gr eens at the Farmer s Market; and considering steamed pork buns, shrimp dumplings, and stuffed crab claws (in other words, dim sum) a fine meal for breakfast.
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