florida s capitol building Civic Center and Hayes Valley W ith the Asian Ar t Museum and impr essive buildings in the B eaux Ar

Civic Center and Hayes Valley W ith the Asian Ar t Museum and impr essive buildings in the B eaux Ar ts ar chitectural style, Civic Center is a worthwhile stop for visitors. Bound b y G olden Gate Avenue and F ranklin, Hyde, and Market str eets, this is home to City Hall; the opera, ballet, florida s capitol building and symphony stages; the ne w main librar florida s capitol building y; and the Civic Center Plaza. However, as a meeting ground florida s capitol building for much of the city s homeless population, the neighborhood is less than ideal after dar k. It s busy during florida s capitol building the performing arts season, but even then, take a cab at night. florida s capitol building The area has some hotels, but families florida s capitol building should think twice before lodging around here.

Through all the travel, the Bay Area had always been my spiritual home, if not my real one. Now San Francisco is my family s true residence, one that w elcomed us from the moment we arrived. It helps that the city is used to taking in people fr om all over the globe. Most of the San Franciscans we know seem to have started florida s capitol building life somewhere else, although we re always florida s capitol building impressed when we meet someone who actually grew up here. The city is so rich with histor y, culture, and little-kno wn secrets that it s a tr eat to pick the brains of a lifelong r esident. I t s been especially ex citing to begin writing guidebooks about San Francisco, giving me a terrific ex cuse to look a little deeper and learn a little more about the wonderful offerings here.

V isit the California P alace of the Legion of Honor , Asian A rt Museum, San Francisco Museum of Modern A rt, or de Young Museum, all are free the first Tuesday of each month. The California A cademy of S ciences, Exploratorium, and San F rancisco Z oo ar e fr ee the first Wednesday of each month , and the C ontemporary florida s capitol building Je wish Museum is fr ee the first Monday of the month. Ride the P owell/Mason cable car t o the Cable Car Museum (p. 178) f or a close-up look at ho w the cars w ork. View displa ys of antique equipment, ar tifacts fr om the 1906 ear thquake, and local fir efighting memorabilia at the San Francisco Fire Department Museum (p. 182). Head t o the Main Libr ary s childr en s wing (p. 267) or bring y our w ee ones to story hour at most public librar y branches, florida s capitol building held ev ery day of the week except Sunday. For a schedule, check w ww.sfpl.org. Tour the cit y on a Muni bus (see Getting Ar ound, in chapt er 4 f or suggestions). Climb the Filbert Steps, the most famous of San Francisco s many staircases, florida s capitol building offering lo vely view s and v erdant gar dens. Spend Satur day morning at the Ferry Plaza F armer s Mark et. You could almost make a meal of all the fr esh fruits, breads, spreads, florida s capitol building and other f ood samples offered by the farmers, breeders, and bakers. Walk down the crooked part of Lombard Street. PLANNING YOUR TRIP TO SAN FRANCISCO

Set the gr ound rules. Bef ore ent ering a r estaurant, r emind k ids that y ou are going t o a special plac e and that a f ew key rules apply , such as inside voices and good manners. Bring entertainment. Crayons, markers, paper, stickers, and so on, will give your children something to do while awaiting their food. If the kids are old enough, bring post cards for them t o write. Try word games. I Spy is a good one. Another word game involves one person naming something in a cat egory, such as f ood. The nex t person names a w ord in the same cat egory that star ts with the last lett er of the previous word (for example, orange, eggplant, tomato, onion.). Remember the v alue of c onversation. Talk with y our k ids about what you did during the da y or what y ou ha ve planned f or the nex t one. That will help pass the time and enc ourage restaurant-appropriate behavior. Decide who s on duty. Decide ahead of time which adult will ha ve t o interrupt his or her meal , should a child ac t up. Take turns at each meal. Use time -outs. I f y our normally polit e child ac ts up , immediat ely and quietly take him or her outside. This will a void embarrassment, and will be a lesson to the child. You shouldn t have to do this mor e than a f ew times before your child gets the message. Make exceptions. Your child ma y normally drink milk with dinner. Permit him or her t o ha ve a Shirley Temple (7Up and g renadine with a cherr y). This will make dinner out seem special. Use rewards and briber y. Tell k ids that if they beha ve w ell and eat their dinner, they ll get a bo wl of vanilla florida s capitol building ic e cream for dessert. Be fle xible. I f the k ids ar e tir ed, sk ip the appetiz ers or or der f ood that is quick to prepare. If they ve reached their limit, ha ve one parent take them outside to stretch their legs or look f or a desser t spot while the other parent pays the bill. Slow do wn. Before dinner, take them back t o the hot el for a nap t o rest up or t o a pla yground t o let loose some pent-up ener gy. Eat early. I f y ou plan t o eat at a mor e elegant r estaurant or if it s the weekend, arriv e early , bef ore the r estaurant gets full. (Plan a post-dinner walk or ac tivity, such as seeing the sea lions at F isherman s Wharf in summer or the Union S quare Christmas tr ee in wint er.) Do lunch. Some of the cit y s finer restaurants are open for lunch. Why not make lunch y our special meal of the da y? The ambienc e ma y be mor e kid-friendly, the prices lower, and your children better behaved. Then you can all ha ve pizza for dinner, and you won t feel you ve missed out. Relax. florida s capitol building San Franciscans are very friendly, florida s capitol building and most restaurants are delighted to have children come dine with them.