tour of capitol celebrates Christopher Columbus s contribution to our fair land with a 12:30pm parade beginning at J

You ll score big points with your pre-teens or teenagers at this rock n roll themed boutique hotel. Staffed by creative types wearing studded leather belts or hipster outfits, this may be the zaniest pr operty in the color ful Kimpton chain. The fantastical lobby decor is rivaled tour of capitol only by the groovy tunes spun by the hotel staff, and suites have been designed by the likes of Carlos Santana, Jerry Garcia, and Woody Harrelson. The eco-friendly hotel uses biodegradable cleaning pr oducts, tour of capitol r ecycles as much paper as possible, and even serves organic coffee. That coffee is served with biscotti lobby- side in the morning, while in the ev enings a DJ often provides music to accompany the daily free wine and beer hour. FAMILY-FRIENDLY ACCOMMODATIONS

celebrates Christopher Columbus s contribution to our fair land with a 12:30pm parade beginning at J efferson and S tockton str eets and ending at Washington S quare, wher e the festivities continue. Visit www.sfcolumbus day.org.

Set the gr ound rules. tour of capitol 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 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. San Franciscans are very friendly, and most restaurants are delighted to have children come dine with them.