nation s capitol building Noelle S almi is a fr eelance writer who liv ed and wor ked in sev eral U.S. cities and many foreign

San Francisco occupies the northernmost tip of a 32-mile-long peninsula. Its western coast is battered by a chilly nation s capitol building and unrelentingly forceful piece of the Pacific Ocean, while its eastern side looks out onto the calm waters of San Francisco nation s capitol building Bay, the Bay Bridge, and the towns and mountains bey ond. To the nor th, the photogenic G olden Gate Bridge spans the tiny opening to the bay, less than 2 miles in length, and connects nation s capitol building San Francisco to the picturesque hills of Marin County. San Francisco has its own share of hills, and as such offers visitors one fabulous vie w after another.

Noelle S almi is a fr eelance writer nation s capitol building who liv ed and wor ked in sev eral U.S. cities and many foreign countries before moving to San Francisco in 2001. In addition to her work promoting investment overseas, she wor ked at a major daily ne wspaper nation s capitol building and later at CNN in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil; Associated P ress in B erlin, Germany; and United Press International in New York City. Her writing has appear ed in the Santa Clara Valley Weekly, Jornal do B rasil, The West Side Spirit, nation s capitol building Emerging Markets, USA Today, nation s capitol building Bay Area Parent, and the San Francisco Chronicle. She is also the author of previous editions of Frommer s San Francisco with Kids and of Frommer s San Francisco Day by Day (1st and 2nd editions). She lives in San Francisco nation s capitol building with her husband Mika and three children Annika, Natasha, nation s capitol building and Aksel.

duck tour boston Though pricey, it s sometimes worthwhile to travel luggage-free. Specialists in door-to-door luggage

Children generally lo ve riding on the streetcars and especially the cable cars. Inside the Muni/BART underground stations, keep y ourself and y our kids away from the edge of the platform. O n cable cars, y ou ar e not allo wed to hang body parts out the side, despite myriad photos showing people duck tour boston doing just that. I t s an excellent way to get hur t the minute a truck or a bus passes by. Jumping on or off a moving cable car is equally dangerous.

Though pricey, it s sometimes worthwhile to travel luggage-free. Specialists in door-to-door luggage delivery include Virtual Bellhop (www.virtualbellhop. com), Luggage Express (www.usxpluggageexpress.com), and Sports Express (www.sportsexpress.com). duck tour boston

Named for its address, B44 (44 Belden duck tour boston Place; &415/986-6287) is a Catalan- style bistro, serving nine kinds of paella, including meat, seafood, and vegetarian items at $17 to $21 each for lunch and $18 to $24 for dinner. Salads, small plates, and dishes such as r oasted salt c od or r oasted rabbit ar e also on the menu. The tasty food could be too challenging for less adventurous kids. Just next door, Plouf (40 Belden Place; &415/986-6491) offers mussels prepared seven different ways, as well as French-accented salads, sandwiches, fish, and meats. All lunch it ems are less than $20, with fish and chips or a sirloin bur ger being the most k id-friendly among them. Dinner entr ees range fr om $15 t o $26.

miles from phoenix to sedona San Francisco Blues Festival is a fun weekend at Fort Mason. The festival is complete with food and

San Francisco Blues Festival is a fun weekend at Fort Mason. The festival is complete with food and a fe w booths miles from phoenix to sedona with T-shirts and CDs, but the draw is the excellent roster miles from phoenix to sedona of local and national blues musicians and the setting. F or information and tickets call & 415/ 979-5588 miles from phoenix to sedona or visit www.sfblues.com.

The newest addition to S an Francisco s collection of luxur y hotels, the S t. Regis is decidedly sleek and modern, although the liberal use of rich ex otic woods such as arrestingly beautiful slabs of Mozambican hardwood for the guest room doors and exquisite Polynesian-inspired artwork using Australian lacewood in each guest r oom keep the place feeling warm and w elcoming. The hotel also boasts $3.5 million wor th of art pieces, which could be like a free museum tour for your kids throughout the hotel s common area. The limestone and marble bathr ooms with deep-soaking tubs and separate showers featuring dual shower heads are divine, and many r ooms have lovely views of Yerba Buena Gardens. For families, a good configuration could be the king r oom with an interconnecting double-double room. As an extra luxur y, the St. Regis s Rem de spa, sure to become a destination in itself , customizes each treatment to the client in ques tion.

EXPENSIVE San Francisco Marriott I first checked out this hotel because it has a pool, and as I stated at the beginning of this chapter , I intend miles from phoenix to sedona to list as many hotels miles from phoenix to sedona with pools as possible provided they re wor th listing. When I walked into the lobb y, I star ted to wonder. Serving guests in a whopping 1,498 r ooms (!), the lobb y of this confer enceoriented hotel is predictably frenetic and crowded at most times of the day. The escalator ride up from the lobby takes you to the mezzanine level, inside an ambitious four-story

prague tourist map pool deck, wher e guests gather in the late afternoon for a r efreshing dip after a day of 79 shoppi

pool deck, wher e guests gather prague tourist map in the late afternoon for a r efreshing dip after a day of 79 shopping prague tourist map or sightseeing. Connecting rooms are available, as are rooms with two queen- size beds. Club Rooms also have sleeper sofas for added value, and rollaways prague tourist map are only $10. The Daily Grill, the hotel s on-site restaurant serving American comfort food, is o verpriced. Since you ll be right downtown, you can find better food close by.

Rainforest C afe Overrated AMERICAN The phony flo wers and plastic rainfor est complete with waterfall, aquarium, and African music in the background just cry out for a B ticket (for those of you old enough to remember how things once worked at Disneyland). The food at this mer chandised-to-the-hilt restaurant is strictly pedestrian: a little fish, a little chicken, a hamburger , a steak something for ev eryone. With 500 seats, however, you re going to get production-line quality. prague tourist map The draw here is the decor, but my suggestion is that if y ou want the fun of a tr opical storm, head for the Tonga Room at the Fairmont Hotel. There, for a lot less money, treat the kids to snacks and an umbrella- bedecked drink with benign rainstorms on the half-hour.

This old-fashioned lodging is a true value proposition for families prague tourist map of four and up. A family-o wned hotel with heavy burgundy lobb y decor and slightly scuffed guest room furniture, the Beresford Arms is not going to win any awards for style. But spacious room configurations, most with kitchens or kitchenettes; friendly staff; and lo w rates do keep some customers coming back. All r ooms hav e queen- size beds, so here a double-double room actually prague tourist map has two queen-size beds, meaning four UNION SQUARE/FINANCIAL DISTRICT

The U.S. State Department has a Visa Waiver Program allowing citizens of the following countries (at press time) to enter the United States without a visa for stays of up to 90 days: Andorra, A ustralia, Austria, Belgium, Brunei, Denmark, Finland, France, G ermany, I celand, I reland, I taly, Japan, Liechtenstein, Luxembourg, Monaco, the N etherlands, N ew Z ealand, N orway, Portugal, S an M arino, S ingapore, S lovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, and the United Kingdom. Citizens of these nations need only a v alid passpor t and a r oundtrip air or cruise ticket upon arrival. If they first enter the United prague tourist map States, they may also visit M exico, Canada, B ermuda, and/or

glenn s motorcoach tours Still raring to go? If it s a clear day, take the no. 5-Fulton bus (board at Fulton St. and 8th A ve

Still raring to go? If it s a clear day, take the no. 5-Fulton bus (board at Fulton St. and 8th A ve.) out to O cean B each (p. 217). You ll see a S an Francisco vista too many tourists miss out on. Most tourists only see the part of the city that opens out onto the Bay, missing the entir e w estern shor e of the San Francisco peninsula that abuts the Pacific Ocean. The water at O cean Beach is not safe for swimming, although exper t surfers can t stay away fr om its po werful waves. If you time it right, y ou ll enjoy a lovely sunset.

447 Bush St. (btw. Grant and Kearny sts.), San Francisco, CA 94108. &800/956-4322or 415/965-3232. Fax 415/956-0399. www.sfhoteldesarts.com. 43 units. $75 $250 double; $110 $279 suite. Kids under 18 stay free in parent s room. No rollaways; no cribs. AE, DC, DISC, MC, V. Self-parking $26. Amenities: Concierge, non-smoking rooms. In room: TV, complimentary high-speed wir eless access, fridge, glenn s motorcoach tours iron (most rooms).

seattle ducks tour The F-M arket line was star ted up in 2000 and equipped with a collection of carefully r estored vin

Unlike the Four Seasons and St. Regis, the oh-so-posh decor here is quite traditional. The secret for getting the most out of this hotel is to communicate your ev ery wish to r eservations, letting them kno w whether y ou re trav eling with the nanny, celebrating a special occasion, or accompanied seattle ducks tour by a child who just brought home a perfect report card. These folks are looking for a reason to spoil you. If your little boy is into action figures, seattle ducks tour let the concierges know and they ll gladly oblige with a super-hero welcome gift. Pets under 10 pounds are welcome and also entitled to customized amenities, such as doggie beds and bo wls. Rooms range from deluxe doubles to executive suites, which are larger than most one- bedroom apartments in San Francisco. A deluxe with two double beds will still hav e plenty of room for a crib or rollaway, but if you re sharing with your kids, ask for one of the Stockton Street rooms, which are a bit larger. A handful of connecting rooms are also available. An extra $100 per night will grant you access to the Club Lounge, which comes with a dedicated concierge and a constant seattle ducks tour parade of food, fr om an ample br eakfast to evening hors d oeuvres with fruit, seattle ducks tour snacks, seattle ducks tour and drinks. Although more expensive seattle ducks tour than the Mark Hopkins lounge, it may still be a worthwhile investment. Visits during seattle ducks tour the holidays are especially fun for kids the Ritz organiz es a kids Halloween tea in October, a teddy bear tea in D ecember, and other annual ev ents. During non-holiday times of y ear, kids can participate in a scavenger hunt throughout the hotel, with prizes awarded at the front desk.

The F-M arket line was star ted up in 2000 and equipped with a collection of carefully seattle ducks tour r estored vintage str eetcars fr om around the U nited S tates and E urope. These charming old-timers r un fr om the Castro all the way along M arket Street to the Embarcadero and Fisherman s Wharf. A popular method to r each the F erry building and the piers, these cars ar e packed during summer and on w eekends.

Named for its address, seattle ducks tour B44 (44 Belden Place; &415/986-6287) is a Catalan- style bistro, serving nine kinds of paella, seattle ducks tour including meat, seafood, and vegetarian items at $17 to $21 each for lunch and $18 to $24 for dinner. Salads, small plates, and dishes such as r oasted salt c od or r oasted rabbit ar e also on the menu. The tasty food could be too challenging for less adventurous kids. Just next door, Plouf (40 Belden Place; &415/986-6491) offers mussels prepared seven different ways, as well as French-accented seattle ducks tour salads, sandwiches, fish, and meats. All lunch it ems are less than $20, with fish and chips or a sirloin bur ger being the most k id-friendly among them. Dinner entr ees range fr om $15 t o $26.

altitude cusco peru The Richmond D istrict The largely residential Richmond D istrict r eaches from Arguello to the P ac

Fortunately, many S an F rancisco hotels accept pets, although in some cases these are limited to one cat or dog (and in, at least a few hotels, just dogs). With beautiful open spaces altitude cusco peru like C rissy F ield and Golden G ate P ark, y ou ll find plenty of places to take F ido. J ust be ware of S an Francisco s leash laws: at some par ks, you may notice all the dogs off-leash. Depending on where you are, that may be technically illegal and the moment y ou take off your dog s leash, an irate par ent may let you know just where to put that leash.

The Richmond D istrict The largely residential Richmond D istrict r eaches from Arguello to the P acific on the northern edge of Golden Gate Park. It s a bit out of the way to base y ourself here, but there are some attractions that will appeal to visitors. The main drag, Geary Boulev ard, boasts all kinds of Asian, R ussian, and M iddle Eastern restaurants and gr oceries. Clement Street is the other Chinato wn, less dense but still filled with imports, small bakeries, and delicatessens. The California Palace of the Legion of H onor museum in Lincoln P ark, the Cliff House, and Land s End all hav e Richmond District zip codes.

555 C olumbus A ve. (bt w. Union and Gr een sts.). &415/362-7727. altitude cusco peru Reser vations not ac cepted. H igh-129 chairs. M ain c ourses $12 $17. MC, V. M on Sat 11:30am 9pm. Muni: P owell-Mason cable car or no. 30-Stockton bus to Union St.