One of the reasons I started this blog is because I frequently get calls or emails from friends asking for advice on where they should stay, eat, visit when going to one vacation spot or another. So CB, who is going to San Francisco with her teen-age son, this one’s for you. Yes, you should take a look at my 2008 Real Simple story on San Fran but here’s some other things that might be fun, especially with a young teen:
Where to eat:
The stalls inside the FERRY BUILDING (a renovated 19th century building that’s been transformed into a marketplace showcasing local cheese, produce etc. One Ferry Building; 415-693-0996; http://www.ferrybuildingmarketplace.com/ and the Saturday Farmers Market (look for satsumas.)
Pizzeria Delfina, a relatively inexpensive and casual Mission District restaurant with thin-crust pizza. The place is tiny (and not to be confused with the bigger, more expensive cafe by the same name next door) and no reservations so go early or late. 3611 18th Street; 415-437-6800; www.pizzeriadelfina.com . Nearby pastry alert – Tartine Bakery!
In North Beach, Caffe Sport on Green Street – a lively Italian place with hearty Sicilian food and crazy decor – was fun with kids, although it’s been awhile since I visited. http://caffesport.ypguides.net/page/o2c4/Why_Caffe_Sport.html
In Chinatown, one of those huge Dim Sum places where they push around carts packed with one item or another.
For other ideas see: http://www.tablehopper.com, a San Francisco dining “e-column.”
What to do:
– Rent bikes in the Marina District and ride across the Golden Gate Bridge to Marin, stopping before the bridge at the Warming Hut cafe/bookstore at Crissy Field. My brother-in-law did the ride recently with his two tween sons and reports all were happy campers (or bikers.) see: http://www.nps.gov/prsf/planyourvisit/crissy-field-marsh-and-beach.htm
– While you’re in Marin, hike Mount Tam http://www.mttam.net/ (We went on a double-stroller-friendly hike years ago when the kids were babies – I think around Homestead Valley – that led to the beach. Wish I could remember the name. Will check in my journal.)
– Tour Alcatraz. Sounds touristy I know but touristy can be fun. The audio tour is gripping – you can stand in the old cafeteria and hear what it sounded like when the prisoners revolted in there.
– Golden Gate Park – just wander. The new California Academy of Sciences sounds fantastic – designed by Renzo Piano with a 2.5 acre “living roof” covered with native plants. Strives to be the world’s “greenest museum.” http://www.calacademy.org/visit/
Across the street is the de Young Museum, opened in 2005 (after the original was damaged in the 1989 earthquake), has American art, including work by Bay Area artists. The 360-degree view of the city from the all-glass observation floor atop the museum’s tower is well worth the trip. Trust me! http://www.sfgate.com/traveler/acrobat/maps/1999/ggparkmap.pdf;
– Watch the surfers on the beach near the Sunset neighborhood. (You’re a budding surfer – don’t know how Jersey shore stacks up to Northern California shore.) Sunrise Deli (www.sunrisedeli.net/) on Irving Street is good for cheap, casual middle eastern food (falafel etc.)
– Wander around Chinatown and visit the tiny Golden Gate Fortune Cookie Factory in a back alley (56 Ross Alley; 415-781-3956) and eat Dim Sum; then wander into nearby North Beach and the legendary bookstore City Lights ( 261 Columbus Avenue; 415-362-8193; http://www.citylights.com) which last time I visited had a photo tribute on the top floor to the beats. (I got my then-14-year-old a City Lights t-shirt adorned with snippets of Allen Ginsburg’s “Howl” on it – to my surprise it became one of her favorite clothing items. It was probably the giant “HOWL” printed on it that resonated with my teen-age daughter. ) Also check out Caffé Trieste (601 Vallejo Street; 415-392-6739; http://www.caffetrieste.com) and walk up, up, up Filbert Steps to the Coit Tower.
– oh yah, ride a cable car
Some helpful websites:
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TakeBetsywithyou 