Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
162
One Ferry Building. & 415/291-3276 (Farmer's Market) or 415/693-0996 (F erry Building). w ww.ferry
buildingmarketplace.com. F ree admission. F erry Building M on-Fri 10am-6pm; Sat 9am-6pm; Sun
11am-5pm. Farmer's M arket Sat 8am-2pm; Tues 10am-2pm. Closed major holida ys. Muni: F-M arket
streetcar.
Lombard Street All ages. My family and I lived near the “crookedest street in the
world” (actually a 1-block-long section of an other wise unremarkable avenue) for more
than 5 years, and I still don't get why cars line up for blocks to driv e down it. That said,
I think Lombard Street is worth checking out on foot, and even worth driving down on
weekday mornings when it's blissfully uncrowded. Not to disappoint the little ones, but
Lombard Street isn't even the crookedest street in San Francisco (Vermont St. btw. 20th
and 22nd sts. in Potrero Hill is), but it is the most scenic. The zigzags were added in the
1920s, as the street's 27° pitch was too steep for cars. Cars are only permitted to descend,
but pedestrians can take the stairs on either side. The street is loveliest in spring, when
the hydrangeas are in bloom. A t all times of y ear it offers vie ws of Telegraph Hill and
Coit Tower.
Lombard St. (btw. Hyde and Leavenworth sts.)
Metreon All ages. This always-packed modern cement-and-glass enter tainment cen-
ter houses retail shops, an IMAX theater, 15 movie screens, an extensive arcade operated
by Tilt, and occasional museum-style exhibits. I n the center on the gr ound floor is an
interactive floor display with color ed lights that r eact to one 's mo vements and steps;
young kids can't seem to get enough of it. Among the choices in the ar cade, a favorite is
Hyperbowl, a futuristic, big-screen virtual game where players “bowl” through the streets
of San Francisco. Noisy and dark, the arcade is highly appealing to kids and young adults.
(Children under 18 have to be accompanied by an adult in this ar ea after 8pm.)
Among the few shops are three home-electronics stores. The PlayStation shop is always
crowded with kids of all ages tr ying the latest in video games, and gadget nuts can audi-
tion the latest and gr eatest in equipment at the S ony Style store. With a food cour t on
the lower level and Yerba Buena Center out the back, this complex is popular with teen-
agers from all over town.
101 4th St. (at M ission). & 415/369-6000. w ww.metreon.com. Free admission. I ndividual attrac tion
prices range fr om $6-$20. 10am-9pm Sun- Thurs; 10am-10pm F ri-Sat. For Tilt, call & 415/979-9163.
Muni: Any streetcar to Powell St. station.
6
The San Francisco Zoo All ages. Every child will love this fun, educational
menagerie. Established in 1929, San Francisco's 125-acre, oceanside zoo is continuously
adding to its impressive array of exhibits. Count on spending an entire morning or after-
noon here. If you've arrived in summer and found the zoo draped in fog, stop by the gift
shop to pick up an overpriced logo fleece. Rest assured that proceeds from the purchase,
or from any of the unusual gifts y ou might pick up there, go to a good cause.
For some r eason, my toddler 's favorite zoo animals ar e the pink flamingos. H e tries
mightily to climb into their swampy home, so we always have to pass by it carefully. His
older sisters pr efer the Lipman F amily Lemur F orest, which houses fiv e endanger ed
lemur species. Watch the lemurs leap among the tr ees and climb special to wers into
which visitors can hoist lemur-appropriate food. At the 3-acre “African Savanna” giraffes,
zebras, dik-diks, and other large mammals liv e together alongside color ful African bir d
species. Among the many other exhibits are the Hearst Grizzly Gulch, the world's largest
grizzly zoo environment; the D oelger Primate Discovery Center, housing some of the
earth's most endanger ed primates; an A ustralian walkabout featuring to kangar oos and
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