For the Active Family - San Francisco with Kids - page 224

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Across the bridge, Sea Trek, on Schoonmaker Point near the Bay Model in Sausalito
( & 415/488-1000 or 415/332-4465; www .seatrekkayak.com), kids as y oung as 6 can
join their parents in a two- or thr ee-person kayak and S ea Trek personnel will join y ou
on Sunday family tours around Sausalito, Angel Island, or in Tomales Bay. The cost runs
from $65 to $75 for adults and $30 to $45 for kids 12 and under . Alternatively, rental
rates for ar e $20/hour for single kayaks and $35/hour for double kayaks. P hone for

details.
KITE FLYING
The Marina Green is one of the best places to fly a kite anywhere. On most windy after-
noons, you'll see an impressive array of multi-colored stunt kites, complemented b y the
breathtaking bay and bridge views. Unfortunately, there is no place to rent kites, but you
should be able to find one to buy that will fit in y our suitcase when it 's time to head
home. The Warming Hut in Crissy Field sells smallish kites, or you could pick one up at
the Chinatown Kite Shop (p. 245). (Although the Safeway supermarket across the street
from the Marina Green ought to sell kites, don't waste your time asking. They don't.)
If you are really into kiting, then you may want to head east across the bay. The Berke-
ley Marina's Cesar Chavez Park is world renowned for kite flying, and hosts the interna-
tional Berkeley Kite Festival ( & 415/235-5483; www.highlinekites.com) for two days in
July.

SKATEBOARDING
San Francisco remains a renowned skateboarding destination—despite the city 's serious
efforts recent years to get skaters off the str eets. San Francisco even has a skateboar ding
task force. Why the city considers y oung teens getting ex ercise a pr oblem is unclear. It
did create a 150-squar e-foot skate par k in C rocker Amazon Park, but it 's practically in
San Mateo County: No self-respecting skateboarder uses it. In 2008, the city inaugurated
the Potrero del Sol Skate Park (at 25th and U tah sts.); Mayor Gavin Newsom attended
the opening ev ent. The new park has been w ell received by skateboarders, but it 's in a
sketchy neighborhood. Frankly, some skaters still prefer public streets. While Pier 7 had
been thoroughly “skate-stopped” (filled in with bumps and ridges on the ledges, stairs,
and any other slide-able sur face), you can still find plenty of skaters doing tricks in the
plaza in front of the F erry Building. Skaters can also be found, in the w ee hours of the
night, at Union Square and at 3rd and Army streets.

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SKIING & SNOWBOARDING
With world-class skiing just a fe w hours' drive away, it's no wonder so many B ay Area
residents are avid skiers. The biggest resorts are Squaw Valley ( & 530/583-6985; www.
squaw.com) on Lake Tahoe's nor th shor e and Heavenly ( & 775/586-7000; www.ski
heavenly.com) on the south side. O ther good, medium-sized ski resorts include North-
star-at-Tahoe ( & 800/466-6784; www.skinorthstar.com), east of Tahoe City , and
Sugarbowl ( & 530/426-9000; www.sugarbowl.com), off Highway 80 a good half-hour
closer to San Francisco than most Tahoe resorts.
If y ou ar e trav eling with kids who don 't need to ski double black-diamond slopes,
consider some of the smaller, truly family-oriented ski areas. Lift tickets are cheaper, and
the overall feel is more personal. Tahoe Donner ( & 530/587-9400; www.tahoedonner.
com) is a quaint, family-oriented r esort northwest of Lake Tahoe, and, on the N evada
side, petite Mt. R ose ( & 800/754-7673; www .mtrose.com) is one of our fav orite
mountains—combining a laid-back attitude and kid-friendly slopes with a few steep runs