Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
39
lights, and check first to make sur e some
idiot isn't going to r un the r ed light. B e
especially car eful with buses, par ticularly
those making turns.
Children generally lo ve riding on the
streetcars and especially the cable cars.
Inside the M uni/BART underground sta-
tions, 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 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 danger ous.
Finally, we do have some dodgy neigh-
borhoods y ou might consider av oiding.
The Tenderloin (p. 53) isn't great, although
it is home to a huge immigrant population
that manages to live side by side with drug
addicts, hookers, and v agrants. E venings
are par ticularly r ough; daytime is okay .
Parts of Van N ess A venue, fr om Civic
Center to Broadway Street, are grimy, and
some medians ar e platforms for someone
asking for money . S ixth and S eventh
streets from Market Street east to Harrison
Street are home to an assor tment of folks
that aren't making a go of it in mainstream
society; this is an ar ea to av oid anytime,
day or night.
Like most of the world, S an Francisco
has long had its pr oblems with r esidents
who hav e dr ug and/or alcohol pr oblems,
who are mentally unstable, or who live on
the edge for other r easons. If you are not
panhandled at some point, at the very least
your children will ask you what's going on
with the crazy guy pushing a shopping cat
down the street. You'll have to make y our
own choices about giving alms or not; but
do be pr epared for questions fr om y our
kids. Consider it a learning experience.
2
7
WORDS OF WISDOM & HELPFUL
RESOURCES
FAMILY TRAVEL
My husband and I gr ew up mo ving from
one country and city to another. Our wan-
derlust did not end when our childr en
were born, and w e have taken them with
us to places near and far . Here are tips to
consider when vacationing with kids:
• Family v acations ar e about spending
time together and having fun. They
should not be a marathon to co ver as
much territor y as possible. P ick and
choose what you're going to see and do
so judiciously , keeping in mind that
you won't see and do everything.
• Tired people, no matter their age, ar
breakfast, schedule time for lunch, and
carry snacks with you.
• You may have arrived together, but you
needn't travel in a pack. If it's possible to
split up the kids among the adults to
give ev eryone a br eak, do so—ev en if
just for an hour . I t can also be a nice
opportunity to spend time alone with
your child.
• Be flexible and maintain a sense of
humor. If three cable cars packed to the
rafters hav e passed y ou b y, perhaps the
fates are telling y ou to walk. (S ee “Get-
ting Ar ound” in chapter 4 for mor
e
advice.)
• Plan something for ev eryone in y our
itinerary. If you want to analyze modern
art at the museum, that 's okay . J ust
reward kids for their patience b y spend-
ing the afternoon r
e
difficult to deal with, so keep the pace
slow, plan time to rest, and don't stay up
too late at night.
• Hungry people can be worse than tir ed
people, so star t the day with a good
owing boats on
