Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
53
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 Cali-
fornia Palace of the Legion of H onor
museum in Lincoln P ark, the Cliff
House, and Land's End all hav e Rich-
mond District zip codes.
The Sunset District This is the city 's
other large r esidential ar ea, on the
southern side of G olden G ate Park. It
borders O cean B each, which can be
splendid on the few fogless days of sum-
mer. (It's more likely to be sunny in the
spring or early fall). J ust be war y of
ocean currents, which ar e dangerous at
all times of year, and especially so in fall
and winter . The San F rancisco Z oo
is the S unset's main visitor attraction,
followed by Stern Grove's summer S un-
day concerts or a hike at Fort Funston.
If y ou happen to take the N-J udah
streetcar to Golden Gate Park, you might
want to browse the stores and restaurants
along Irving Street and 9th Avenue. Like
the Richmond, this isn 't an ar ea most
people would choose to stay in because
it's too far from downtown.
The Tenderloin The blocks enclosed
by S utter and Taylor str eets and Van
Ness and Golden Gate avenues, directly
west of Union Square, are known as the
Tenderloin. This is home to r ecent
immigrants who ar e living alongside
massage parlors, flophouses, bars, and
individuals in various stages of deterio-
ration doing what they can to hold on.
It's rough. This is no place to r oam in
the evening, with or without childr en,
so I don't recommend choosing a hotel
in this neighborhood. The one hav en
very worth dropping by is Glide Memo-
rial Chur ch on O'F arrell and J ones
streets. S unday ser vices ar e ey e-open-
ing—old-fashioned sermonizing, r ous-
ing music, and a cr
3
oss-section of
residents.
2 PLANNING YOUR OUTINGS
Successful touring with kids r equires pr eplanning or an extr emely mello w attitude, and
preferably both. (I n fact, an extr emely mellow attitude is as impor tant as a warm jacket.)
Deciding beforehand, even the night before, what you'd like to do each day is much prefer-
able to winging it. Otherwise, you're going to waste time debating whether to go to Fisher-
man's Wharf or the zoo or Chinatown and not be prepared for any of them. Above, I listed
some suggested itineraries that should help y ou plan your time in San Francisco.
Before you arrive in San Francisco, spend some time with the kids talking about the
activities and attractions the city has to offer and make a list that includes both adult-
oriented and kid-oriented sites. M ake a family calendar , but don 't o verschedule; one
outing in the morning and one in the afternoon is enough, because playing tourist can
be exhausting. O nce you've all had some input into deciding wher e to go and what to
do, give everyone old enough to carr y a backpack a copy of the itinerar y. That way, if
someone star ts to whine about going to their chosen attraction, y ou can point to the
calendar and remind them that their time will come. This advice is good no matter what
ages your kids are, assuming that they are old enough to state an opinion.
 
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