Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
65
art in the countr y, and is housed in an
impressive building designed b y the Swiss
architect M ario Botta. I f the kids ar
However, if the kids ar e old enough to be
studying civic history or even architecture,
I recommend hopping on a M arket Street
streetcar and heading to the Civic Center ,
built in the grand Beaux Arts style follow-
ing the devastating 1906 earthquake. Sim-
ply walking ar ound the impr essive
buildings—including the SF P ublic
Library's main branch, the Asian Ar t
Museum, and City Hall—is enough. Your
kids may be inter ested to kno w that the
dome of City H all is taller than the U.S.
Capitol building.
Note:
I f it 's late in the
day befor e y ou leav e S oMa, skip this
stop. The Civic Center gets dodgy at
night.
e
tired—or not big museum-goers—head
straight to the permanent collection on
the second floor . The wacky Warhols,
playful Pollocks, and magical M atisses are
sure to perk them up. You'll also see some
impressive sculptures and a Calder mobile
or two. See p. 182.
8
Yerba Buena Gardens & Center
for the Arts
In addition to a 775-seat theater , art gal-
leries, and a 5-acre garden, you'll also find
a children's playground, an antique carou-
sel, and other family-friendly attractions
here. I f y ou hav e time, pop into Z eum,
where the kids can make their o wn clay-
mation-style film clips or cr eate their own
cartoon character. If you want some down-
time, have the kids play at the playground
or enjoy the fountain dedicated to M artin
Luther King, Jr., while you savor the inter-
esting architectural vantage points offer ed
in this urban oasis.
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Civic Center
You may want to end y our tour in S oMa.
After all, y ou've seen a lot in thr ee days.
0
ZUNI CAFÉ
Since y ou visit ed the F erry Building and
saw ho w seriously San F ranciscans take
their food, you might as w ell visit one of
the first r estaurants in t own dev oted t o
delicious, unc omplicated c ooking using
local, seasonal ing redients (p. 132). F or a
more casual dinner , tr y the off erings at
Frjtz,
which include crisp y Belg ian fries ,
salads, and crepes (p. 133).
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