Leila wrote:
> You should check out chowhound.com for restaurant ideas. They are more
> active than ba.food and you'll see lots of reviews and suggestions.
> We're not into high rent restaurants particularly, although we did have
> a memorable meal at Fringale, a bistro South of Market that the French
> chefs at the Culinary Academy adore. The food was delicious, the
> service correct but friendly, the atmosphere relaxed.
>
> As for what to do for a week - go to the California Historical Society
> and get a book of walking tours of San Francisco. Get a bus pass and
> ride cable cars and busses for a day. Take a foodie walking tour of
> Chinatown (I mean to do that myself one of these days). Go to the
> Saturday farmer's market at the Ferry BUilding, natch. Ride the ferry
> to Tiburon or Sausalito.
>
> I like walking around Russian Hill, North Beach, Cow Hollow, Pacific
> Heights - but the neighborhoods are too numerous to name. Recently we
> popped into the SF Art Institute on Russian Hill at about 9 pm on a
> Saturday night, wandered around the edges of a truly fabulous rooftop
> wedding, wandered through the halls to a courtyard with a Moorish
> fountain, looked at art in studios and galleries, gazed at the
> sparkling lights on the Bay from the roof. It's a special place, and
> the cafeteria (great views) is open to the public. The whole thing is
> open to the public, seemingly all night long. Don't know how they do
> it.
>
> You'll want to go to Muir Woods, and if you do rent a car for the day,
> wander the Marin headlands maybe, or take a bus out there and do it on
> foot or by bike (warning you, it's not for amateurs).
>
> A tour to Sonoma would be nice (I prefer it to Napa, Sonoma town is old
> and walkable and quaint, the winery scene not so vast and honky tonk as
> Napa) so you don't have to do the driving, if you're tasting.
>
> Don't forget to check out the Mission - including Valencia and other
> nearby streets - active restaurant scene, including various Spanish and
> South American restaurants. Mariachis wander at night, playing for
> tips. I lived in NYC in the old days so I don't find the Mission
> daunting but be aware that it's very urban and has lots of street
> people.
>
> Ethnic food I like: fast tandoor and curry places like Naan n Curry or
> Pakwan - these are local "chains" with several branches; Vietnamese
> sandwich shops and restaurants in the Tenderloin. But chowhound folks
> have more knowledge than I do.
>
> You may find it fun to visit the California Culinary Academy for lunch
> or dinner - call ahead to find out their schedule, they are sometimes
> closed for holidays, and rarely serve meals on weekends. The main
> dining room (used to be called the Careme Room, might have changed) is
> an old theater, enormous, two levels, with glassed in kitchens in the
> wings and the former stage. The food is showy and can be uneven but the
> setting is high energy - 700 chef students create a lot of buzz! It's a
> fun thing to do, close to Civic Center, the Opera and Ballet.
>
> These are thoughts off the top of my head, from a person who lives
> across the bay and wishes I could get to SF for pleasure more often. If
> you want an exhaustive list of what to do there with 5 year olds, ask
> me.
>
> Leila
>

Wow Leila!
Thank you so much!

What terriffic suggestions!
I'm going to go play at chowhound.com (I've never visited there before).
Since I've finally become part of the digital generation (I love my
Digital Rebel), it looks like there won't be a shortage of photo ops.

Great art with a great view (the SF Art Institute) sounds like a gem.
Oh the CCA for lunch - how fun!

Since I've done zero preparation - other than the hotel and airline
tickets - this is a treat!

Um, pass on the list of what to do with 5 year olds (thanks for the
offer though!). All our kids are quite furry and have a sitter take
care of them while we're away. And no, we're not a family of
werewolves. (wink)

patrice