In a way, San Francisco has a natural predisposition for the fantastical—a city built on vertiginous terrain and linked by suspended bridges, the land of candy-colored Victorian houses perched defiantly on a precarious fault line. Fitting, given its perennial status as a mecca for dream chasers: the gold and, later, silicon seekers, and the hippies and the beats, who gave poetic stimulus to a cultural revolution. Today, 100 years after the earthquake that caused the city to rebuild itself in richly varied ways, the narrow, crooked streets still resist the pomp of modern boulevards, while the phenomenal food scene and one-of-a-kind shops make a trip—even if it's your second or third—worth it. And when you go with little ones, the ferries, cable cars, and green spaces that dot almost every one of the city's neighborhoods take on a new and joyous meaning. Here, Cookie presents three itineraries that feed the hearts and bellies of both parent and child. After sampling them, you may understand why Rudyard Kipling wrote that San Francisco "has only one drawback—'tis hard to leave."
San Francisco Guide
From its frontier roots to its newly restored waterfront, the hilly City by the Bay offers families a lush panorama of things to see, eat, and experience.
By Melissa Ceria
Click on the links below for dining, shopping, and things to do in the city's most kid-friendly neighborhoods:
Cole Valley/Duboce Park
Downtown/Hayes Valley
The Waterfront
San Francisco 411
Left: A trolley car glides past the Ferry Building on the Embarcadero.
Photo: Jack Coble
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