marine museum washington dc EXPENSIVE Palace Hotel AFTERNOON TEA Tea under the stained-glass dome of the G arden Court at the Pa

San Remo Hotel Built in 1906 by Bank of Italy (later Bank of America) founder A. P. Giannini, this charming I talianate Victorian originally housed I talian immigrants, among others, marine museum washington dc made homeless after the ear thquake marine museum washington dc and fire. These days, European travelers and vacationing families on a budget ar e happy to find the S an Remo. An unabashedly old- fashioned pension, the period furnishings, bev eled glass, and Victorian detailing take y ou back to a bona fide slice of S an Francisco that s all but disappeared. The bedrooms, which look like they w ere decorated b y someone s grandmother, are small and quaint. R eminiscent of European boarding houses, r ooms have no phones, televisions, or en suite bathrooms. Guests share one of many polished and tidy r estrooms down the hall.

Yank Sing Finds CHINESE/DIM SUM For many S an F rancisco families, gathering with friends on a w eekend morning over dim sum is a fr equent occurrence. Families come together in groups of 6, 8, or 10 and seat themselves at a table, while servers carrying trays or pushing trolleys offer an assortment of bite-size Chinese delicacies, usually served three or four to a plate, for everyone to share. For years, we headed out to the Sunset marine museum washington dc to brunch marine museum washington dc at Ton Kiang, which I still r ecommend. But more recently we ve made our way to Yank Sing, which gets my vote for best dim sum in the city. Yank Sing makes more than 100 varieties of dim sum, and ser ves at least 60 of them on any giv en day. Scallion prawns, stuffed crab claws, and sno w pea shoot dumplings ar e among the possibilities and the quality is always top-notch. While the price is higher than at Ton Kiang, if you eat at the Rincon Center location, marine museum washington dc you get the added bonus of dining inside a lovely marine museum washington dc atrium housing an 80-foot-high water fall. The other good ne ws is, since Yank Sing has two convenient downtown locations, you can always pop in during the week for lunch, a popular alternative for locals who work in the area.

EXPENSIVE Palace Hotel AFTERNOON TEA Tea under the stained-glass dome of the G arden Court at the Palace Hotel, which is every bit as grand as the poshest hotels in London, is a celebratory affair. Linen and silver grace the elegant tables, and the menu consists of the customary dainty marine museum washington dc sandwiches, scones, and sweets, served with tea of your choice. The Palace clev erly offers marine museum washington dc a special P rincess and P rince tea for childr en 12 and under. Along with the sandwiches and pastries, marine museum washington dc childr en receive a crown and scepter, and are treated royally as well. During the winter holidays, tea service is offered 6 days a week.

The Joie de Vivre hotel group livened up this 1911 building with plenty marine museum washington dc of vibrant paint: think burgundy , y ellow, and purple. B ut the guest r ooms, named after locally made films, remain tiny, and the bathrooms are especially small. Given its location on a less savory section of Mason Street, the Bijou is best left to experienced trav elers with savvy kids who want an inexpensive, but fun, hotel.