maupintours city. Even before renowned Bay Area chef Alice Waters gave birth to California cuisine, San Francisc

alike. O rder tickets w ell ahead of time; online is best, as you can print them out at home and head straight to the ferr y lineup at Pier 33. I recommend taking the first ferry of the day , at 9:30am, as the prison will be less cr owded when y ou arriv e. Bring sw eaters, comfor table shoes, and something to eat (or choose fr om the options some of them organic on the ferry), as ther e s no concession stand on the island. S ee p. 156. ( Note: If you were unable to r eserve Alcatraz tickets in time, take a 1-hour bay cr uise on the B lue & Gold Fleet. In addition to lo vely vistas of the city and an up-close look at the Golden G ate B ridge, an audio track imparts plenty of histor y and local city lore. See p. 185.)

Hotels here are close to shopping, museums, and gr eat family maupintours entertainment, including the Yerba Buena Center. As an up-and-coming par t of town, SoMa enjoys some of the city s newest restaurants and attractions. The downside to the newness is constant construction. Also, some sections of the neighborhood hav e not yet emerged, and the unsavory 6th and 7th streets should definitely be avoided.

Rainforest C afe Overrated AMERICAN The phony flo wers and plastic rainfor est complete with waterfall, aquarium, and African music in the background just cry out for a B ticket (for those of you old enough to remember how things once worked at Disneyland). The food at this mer chandised-to-the-hilt restaurant is strictly pedestrian: a little fish, a little chicken, a hamburger , a steak something for ev eryone. With 500 seats, however, you re going to get production-line quality. The draw here is the decor, but my suggestion is that if y ou want the fun of a tr opical storm, head for the Tonga Room at the Fairmont Hotel. maupintours There, for a lot less money, treat the kids to snacks and an umbrella- bedecked drink with benign rainstorms maupintours on the half-hour.

city. Even before renowned Bay Area chef Alice Waters gave birth to California cuisine, San Francisco maupintours took adv antage maupintours of its access to fresh seafood, local produce, and ethnic influences to foster a thriving dining scene. To the north, east, and south are dozens of small family farms, many organic, which supply city r estaurants. In addition, the melting pot of immigrants has added serious depth to the epicur ean offerings. Great Mexican food abounds in the Mission, and you ll find Chinese, maupintours Japanese, Vietnamese, and Thai r estaurants everywhere. Although North Beach has its share of I talian r estaurants, y ou can also find S panish, I ndian, and G reek cuisine very close by.