national mall memorials Parts of Van N ess A venue, fr om Civic 39 Center to Broadway Street, are grimy, and some medians ar

The hotel s restaurant serves all day in a spor ts-bar-like atmosphere surrounded by a total of 28 TVs, one of them measuring a whopping 126 inches. O lder kids will enjo y the game room, complete with two pool tables, shuffleboar d, and arcade machines. The staff is friendly and helpful, especially the concierge, who will provide you with discount coupons for whar f attractions. Look for r oom deals on the H yatt w ebsite, but don t expect attractive weekend rates. Weekends here see high occupancy.

555 C olumbus A ve. (bt w. Union and Gr een sts.). &415/362-7727. Reser vations not ac cepted. H igh-129 chairs. M ain c ourses national mall memorials $12 $17. MC, V. M on Sat 11:30am 9pm. Muni: P owell-Mason cable car or no. 30-Stockton bus to Union St.

Parts of Van N ess A venue, fr om Civic 39 Center to Broadway Street, are grimy, and some medians ar e platforms for someone asking for money. S ixth and S eventh streets from Market Street east to Harrison Street are home to an assor tment of folks that aren t making a go of it in mainstream society; this is an ar ea to av oid anytime, day or night.

I ve made an effort to provide some insights in this book that will make y our family s stay in S an Francisco more rewarding and memorable. Visits to the city s most famous attractions will certainly be enjoyable, but I hope that you take the time to stray off the beaten path if ev en just a little. When in F isherman s Wharf, consider skipping the T-shirt shops and candy vendors of PIER 39 and heading instead to the Hyde Street Pier, where you can get a r eal sense of the city s seafaring past (while national mall memorials the kids climb all o ver antique ships). I n Chinato wn, go ahead and check out the color ful tourist stor es on