columbus capitol building 2 New Montgomery St. (at Market St.). &415/546-5089. www.gardencourt-restaurant.com. Kids menu, high

2 New Montgomery St. (at Market St.). &415/546-5089. columbus capitol building www.gardencourt-restaurant.com. Kids menu, highchairs, boosters. Reservations recommended. Tea service $40 $52; children s tea $32. AE, DC, MC, V. Sat 1 3pm. From first Fri after Thanksgiving through Dec tea is Mon Sat 2 4pm. Muni: Any streetcar to Montgomery St. Station.

Room configurations include double-doubles, but if y ou ar e coming to the city between November and April, ask about off-season rates for king pr emieres (a king-size bed and a sofa bed) or suites, which are sometimes available at excellent rates. The hotel s Cafe Pescatore (p. 131), specializing in reasonably-priced Italian fare, opens onto a pleasant outdoor dining area on the sidewalk.

blue hawaii helicopter Tango Gelato Finds ICE CREAM Like the U.S., Argentina has had its fair share of Italian immigrants a

1625 Post St. (at Laguna St.), San F rancisco, CA 94115. &800/533-4567 or 415/922-3200. Fax 415/6145498. www.jdvhotels.com/kabuki. 218 units, 15 suites. $129 $289 double; $209 $329 suit e. Kids under 17 stay free in parent s room. Rollaways $15; cribs free. AE, DC, DISC, MC, V. Valet parking $35/day, self- parking $15/night. Amenities: Restaurant; c oncierge; business c enter; fitness c enter; r oom ser vice (6:30am 11pm), laundry blue hawaii helicopter service; dry cleaning; club-level rooms. In room: A/C, TV, dataport, free wireless high-speed Internet access, fridge, tea kettle, hair dryer, iron, safe, iPod dock.

Tango Gelato Finds ICE CREAM Like the U.S., Argentina has had its fair share of Italian immigrants and, as a r esult, has a delicious array of gelaterias. F ortunately for San F ranciscans, one enterprising Argentine made his (v ery long) way up nor th and opened a gelateria in Pacific Heights. In addition to recognizable Italian flavors like nocciolo (hazelnut) and amaretto, you ll find luscious South American favorites like dulce de leche, an ultrasw eet caramel concoction, and coconut. You ll also find other Argentine specialties, such as alfajor cookies.

52 As I recall from my own visits to S an Francisco in b ygone y ears, teens feel a magnetic pull to this place. I f you have some with y ou, definitely blue hawaii helicopter hav e lunch here on y our way to or fr om G olden Gate Park, but, because the ar ea can be noisy, and a bit seedy, at night, blue hawaii helicopter I wouldn t recommend overnighting here.

North of Union Square, blue hawaii helicopter a short walk up Grant Street, is the entrance to Chinatown. The draw here for you and yours is the sights and sounds of a community that is steeped in local history but which pr eserves its unique for eign culture. Possible stops include the playgrounds at St. Mary s Square or Portsmouth Square, the Chinese Cultural Center, the Canton Bazaar, the Golden Gate Fortune Cookie Company, and lunch. blue hawaii helicopter

duck tours boston If you re staying in a hotel, ther e s a good chance y ou ll be near the P owell-Hyde cable car line

San Francisco occupies the northernmost tip of a 32-mile-long peninsula. Its western coast is battered by a chilly and unrelentingly forceful piece of the Pacific Ocean, while its eastern side looks out onto the calm waters of San Francisco Bay, the Bay Bridge, and the towns and mountains bey ond. To the nor th, the photogenic G olden Gate Bridge spans the tiny opening to the bay, less than 2 miles in length, and connects San Francisco to the picturesque hills of Marin County. San Francisco has its own share of hills, and as such offers visitors one fabulous vie w after another.

If you re staying in a hotel, ther e s a good chance y ou ll be near the P owell-Hyde cable car line. ( That said, if y ou re staying in Fisherman s Wharf, you may prefer to start this tour at stop no. 3 below and then fit in time for U nion Square after visiting Chinatown.) Your first stop , the cable car turnaround at the corner of M arket and Powell streets, is the hear t of San Francisco s shopping scene. G iven the ev er-present queue for the cable car , you ll want to get there early, which may mean y ou ll be out before the stores open. Even so, you ll enjoy people-watching, from local worker bees starting their day to other early-rising tourists to street duck tours boston performers getting ready to perform to the occasional odd bird carrying a sign lamenting the coming doomsday. duck tours boston It s certainly a lively spot to start your excursion. See p. 159.

ahi tours Hotel Del S ol Once upon a time, the D el Sol was a modest motel with the good fortune to be located

Hotel Del S ol Once upon a time, the D el Sol was a modest motel with the good fortune to be located in Cow Hollow, away from noisy Lombard Street. Then the clever hospitality company, Joie de Vivre, came along. Many gallons of bright yellow, green, and blue paint later, a star was born. She s even got the swimming pool, hammocks, and palm trees to pr ove it. M ost of the all-nonsmoking guest r ooms and suites surr ound a tiled,

1416 Powell St. (btw. Broadway and Vallejo sts.). &415/397-2290. http://licheegarden.citysearch.com. Highchairs. Reservations recommended. Main courses $5.50 $20. MC, V. Daily 11am 9:15pm. Muni: No. 30-Stockton or no. 45-Union-Stockton bus to Broadway.

JULY As the largest fr ee jazz festiv al on the west coast, stretching over 8 blocks, the Fillmore S treet J azz F estival draws more than 90,000 visitors o ver the July 4 w eekend. You can listen to music performed on sev eral stages, vie w ar t

30 traveling with a bab y, an easy-to-fold umbrella stroller will be the most practical piece of equipment. I f y ou can manage with a baby front pack or backpack, y ou ll be ev en better off. Toddlers ar e another issue. Since you really will need a stroller at some point during a walk, y ou ll hav e to practice r eleasing the closur e and folding the str oller while holding the child at the same time. This is ev en mor e fun if y ou have mor e than one small child to deal with.

capitol of washington dc The real treasures are the 12 suites located in the adjacent building on Chestnut Street. These are

The real treasures are the 12 suites located in the adjacent building on Chestnut Street. These are brightly decorated one- or two-bedroom apartments that are true homes-awayfrom- home, with living r ooms, fully equipped kitchens, and dining r ooms with wood flooring. The two-bedr oom suites hav e two bathr ooms, and one of the one-bedr capitol of washington dc oom rentals contains two double beds. Coin-operated washers and dr yers are on every floor. The trick is to reserve far in advance up to a year for visits over holidays. The Inn also discounts the suites an extra $25 per day for stays longer than 5 days.

four main courses. I f this family would have to pay $150 or mor e for a meal, I consider that r estaurant Very Expensive; from $100 to $150 Expensive; betw een $60 and $100, Moderate; under $60, Inexpensive. I ve included cafes, pizzerias, and casual, capitol of washington dc or der-at-the-counter places under the Inexpensive header, and restaurants that hav e positioned themselv es as combining high-quality ingr edients and value in the M oderate column. The Expensive category includes afternoon tea in hotels, usually costly , but delightful if you like that sort of thing. Very Expensive restaurants ar e for the ev enings y ou ve hired a bab ysitter, unless y ou re rearing a future J ulia Child or J acques P epin and wish to inspir e her or him. Tax in S an Francisco is 8.5%. Tip your server 15% to 20% for good to great service, and at your

andeantravelweb p. 80. If you want to do something silly with the kids, take them to the Tonga Room at the Fairmont

p. 80. If you want to do something silly with the kids, take them to the Tonga Room at the Fairmont H otel (950 Mason S t.; & 800/441-1414 or 415/772-5000) for appetizers and a mild tropical storm. See p. 94. Best Lobb y: I f the kids ar e into fair y tales, the Fairmont Hotel (950 Mason St.; & 800/441-1414 or 415/7725000) andeantravelweb will leave them waiting for Princess andeantravelweb Aurora to arrive. See p. 94. A close contender is the Palace Hotel (2 New Montgomery St., at Market St.; &415/ 546-5089); the ceiling of its historic Garden Court consists of 80,000 panes of glass. See p. 86. For the most stunning lobby in town, the truly opulent, yet tasteful, Ar t D eco inspired Four Seasons (757 Market St.; &415/6333000) tops the list. See p. 86. Best If You Have a C ar: F or stays around U nion S quare, the Galleria Park H otel (191 S utter S t.; & 800/ 792-9639 or 415/781-3060) is built over a par king garage, so it won t take long to r etrieve y ours. Like all do wntown hotels, parking charges are nuts $30 per day is av erage so it s not economical to par k her e, just conv enient. See p. 72. O ne car per r oom gets fr ee indoor par king at the Cow Hollow M otor I nn & S uites (2190 Lombard S t.; & 415/921-5800). See p. 97. A spot for y our car also comes courtesy of the Hotel Del Sol (3100 Webster S t.; & 877/433-5765 or 415/921-5520; p. 97) or the Marina Motel (2576 Lombard St.; &800/3466118 or 415/921-9406; p. 98). Best I f You B rought the D og: The Hotel Monaco (501 Geary St.; &800/ 214-4220 or 415/292-0100) has packages for pooches that riv al anything other hotels have for kids. I don t know if ther e s an underlying message ther e.

When y ou step out of the dar kened Exploratorium Hall into the light of day , take a moment to appr eciate the lo vely scenery at the Palace of Fine Arts (p. 161) abutting the E xploratorium. H ave y our kids look at the ducks and run on the grass before andeantravelweb heading nor th on B aker S treet, crossing M arina Boulev ard and continuing to the water s edge. Walk onto the breakwater, wher e y ou ll see the bizarr e Wave Organ (p. 202), created by scientists from the Exploratorium.

denure tours Note: Remember that many banks impose a fee every time you use a card at another bank s ATM, and tha

Note: Remember that many banks impose a fee every time you use a card at another bank s ATM, and that fee can be higher for international transactions (up to $5 or more) than for domestic denure tours ones (wher e they re rarely more than $3). I n addition, the bank fr om which y ou withdraw cash may charge its own fee. To compare banks ATM fees within the U.S., use www.bank rate.com. F or international withdrawal fees, ask your bank.

Expect cr owds ar ound F isherman s Wharf and on the F-M arket str eetcars. Book Alcatraz Island tickets at least 1 week ahead of time and, after 9am, expect to wait in long lines to boar d the P owell Street cable cars. Fortunately, because San Francisco sees fe wer conv entions in the summer, you may actually get better hotel rates at the business-oriented hotels downtown (although not at F isherman s Wharf).