Breakfast at Fisherman's Wharf

I recommend two places for breakfast around the San Francisco Fisherman's Wharf area.  If you also want an Irish coffee with your brunch, then you must not miss the Buena Vista, where the Irish coffee was invented (or at least popularized).  

Sometimes, though, you just want a simple waffle or omlette to start the day.  If that's the case, then check out Joanie's Happy Days Diner at 1329 Columbus in San Francisco.  We'll post some pictures in a later post.  

Children are welcome at both places.

Japanese Tea Garden in San Francisco

Visit the Japanese Tea Garden in San Francisco for a romantic walk and tea.  The garden is in the heart of Golden Gate Park.  It is the oldest public Japanese garden in the U.S.  Or, you can join them for a Japanese tea ceremony every Wednesday by appointment. 

Ice skating at Union Square in San Francisco

Today, January 16th,  is the last day to ice skate at Union Square.  The hours today were 10:00AM to 11:30PM (so there are still a few hours to skate)!  The website is unionsquareicerink.com.  Ninety minute sessions start every even hour.

We went ice skating there today.  Lots of couples were skating -- but of course ice skating is only a romantic activity if both parties know how to skate!  This is especially a great place to visit during the holiday season.  Though I have to say visiting today, a few weeks after the holidays, was nice; not quite as packed with people.

Union Square is a great place to shop, eat, and stay!  Here are a few of my top ten favorites besides ice skating.  I'll write about some of these in more detail in future posts.

* Lunch at the Rotunda in Neiman Marcus, visit opentable.com for reservations

* Stay at the Westin St. Francis

* Visit the Clock Bar (in the St. Francis) for cocktails  (very modern; adults only)

* Have a adult dinner at the Bourbon Steak restaurant (Michael Mina's new restaurant) (not child friendly, very dark as well as quiet)

* Visit the Oak Restaurant for dinner (including with children).  They have yummy mac and cheese, french onion soup, awesome crab chowder, as well as cheese cake.

* Children love riding the elevator to the 32nd floor.  Could be romantic for a couple too (though you wouldn't ride it up and down three times like a 3-year-old might).

* Shopping at Victoria Secret inside the St. Francis.

* Visit the annual tree trimming after Thanksgiving.

* Visit cafe inside Union Square for a rich hot chocolate.

* Shop at Tiffany's.

* Dancing at the Starlite Room at the top of the Sir Francis Drake Hotel.

P.S.  If you want some romantic ideas of things to do in San Francisco, watch The Bachelor episode for tonight, January 16th.  They are in San Francisco and staying in one of my favorite hotels, The Fairmont.
You can watch this episode on Hulu.com starting tomorrow.  Last Monday, they visited Sonoma in the wine country.

Note - my husband and I agree that climbing to the top of the Bay Bridge is NOT a romantic idea.  That was a Bachelor FAIL!  Fun to watch...

San Francisco's North Beach

Tourists visiting San Francisco tend to gravitate toward three areas for hotel accommodations:

(1) Union Square;

(2) Nob Hill;

(3) Fisherman's Wharf.

We suggest an alternative -- especially for young couples who want to really experience San Francisco:  try North Beach!

North Beach is one of the most exciting neighborhoods in San Francisco.  It was once a primarily Italian neighborhood, and it still has a "Little Italy" sort of flavor -- lots of Italian restaurants and Italian cafes.  Tour buses pass through North Beach constantly.  But, it seems like few tourists take the time to really stop and walk around.  And they just don't typically stay there because the neighborhood doesn't have large hotels.

But, North Beach DOES have hotels.  We recommend the Hotel Boheme.  The hotel is at 444 Columbus Avenue, which is right in the heart of North Beach.

The small entrance looks like a door to an apartment.  The neighborhood has an amazing night-life, people are walking around constantly, and so they keep the door locked 24/7 for security.  You seriously would not even know it was a door to a hotel unless you were looking for it.  The entrance is literally right next to Calzone, an Italian restaurant with a big neon sign and tables on the street (decent food; really more about atmosphere though).  Steps lead up to a 2nd floor landing, where the hotel makes complimentary drinks (think sherry or port) available for guests.  The front desk is down a short hall.

Rooms are on the 2nd and 3rd floor.  You can ask for a quiet room, which face inward; the interior rooms are built close together around an outdoor shaft that gives daylight to the rooms (can't call it a courtyard because it is too small).  Or, you can get a room that faces right out onto busy Columbus Avenue and get the full North Beach experience; people-watching, night-life -- you are right in the very thick of everything here.

The clean rooms themselves are pretty small.  They include queen-size beds.  They have a small television.  They are decorated with pictures from the Beat era -- North Beach is where Beat was born.

The small size of the rooms doesn't matter.  You are NOT staying in North Beach to stay in your room.  You're staying in North Beach to be a part of the City.  Take part in the nightlife.  Visit some of the epic night-spots in the neighborhood.  Visit Cafe Trieste, which is probably the best cafe in San Francisco.  Head down to the birthplace of Beat -- City Lights Bookstore.  Beat authors used to stay at the hotel in the 50s, when it was more of a boarding house.  The Hotel Boheme is right in the middle of everything.     

Here's a view of the Hotel Boheme from across the street.  You can see the name at the top of the building.  If you're walking past the hotel, you probably wouldn't notice that it was a hotel at all:

 Photo of Alan Ginsberg, Neal Cassady, and others, hanging in the bathroom of our room:

Lampshade by the bed:

Hallway leading to the front desk:

Stairs leading to 3rd floor (we stayed over New Year's Eve, explaining the balloons):

Happy New Year!

We wish you all a happy and healthy 2012!

Train of Lights - Niles Canyon Railway

Here's a post that's intended more for families with kids, rather than just couples.  The Niles Canyon Railway is one of the great hidden gems of the Bay Area.  It describes itself as "a railroad museum where the exhibits come to life," which is entirely accurate.  The Railway operates vintage railroad equipment along the Niles Canyon between Fremont and Sunol.

Each November and December, the Railway operates the Train of Lights.  The old trains are strung with holiday lights on the inside and out.  The trains are full of kids and parents; it is a really great, mellow way to spend a late afternoon with the family over the holidays.  

Two trains operate each night -- one leaves from Niles in Fremont at 4:15pm.  The other leaves from Sunol at 7:15pm (heading in the other direction).  The ride usually lasts around 90 minutes.  This seems to be just about the right amount of time for this sort of thing; by the end of the ride, most kids are ready to get going.  Tickets are $25 (early in the season you can get reserved seating, or even rent out an entire train car/caboose for a private party).

We recommend the 4:15 train out of the Niles station.  You get to enjoy the ride in the daylight, looking at the scenery along the steep Niles Canyon.  You can see the river, the steep hillsides, the old train equipment on parallel tracks, and the equipment yard (which is also the turn-around point for the train).  By the time you get back to the station, it is dark; you can see the amazing lights on the outside of the train.      

Here's a view of our train car:    

Facing the other direction:

Here's a shot of the canyon:

Argonaut Hotel, Fisherman's Wharf, San Francisco: The Pictures

Pictures from our stay at the Argonaut Hotel, between Ghiradelli Square and Pier 39 on San Francisco's Fisherman's Wharf:

The distinctive Argonaut star pillow in the room:

A seashell display on the 4th floor, by the elevators:

Down in the lobby -- a tic-tac-toe board game, which our 3 1/2-year-old son loved:

Festive lobby pics:

Toasty fire and interesting clock in the comfy lobby:

Another pic of the distinctive star on the bed: