Quick San Francisco Weekend

Visit the Exploratorium if you have the chance. It's a great place for families, kids, and big kids (adults). Just about every exhibit is interactive, informative, and fun! They have free parking available.

Quick Tips:

Map out your routes of travel ahead of time since many streets are one-way. It's very easy getting around the city, but it's not always fun with motorists who don't know where they're going or what street is going which way.

Best Way To Get Around:

Walking is the easiest. Driving isn't that bad, but parking can be pretty expensive.

One of my top requirements for going back to a hotel is that I get a good night pf rest. Since the answer in this case was no, I would venture to try other hotels again before going back to the Sheraton. While it could have just been a fluke and only my room, I still slept horribly.

The service and cleanliness on the other hand was impeccable. First off, when my husband and I checked in and were given our room keys, we were surprised they put us in a room with two double beds. I've been to many hotels that will ask what we prefer and in this case I didn't even think to specify a queen/king versus two double beds. After we walked back to the front desk and said, "My husband and I were given a room with two double beds," the lady was already clicking her computer to see if a room with a king was available. There was and so we moved. It was spacious and comfortable with a king bed in the middle, armoire with a TV across from it, and against the window was a small table and chairs. There was a desk with internet cable hookup across from the table, next to the bed. There was a small coffee maker with coffee, which was a nice touch. The view we had was of the courtyard.

The reason we slept horribly was there was no sound insulation. There was quite a big gap of space around the door and we could hear people closing their doors, talking, and walking in the halls, and even at some point, glasses clinking. It sounded like there was an elephant in the room above ours. The ceiling constantly creaked whenever they moved. Literally, I thought someone was pacing above us. Unfortunately for us, he/she was an extremely early riser. I can't remember when I've been in a place that the sounds carried through the walls so easily. I really expected more from a Sheraton in that regard. For me, no amount of service and cleanliness can make up for an awful night’s sleep.

The location is on Taylor Street with a view of a popular and busy area in the wharf and harbor. The restaurant is on the third floor, so not only is the view great, but it's secluded from the hustle and bustle of the tourists. The atmosphere was lively, but low key. The lighting was low, so it could easily be very intimate and romantic. I requested a private, secluded table a month in advance and got exactly that.

The food was divine. It's a type of restaurant where you want to partake of a multi-course meal (appetizer, main dish, and dessert) as the portions are adequate, but meant to be enjoyed for full-course dining. I'd definitely recommend the Mahi Mahi and for a dessert the cup of molten chocolate (I've never had anything quite like that).

The one downside and perhaps this was because we were at a private table away from the main activity of diners, was that our waiter was slow. The bus boy was great and always refilling our water; while I didn't want to overburden him with requests that the waiter should have taken care of, he was at our table more often then the waiter. However, that didn't diminish our enjoyment of the meal or the restaurant.