Family Weekend in San Francisco

Hotel Adagio

Hotel | "Convenient, Comfortable and Affordable"

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We did a lot of searching on the internet before choosing this hotel. There's a lot of choice in San Francisco and this combined what we wanted. First was location. We wanted to be in the Union Square area since this was a first visit for our children so it put us in the area we most wanted to be for sight seeing, shopping and restaurants.Second, we wanted a boutique hotel. Not too many rooms, and clean modern looking.Third was price. The hotel website provided a good rate for two rooms so we opted for one deluxe and one suite. The rooms were spacious and comfortable. We were lucky with the weather and even had to use the air conditioning but could also open the la...Read More

Member Rating 4 out of 5 on November 17, 2008

Hotel Adagio
550 GEARY ST
San Francisco, California 94102
415-775-5000

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Boulevard Restaurant

Restaurant | "Our favourite Restaurant"

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We had dinner at Boulevard, which according to Google maps, was 1.5 miles from our hotel near the Embarcadero waterfront. The sun had set by the time we walked to the restaurant and we enjoyed the street lights and lively crowds on the streets in the Union Square area. Closer to Boulevard, it was quieter as the office towers were empty and there were fewer people walking outside. Boulevard is located in the 1889 French-style Audiffred Building one of the few buildings spared from the 1906 earthquake. Its interior is Paris Belle Epoque with a long narrow room, hand-blown art nouveau glass light fixtures, pressed tin, steel girders and artisan ironwork throughout. The look is warm and stylis...Read More

Member Rating 5 out of 5 on November 17, 2008

Boulevard Restaurant
1 Mission Street
San Francisco, California 94105
(415) 543-6084

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Farallon

Restaurant | "Unique Decor, Good Food"

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We had dinner at Farallon, which is barely two blocks from Hotel Adagio in the Union Square area. We made a reservation online at Open Table before we traveled to San Francisco. The restaurant was recommended for seafood or as the restaurant call it, coastal cuisine.The under the sea decor is very unique. The Oyster Bar is in the front next to the reception area and has jelly fish chandeliers. It very much sets the rather fantasy like look of the place. Next is the Nautilus Room with six booths surrounding a sea pillar and the main dining area called the Pool Room has a mosaic ceiling featuring mermaids and sea urchin lights. The overall effect is rather charming and comfortable....Read More

Member Rating 3 out of 5 on November 17, 2008

Farallon
450 Post St
San Francisco, California 94102
+1 415 956 6969

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Asian Art Museum

Attraction | "So Much to Look At"

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We have been to SF Museum of Modern Art a number of times so thought we would try looking at some other museums. Since we were walking along Market Street near the Civic Center, we decided to take a look at the Asian Art Museum. The exhibits in the museum cover a number of countries and civilizations in Asia over a great span of time. There is way too much to see in one visit. We toured most of the Japan, China, India and Java exhibits and the special exhibit on the Ming Dynasty in China but it was a lot to absorb. Everything from statutes from Indian temples, very unique and somewhat scary knives from Java, ethereal water colours from China, and exquisite gowns from Japan with so many oth...Read More

Member Rating 3 out of 5 on November 17, 2008

Asian Art Museum
200 Larkin Street
San Francisco, California 94102
+1 415 668 8921

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Blazing Saddles Bike Rentals and Tours

Attraction | "Fun and Not Too Challenging"

Quote:

Biking across the bridge if the sun is shining or at least, no rain is falling, combines exercising off some of the calories everyone puts on as they enjoy the bounty of San Francisco cuisine, an opportunity for great views of the Bay, a close up of the Golden Gate Bridge, and a stroll around Sausalito.Blazing Saddles is one of many companies offering bike rentals but they seem to have the most numerous locations. When we went to lock our bikes in the bike rack at Sausalito, it looked like a Blazing Saddles rental location. But I’m getting ahead of myself. Renting a bike is quite painless. We went to one of the many locations at the piers. Fill out the form, pay and they outfit...Read More

Biking across the bridge if the sun is shining or at least, no rain is falling, combines exercising off some of the calories everyone puts on as they enjoy the bounty of San Francisco cuisine, an opportunity for great views of the Bay, a close up of the Golden Gate Bridge, and a stroll around Sausalito.

Blazing Saddles is one of many companies offering bike rentals but they seem to have the most numerous locations. When we went to lock our bikes in the bike rack at Sausalito, it looked like a Blazing Saddles rental location. But I’m getting ahead of myself.

Renting a bike is quite painless. We went to one of the many locations at the piers. Fill out the form, pay and they outfit you with the right size bike, helmet and bike lock. You can either pay by the hour or for the day. We didn’t need to pre-book on the Friday we decided to cycle across the GG bridge.

The ride from the waterfront to the bridge is very picturesque with a few steep but mercifully short hills. Once on the bridge, the trick is to manage the crowds. Soo many people wandering along, three bodies wide, oblivious to those of us on bicycles coming from behind them or trying to squeeze past baby carriages and bikes that have stopped to enjoy the views.

The route that day was on the east side, so with the clear skies, the view was outstanding. We stopped along the way to watch dolphins. I don’t like heights so was not certain I would enjoy the bridge crossing but found it no problem at all as long as I didn’t stop next to the railings and look down, way down. We had another warm sunny day and were fortunate we had put on sunscreen before we set out.

The trip does not take long. We left Pier 41 about 10 a.m. and were in Sausalito by about 11:15 a.m. Once in Sausalito, there are a number of shops to explore and numerous restaurants on the waterfront. As mentioned earlier, there are bike racks to lock your bike to if you can find the room among all the other Blazing Saddles bikes. We had lunch in Sausalito at Horizons restaurant which is situated along the waterfront. We sat on the patio under an umbrella and cooled off while still enjoying a beautiful view of the water and San Francisco skyline in the distance. We all had salads which were fresh and tasty. Service was good and we were finished our meals before 12:30. We strolled into a few shops then caught the 1:20 p.m. ferry back to Pier 41. As we were waiting on the ferry, we could see the fog rolling down towards the GG Bridge and into the bay. It was a very dramatic sight for us who are landlocked in a dry climate and even more fascinating to ride the ferry through the fog which took us from very warm sunshine to cool damp air, then back out again to sunshine as we approached Pier 41.

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Member Rating 4 out of 5 on November 17, 2008

Blazing Saddles Bike Rentals and Tours
2715 Hyde Street
San Francisco, California 94109
(415) 202-8888

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San Francisco Journals

Family Weekend in San Francisco

Hotel Adagio

Boulevard Restaurant

Farallon

Asian Art Museum

Blazing Saddles Bike Rentals and Tours

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