The Spanish Speaking Side of 24th Street

La Victoria Mexican Bakery, 2937 24th Street @ Alabama, San Francisco
415.642.7120, Map it here.

Mini Park: 24th and York, Map it here.

Parking:  Metered parking on 24th St. and street parking in the vicinity.

Neighborhood: La Misión

Many of you know well the child friendly 24th Street of Noe Valley – the one with a playground, many eateries, little stores and sweet shops… Now translate that list into Spanish and on the East of Mission side of this street you will find all of these same diversions, but with a whole lot of Hispanic flair!   The streets may have a bit more grit and gum on them, but they are tree lined, full of energy and make for a pleasant stroll as you admire murals and window shop while exposing your child to one of the most interesting, oldest and richest neighborhoods in our diverse town.

Who Me?!

We recommend starting a 24th Street excursion with the famous La Victoria Bakery, a family owned and operated establishment since 1951.  They specialize in pan dulce, an authentic Mexican sweet bread treat, not quite as buttery as pastries and much more colorful.   The shop is full of character, as is the sidewalk right outside, and may suddenly feel transported to Mexico upon entry.  Their extensive menu includes licquados, Mexican milk shakes – a great choice for children as they are made by blending fresh milk with fruit.  The sign outside boasts they that serve tamales – a quick and easy lunch to go with some pan dulce – ask for the daily tamale selection when you come in.  La Victoria also hosts classroom field trips, where owner Jaime Maldonado, previously a main figure on a local Spanish speaking television show, demonstrates how the ingredients combine to make pan dulce and lets each child decorate his or her own treat to take home.  (Call for more information if you are interested in planning a field trip.  Usually field trips are geared towards Dia de los Muertos, around Halloween time).

Nice Dragon . . . nice Dragon . . .

After you wipe off your crumbs, get walking and about two and a half blocks east you will find the another colorful sight – the Mini Park (on 24th St. between Bryant and York St.).  Detailed artwork makes this gem pop out like a speckled rainbow of glittery sunshine.  Recently remodeled, this park is the only place in town we know that allows children full permission to play on gorgeous tiled mosaic artwork!!  Yes, the park still has the normal plastic structures, benches and all the fixings, but this playground is a unique setting – the walls surrounding the park are filled with brightly colored murals and the tiled mosaic structures seem to tell you a story.   Children can even hit a button in the middle the design, sending spurts of water into the air to thrill them and cool them off in this warmer side of town.  For a mini park, you sure get a generous amount of fun!

The East side of 24th Street, with its panaderias, taquerias, coffee and ice cream shops, produce markets and miscellaneous tiendas (selling anything from clothing to discos) do a good job of taking you on a Latin American getaway without ever leaving our town.  Play at the park, run some errands, take home a sack of pan dulce or just observe with your child, this Spanish speaking side of 24th Street.

Kids in Cow Hollow!

Sprout Children’s Store
1828 Union Street, San Francisco 94123, 415.359.9205, www.sproutsanfrancisco.com

Allyne Park
Gough and Green Streets, San Francisco

Parking: Metered on Union Street and 2 hour street parking in the vicinity.

Mom Sofia and Hannah

Ever think Union Street is only geared for young adults with its many bars, nail salons and trendy (and expensive) clothing stores?  Well, it appears that the new organic children’s store Sprout has sprouted up to convince us otherwise …

When my friend Kory told us she had a great place to take our mommy’s group to on Union Street, I racked my brain to visualize it: an all natural organic food, clothing and toy store with a beautiful playroom?  Too good to be true . . . but true it was . . . . a short while later we were sitting in their beautifully painted playroom, listening to an enthralling story being read to our children by a staff member and watching our children delight in playing with their wooden toys — all with no purchase necessary!

Not that you have to leave empty handed.  Sprout has everything you need to meet basic needs for babes and tots such as diaper pail liners, Earth’s Best Organic foods all the way to toys and baby gift possibilities.  The staff actually lets your children touch and play in the store, which is the best part of all because how many times have you been to a children’s store and had to run after your child asking them not to touch anything?  (The cruel irony!!).  And you can feel good about patronizing this establishment because its focus is environmentally friendly children’s products; even their books tout keeping the world green.

Do call ahead if you want to bring your mom’s group, though, as they do want to have enough room in their playroom to accommodate you.  They also feature children’s yoga classes for a fee, free story times and host children’s birthday parties and baby showers – so visit the Sprout website for schedules and more info.

Kory then suggested we head up the street to have some outdoor time in a little secret local garden.  A block and a half down the street we took a right to get to the lovely Allyne Park (located on Gough between Green and Union).  And what a treat!  A sweet garden with benches, a good-sized lawn and gates surrounding make you feel like you have entered a special place.  My daughter watched dogs run around with their doggie friends (it was early evening so dog owners were letting their dogs run about without a leash, but they were very careful) and was so thrilled by this spectacle she began exclaiming “a dog party!” quoting one of her favorite books, Go, Dog. Go! I literally had to pull her away from this fun as it was dinner time… but promised we’d return soon to do this little loop on Union Street again… Thanks Kory for planning this afternoon outing in Kid Friendly Cow Hollow!

Kory, our guide, exploring another children's boutique, Jean et Marie, at 1775 Union St.

(Note: Allyne Park is also next to the Octagon House and garden which is open only at certain days of the month, so if you want to visit check out their schedule online.)

Better than Disneyland… and in Your Own Bay Area Backyard!!

Children’s Fairyland

699 Bellevue Avenue, Oakland
510.238.6876
www.fairyland.org

Cost: 7 dollars entrance fee for ages 1-100 (Adults are not admitted without a child and vice versa).

Parking:  2 hours free around Lake Merritt and weekend parking is available for a small fee.

Calling all princesses, princes, wizards, dreamers and fairytale believers … you have found your home! The whimsical children and tot amusement park situated on the beautiful Lake Merritt in Oakland is a must see, must visit, must frequent.

Fairy Coco rides a dragon

Want to cross Disneyland off of your family vacation to do list this year?  Just cross the Bay Bridge and enjoy this local treasure!  Opened in 1950, Fairyland is said to be the original inspiration for Disneyland (which opened five years later) and was introduced to Kid Friendly by my friend Jessica, an East Bay Native who went often as a child.

Each enchanting bit of this park is child sized and based on a fairytale or children story that we all know and love.  At the entrance you will be greeted by the Old Woman Who Lived in a Shoe, and before you know it, you will find roosters and donkeys, gardens and fountains, Miss Muffet and her Spider, puppet shows (check out their site for times), train rides, carousels, Alice in Wonderland card mazes, tunnels with instruments attached to their walls, parks structures shaped as pirate ships and a miniature chapel.  If you have never been, already been or only have been when you yourself were a child, go and check it out and plan to stay all day or at least until your child’s bewitching hour (a.k.a. naptime).

If you must leave Fairyland and still have some steam left in you, you can walk around Lake Merritt, picnic amongst the local birds, visit a wonderful park play structure situated on the lake, or go to the Botanical Gardens (all this you will see on your way out on Bellevue Avenue.)

Kid Friendly fairydust has been sprinkled all over Children’s Fairyland… and you will leave with some sprinkled on you too!

A giraffe encounter

Chenery Park Restaurant’s Tuesday Kid’s Club

Chenery Park Restaurant

www.chenerypark.com
683 Chenery Street, San Francisco, 94131, Map it here
415-337-8537

Neighborhood: Glen Park

Cost: Kid’s Menu – $3+; Adult’s menu $15+

Dad Marcel, Mom Jen and 'lil Lena toast to a family night out at the CP.

Ummm, can you say dinner out with your kids in a grown up establishment surrounded by your fellow parent peers?  Why… Chenery Park Restaurant has done it, so you can eat your heart out parents and kids!  By the time I heard the buzz about this restaurant, my daughter was already one year old (how we needed this sooner)…  so to play catch up, we now make this a regular evening out and we recommend you do the same.

Owners Richard Rosen, Gaines Dobbins, John Bedard and Joseph Kowal and their fantastic, attentive, patient staff deserve a medal for starting such a great tradition (and at the very least deserve our generous tips!).  Every Tuesday night starting at 5:30, they convert the entire upper level to a kid friendly safe haven where kids can be kids, run around and socialize and climb stairs, while adults can be adults and eat a real meal in a real restaurant, not from your average kid friendly joint like chain restaurants and quick eats.  The food is very tasty, the surroundings are clean, the décor is nice and homey.  All in all, you almost feel like you’re going out on a (pre kid) date with your honey . . . almost.

The staff is extremely sensitive– one cute waitress even assured me, “Relax that this night is for you” as I shushed my child who strayed too far from our table and began disturbing other (non-parent) diners.

The CP takes reservations, so make one if you have a good sized group coming or you want to be assured a table.  The CP looks after you – they even let you know as you exit that you if you leave anything behind (a sock, a toy, a book . . . ) they will call you.

The CP on Tuesdays is one of our Kid Friendliest picks for dinner in town.

If you are looking for some before dinner activities, the small business district of Glen Park is perfect for strolling with little ones.  Discover the bookstore Bird and Beckett (653 Chenery Street next to Chenery Park), Perch (654 Chenery St.) for unique adult and tot gifts , various coffee shops and a newly remodeled public library (on Diamond Street).  For some high end marketing try Canyon Market at 2815 Diamond Street (see photo below).  And for an after dinner sweet, stop by Eggettes (2810 Diamond Street) for some delicious and interesting light waffle-like treats served in their comfy and ultra kid friendly environment.

Get Your Kicks on Floor 36!

Grand Hyatt Hotel Grand Views Lounge

www.grandsanfrancisco.hyatt.com
345 Stockton Street, San Francisco, 94108, Map it here
Tel: 415 398 1234

Cost: Lunch- Kid’s menu $6 and up, adults lunch $12 and up… Drinks $4 and up  (Dinner costs are higher)

Neighborhood: Downtown/Union Square

Parking:  Sutter Stockton Garage is across the way “kiddie” corner

Locals: Mom Nicole, Daughter Amelie and Dad Ira

Next time you are in Union Square shopping or parading about downtown and you have little Miss or Mr. Potty Trained tugging at you suddenly saying “Mommy, Daddy I need to pee” we recommend you ride up to this little wonder of an establishment to use their loo or maybe stay for a drink or a bite too.

This lounge and restaurant is one of our favorites in the city, one that leads me to exclaim again “Why should tourists get all the fun?”  Here is a place for both locals and out-of-towners alike to enjoy 360 degree views – you can see almost the entire city on a clear day!  It is enough to take your and your little one’s breathe away.  It’s also a nice place to have a cup of tea, relax and feel whisked away from the hustle and bustle of traffic and shoppers below.

The prices for drinking and dining are equivalent to downtown hotel prices, a bit inflated, but the location makes it worth the price of a few dollars more than an average restaurant in the square.  The Grand Views Lounge also tends to be a bit crowded too.  But if you are not in the mood for eats or refreshments, you can use their restroom for free as an excuse to enjoy the views without anyone asking you a thing . . . well maybe just a tourist asking you for directions.   Your child can sit or stand on a the large shelf below the window panes next to the restroom (I do believe this is permitted, but don’t quote me on this) and put her or his forehead to the glass and see all of Russian Hill, North Beach, the Financial District and Coit Tower, the Bay Bridge, the Sunset and Pot Hill.  Talk about photo opportunities!  (The staff will also let you roam the restaurant even if you are not patronizing the establishment and shoot photos, no problem.)

To find this local panorama, simply enter the hotel and go directly up the elevator and hit 36 and enjoy the ride.  Your ears may pop, but my daughter did not complain.

Also, don’t forget to show your child the Asawa Fountain on Stockton Street sandwiched between the entrance to the hotel and the back of the Levi’s store.  Its beautiful, textured bronze exterior demonstrates scenes and images of The City; a creative map-like sculpture for those youngsters who are studying the Community in school.

Ahhh … The Park Chalet

The Park Chalet

www.beachchalet.com
1000 Great Highway, San Francisco, 94122, Map it here
415-386-8439

Prices:  Small plates $5-15, Kid’s Menu selections are $5.25; Happy hour discounts apply on Mondays and Tuesdays; Free live music on Saturdays and Sundays 2-5 PM

Dad John with Daughters Sarah and Charlotte

Where Ocean Beach meets the Golden Gate Park, you will find this little dining oasis.  The Park Chalet, opened a few years after its sister restaurant the Beach Chalet, carries a totally unique vibe.  This ultra kid (and doggie) friendly, casual but hip restaurant is another one of those beautiful mirages of our urban City.

Your eyes do not fool you. Yes, you are seeing a hip restaurant spill out onto the grass and greenery of one of the most famous parks in one of the most splendid cities in the world.  Happy hours, live music and Sunday brunches make you feel as though you’ve been invited to a raging party, and your kids are invited too!  You will enjoy mixing with locals (I met one of my favorite mommy friends there) and love the kid and adult friendly fare (one of our favorites is the beer sampler- The Park Chalet is also a working brewery).  Your children will be relaxed and entertained by a.) the natural surroundings, b.) dogs, c.) hot dogs, d.) kids around them, e.) live music, f.) caramel apples or chocolate castle desserts, g.) some of the above, h.) all of the above… so you can really relax and enjoy your time out!  Everyone just seems to hang out, customers and staff alike.

The staff can often be harried, carrying around big trays of food in tight, crowded spaces, but they still are very attentive to families and your little ones.

Oftentimes it is foggy, so make sure to bring a coat for you and your little one.  But when the sun is out, nothing beats the Park Chalet.  On a warm weekend day it is difficult to get a spot to sit, so if you really want to eat, bring a picnic blanket to sit outside.  Parking can be tricky too, I recommend leaving your car across the street in the Ocean Beach parking lot or the street across from the beautiful Queen Wilhelmina Tulip Garden and North Dutch Windmill, also a must see before or after your visit at the Park Chalet and a good place to spread out your picnic blanket.  Come early (not hard with children) for the best seats or call for reservations.  Make sure you check out their website too to find out about their many types of happy hours and events.

If you have never been the Park Chalet, do not miss out on this San Francisco treat any longer… bring a friend or come alone with your child – you might just become a regular!

The Japanese Tea Garden

The Japanese Tea Garden

Golden Gate Park
Hagiwara Tea Garden Drive @ John F. Kennedy Drive, Map it here

General Information: 415.752.4227.
Hours: 9-6 daily;  Winter Hours are 9-4:45 November-February

Cost: Free Monday, Wednesday and Friday mornings from 9-10 AM.  All other times, Adults: $5; children 5-11 $1.50; seniors 65 and over $3, children 4 and under are free.

The San Francisco Parks and Trust has more info on the garden (click here) as the Tea Garden’s actual website is either under construction or non existent: (costs on this site are not up to date so please see ours listed above.)

Parking: Free street parking for 4 hours; there is a covered structure located next to the Academy of Sciences if the streets are full.

Albany family: Mom Judy, Dad Faramars and Baby Yadri-shirin

The Japanese Tea Garden encapsulates what we at Kid Friendly love about San Francisco: you feel as though you can visit the other parts of the world just by visiting another part of town.  And when we want to be whisked away with our daughter to Japan, here is where we go!  (Also this location is so authentic and well known that many scenes of Memoirs of a Geisha were filmed here, closing the garden to the public for two weeks.)

As the Tea Garden is located near the De Young Museum, Botanical Gardens and Academy of Sciences, this local treasure is a fun outing with your children in Golden Gate Park and is a great alternative when you show up to the Academy of Sciences and the line is way too long for you and your tot to bear. Your little explorers of any age will delight in the mini-bridges and gates, colorful pagodas, paths, statues, streams, filed filled ponds and other magical finds.  You will enjoy relaxing with them in the garden centerpiece: a beautiful open air, but semi-covered tea room where you are served crackers, cookies and the tea of your choice by kimono clad women.  Ahh… serene times with little tykes.

A gift shop is also located beyond the tea service area where your child can find a little treasure for home. Restrooms (nicer and cleaner than most in the rest of the park) are located inside the garden fully equipped with a rock formed drinking fountain even a small toddler’s thirsty mouth can reach.

If hunger strikes for more that tea, cookies and crackers, for eats a few steps away may we suggest lunching at the delicious De Young Museum Café.  No need to pay a museum entrance to use the Café, restrooms, gift shop with fun kid’s choices and the wonderful lookout tower located by the museum entrance near Martin Luther King Dr.

All and all, the Japanese Tea Garden’s entrance fee is significantly cheaper than airfare to Japan.  And if you want to continue your journey through San Francisco’s version of Japan, why not jump in your car to experience Japantown – not far off from the park- due east on Geary Street for about 2 miles till you hit Webster.

After all this fun under the rising sun, don’t be surprised if you hear your kids say Arigato!

Toddler Friendly Hands-On Science

The Exploratorium at the Palace of Fine Arts

3601 Lyon Street, San Francisco
415.561.0399
www.exploratorium.edu

Neighborhood: The Marina

Cost: 14 dollars per adult and free for children under 3.  11 dollars for seniors, students 18+ and children 4 and older.

Parking: Free parking available – some spaces are limited to 2 hours.

Coco and Noy Dance in the Cool Steam

Yes, a wonderful place for kids, this we knew. But did you know that the Exploratorium is also toddler-friendly? (I even recommend bringing your babies here.)  A perfect rainy day activity and extra fun outing for children since 1969 (I’m sure many of you remember it from your youth), the Exploratorium brings the best of science to your little ones through a children-can-touch-everything-and-anything philosophy that makes this museum unlike any other.  This hands-on museum consists of both permanent and temporary exhibits and experiments – so if you have a membership there is no way you could ever tire of the place.

I know many of you may be saying, “I have been there a million times and I know it is kid friendly…” but I just wanted to give this museum more props for designing a space in which not only can kids and adults learn, but also toddlers can discover the world through using all of their senses.

My mommy friends and I marveled at how fascinated our little ones became when playing with the most giant bubble maker you will ever see, wind supported plastic balls blowing up straight in the air while maintaining their position and oversized chairs that resembled one that Goldilocks would have sat upon.  Mine enjoyed the puppet theater in the fenced off baby/toddler area while I sat on the comfy couches and watched other toddlers read, play with wooden toys and interact with each other.  We ate and relaxed in the snack bar area with food we brought from home, (it seemed no purchase was necessary to use the space.)

The staff is so helpful and informative – one staff member was thoughtful enough to warn us that a loud bell to signal that the museum was going to close was about to go off next to us – so we could move our children away if need be.

You may say that fourteen dollars is a bit pricey for an afternoon out, but as an escape from the rain or a special treat it is well worth the admission. And if you’d like to make this destination into a regular outing, it would be worth your while to invest in the membership as it pays for itself in a couple of visits with the family. Of course like all the museums in town, there is a free day for you to enjoy – check the website for current discounts.  Also, a friend recommended to me that you come in the early morning hours as the Exploratorium is often not yet crowded with field trips.

And after all of this fun and learning, get in a little walk or picnic in the outdoors and enjoy the gorgeous scenery of the Palace of Fine Arts.  Watch ducks and swans swim by and run up and down the grassy hills.  (This lake is not fenced, so be prepared to watch little ones carefully.)

For dinner afterwards near this venue, we recommend Amici’s East Coast Pizzeria (at 2200 Lombard Street @ Steiner 415-885-4500) as a very kid friendly restaurant with a good children’s menu, tasty food and child friendly (read: extremely patient and tolerant!!) servers and staff.

A Toast to Children!

Toast Eatery

1748 Church Street, San Francisco, Map it here
415.282 .4328
www.toasteatery.com

Neighborhood: Noe Valley

Price: Around 9 dollars for a generously sized meal with a kid’s meals starting at 4 dollars

Parking: Free street parking and metered

Out for a Bite- Mom Dayna with Sam

After a nice morning at Noe Valley’’s Day Street Park (Upper Noe Recreation Center), my friend Kory suggested we  head down to Toast for lunch with our toddlers.  The restaurant’s name caused me to crave French toast, but I soon settled on ordering each and every item on the menu while wondering how our tiny tots would make it through yet another adult meal in an adult restaurant.

Well, based on the kid friendly menu selections of lots of yummy American breakfast and lunch selections and one of the most kid-tolerant staffs in the City, we not only made it through the meal, we (almost) ate all the food that we so lavishly ordered!.

We arrived at 11 AM on a weekday and though we did not have to wait for a table, it did take a little longer than usual to receive our food.   That aside, the food was great and both Kory and I were actually able to finish our meals..  This Toast Eatery we rate kid friendly in part because our two toddlers stood on their chairs throughout the whole meal, ate through several mini jam containers that they found on the table and left a collection of Pirate’s Booty crumbs on the floor, and the lovely staff and fellow customers still smiled throughout the meal and commented on how cute our kids were!!  We love these kid friendly city folk!

Also, the outside seating area is a nice bonus on a warm or sunny day.

And wait, there’s more fun to be had.  We suggest either before or after your meal you walk and explore the area of Church Street and 30th Street area:  Café XO and a real nice produce market sit at the end of Church and down the block is the newly renovated Day Street park and recreation center at Day and Sanchez.

Update: On my most recent visit to Toast, I ordered the French toast on croissant and I highly recommend it!  The staff was equally as Kid Friendly as before and the local customers as welcoming as well!

Other Toast Eatery location not reviewed . . . yet:
3991 24th street
San Francisco, California 94114
415.642 .6328

Country Club on the Lake

Lake Merced and Harding Park Clubhouse and Cypress Grill
Harding Park Golf Course

www.harding-park.com
99 Harding Road
San Francisco, CA 94132
(415) 664-4690

Parking: Free around the lake and at the golf course.

Chiarra plays with her Dad Chris

You’ve taken your children to our breathtaking urban beaches, but have you taken them to our beautiful urban lake?  Oh… Lake Merced? … Yes, Lake Merced!  The Lake is the place for birdwatching, picnicking and strolling galore.  Small piers to walk out on, bridges, secret lookout points and paths for discovering and oh so beautiful golf courses of course!  And then they get hungry, the newly constructed Harding Park’s Cypress Grill has great kid friendly eats too!

This location is a kid friendly favorite of ours because it is such a relaxing retreat and it is virtually undiscovered by San Franciscans that do not golf, bird watch or live on that side of town.   You can really get away from it all in a safe, clean outdoors experience.  Bring your binoculars, a coat (as it can be cold and foggy) and park at the picnic area on Harding Road following the signs to the Harding Park Golf Course off of Skyline Blvd.   (There are also other beautiful spots to park and walk all around the lake.)  Wander the paths to see rowers on the lake, birds and sweet views of the lake.  Bathrooms facilities exist at this location near the shuttered Boathouse Restaurant.

When hunger strikes, head up the road towards the golf course and enter the new clubhouse for a treat.  Large windows with views of the lake and trees will please your child while they dine on one of the many kid friendly selections and you all enjoy the kid friendly staff and atmosphere – surprising for a Golf Course clubhouse!  (Many of the selections include bacon, so if you don’t do the other white meat, make sure you tell them to leave it off.)  Lighter menu and snacks are offered outside at the walk-up window where you can sit on their patio furniture and be in the scene.  If you just need to use a nice restroom while you are taking a stroll, no problem, enter the building from either entrance.  (This was my favorite place to walk while I was pregnant, so needless to say, I was grateful for not having to use on of the lake’s portapotties offered in other areas.)

If you want to get moving after your food, continue your walk northeast from the entrance with the walk up window and through the golf course and you will find a nice bridge and great birdwatching opportunities.

This picnic area permits birthday parties without a permit and is usually calm and not crowded.  We find this area so kid friendly that we threw a birthday party for our daughter here.  On what was a beautiful day when we arrived to the picnic area on the lake, turned into a drizzly one with no prior warning.  No worries!  We took the party to up to the Cypress Grill and with plenty of space and parking pulled off the party thanks to the accommodating and kid friendly staff.  Onlooking golfing patrons were a little surprised by all of the children and balloons, but smiled and welcomed us.  Our guests, both children and parents, had a great time!