Days out with the grandparents in San Francisco

North Beach Italian-American with high chairs and big plates to share.

West Portal Italian-American with a lively room where toddlers and up blend right in.

Fairmont tiki bar with indoor rainstorms.

A market hall of food stalls with the ferries going out the back. Good for grazing lunch with kids, and the Saturday farmers' market spills onto the plaza.

White glass Victorian greenhouse in Golden Gate Park. Warm, humid rooms of jungle plants and a pond of lily pads, and a flat loop throughout.

Rainforest dome, planetarium, aquarium and a penguin colony under one Golden Gate Park roof. The one to spend a whole wet day in.

Small aquarium at the foot of Pier 39 where glass tunnels put sharks and rays overhead. About an hour, which is the right length for little kids, and the sea lions are outside afterwards. Open daily 10am-5pm, with last entry at 4:30pm.

Two decks of shops and food built out over the water, with a carousel at the end and the sea lions barking off the far side. Loud, flat and easy to push a stroller round.

A free room at the wharf packed with working penny arcade machines, from a hand-cranked carnival to old strength testers.

A Chinatown alley the width of a hallway where two women fold cookies off a hot press by hand. Two minutes, a sample, and worth the detour.

Sourdough landmark at the Wharf with a kids' menu and bread animals to look at while you wait.

Chocolate shop and sundae counter in the old factory square. Free sample at the door, and a fountain outside to sit by while the ice cream goes down.