Sam's

Georgian acharuli khachapuri, the bread boat full of melted cheese the place is named for, plus khinkali dumplings.

The North Beach bookshop with creaky stairs and a children's shelf upstairs.

Two floors of Beat-era manuscripts and photographs above a North Beach shop, reading-heavy and suited to teenagers.

Chinatown bakery famous for egg tarts; the line moves and the tarts are worth it with kids.

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.

North Beach theater where Dear San Francisco's acrobats perform feet from the tables. Ninety minutes, with tumbling that holds a seven-year-old and a grandparent.