Tartine 9th Avenue

Sunset District Italian with room for strollers and a family crowd most evenings.

Inner Sunset comfort food with crayons on the table.

Sunset Chinese known for dry-fried chicken wings; loud enough that a meltdown goes unnoticed.

A small walled garden in Golden Gate Park planted with everything Shakespeare mentioned. Quiet, benches, and a good pause between the museums.

The aquarium inside the Academy of Sciences: a coral reef tank, a swamp with an alligator, and a touch tide pool. Included with Academy entry.

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