Neighborhood: Mission

Though you’d have to be from another planet not to know about the Golden Gate Bridge, you may not know that the Promenade is a 3 ½ mile trail between Fort Point and Aquatic Park with some of San Francisco’s most famous historical landmarks and shoreline sites. The beautiful and scenic path passes through Crissy Field, and at certain points gives great views of the bay, the Marin Headlands, and even Alcatraz. Pause at Marina and Baker to peek at the Palace of Fine Arts, a structure equally impressive to adults and children alike. The Promenade’s pathway easily accommodates walkers, bikers, skaters, skateboarders, and scooterers. It is a perfect trail for families of all ages to trek—the pathway is mostly dirt (nice for unexpected spills) and is (key word here:) flat.

The Fort Point Pier along the way offers picnic tables set up on a grassy field and, although sometimes rather windy, gives a quiet place to eat or rest or snack while eyeing the amazing views. Most of the pathway is grass-lined, and unobstructed by nearby trees, allowing for Frisbees, kites, and ball-tossing along the way.

Next to the Fort Point Pier is Crissy Field’s warming hut (building 603 in Presidio at Mason and Halleck St). Considering itself a community center and not a museum, the facility (open 9-5 on weekends and Tuesdays) provides a variety of public resources such as hands-on exhibits, an information center, a bookstore, and a café. Stop off for breakfast, lunch, snacks (or a bathroom break!). Browse the bookstore for guidebooks and green toys. The community center even offers urban environmental junior day-camps, and family workshops on weekends such as Turn Trash into Treasure. Along the water’s edge, Crissy Field offers a great view of sailboats and the Golden Gate Bridge; a side trail even leads directly to the bridge.

Plan to hit the Golden Gate Promenade earlier in the morning, where the crowds are the sparsest. Parking is relatively easy, with spaces normally available at Fort Point, off of Lincoln Avenue. For smaller excursions, park halfway along Marina Green. The excursion is definitely worth the planning: fresh air never felt so good.

For book lovers and their little ones, there’s San Francisco’s eclectic independent bookstore Dog Eared Books. A sibling to Phoenix Books and Red Hill Books, Dog Eared is the largest and most eclectic bookstore around. Situated in the city’s Mission district, the store is near several neighborhood amenities such as cleaners, coffee houses, and independent shops. But none of that matters. Once you get inside Dog Eared, you’ll have a hard time wanting to ever leave.

A new and used bookstore, Dog Eared Books carries 85 percent used selections while also offering the hottest and most popular reads. This establishment is a far cry from a dusty used bookstore. Services include renting audiobooks for 50 cents a day (or $2.50 per week), carrying both cassette and CD format. They buy and sell audiobooks. They sell “remainder” books, new books that are discounted because they are overstock or are slightly damaged. Sell them your books any time during business hours, and receive cash or store credit, or a combo of each. Valuing literary giants as well as local talent, Dog Eared Books will even carry a book you yourself have written (if deemed worthy, of course).

Dog Eared Books carries a very casual, funky atmosphere that only independent bookstores can pull off, and is a great hangout for readers and their mini-readers. As a parent, you know: bookstores, with their quieter atmosphere, can either be heaven or hell with children, depending on their unpredictable-and-volatile-as-weather-like moods. This bookstore is a hit. The store is large and open, with tall windows shedding plenty of light over nicely stacked books to meander through (even with a skinny stroller). The creaking wooden floors, natural-material shelves, and stacks and stacks of books render this bookstore timeless. Tucked away in various corners of Dog Eared are comfortable chairs—important for resting tired little feet, convenient for snuggling up to a picture book.

The staff is notoriously knowledgeable and eager. Readers can sit for as long as you desire—hours, some customers have claimed to sit for—without feeling rushed, a vital consideration when you’re out browsing with children. Customers have even been seen shuffling in for a new good read in their pajamas. Not to say that the place lacks a certain literary panache and class (true to its old-school style, the store even posts a sign out front asking customers to please finish their phone conversations before entering and browsing).

If you’re looking for a more structured experience for your little literati (ages five and under), visit the store at 10:30 am for free storytime. Parents can meanwhile relax and sneak in a few pages on their own—not to mention that, in the age of book superstores and designer coffee, it feels great to support local businesses.

Mama’s little baby loves shortening bread. Cooking and baking are skills that have been passed down since the beginning of time, from coq au vin in a fine French kitchen, to roasted meat in a caveman’s den. If cooking alludes you, or you simply want some outside culinary enrichment, visit Apron Strings with your children.

Apron Strings was founded in 2001 by a CIA graduate-turned-restaurant-chef-turned-private-chef who wanted to combine her love for cooking with her love for teaching. The professed mission of Apron Strings is to “provide fun, creative and challenging culinary programs to children and adults.” Embracing the philosophy that cooking is a lifelong skill “that can ignite everyone’s creativity and creative memories that will last forever,” these simultaneously informative and low-key cooking classes teach through demonstrations and hand-son construction. Students will learn fundamental cooking techniques, baking and pastry skills, nutritious eating habits, and etiquette.

Apron Strings offers a buffet of children classes, as well as adult classes for singles and couples. Such upcoming classes include Japanese cooking for children, pies and tarts for adults, and Gluten Free Easy Snacks and Treats for both children and adults. Because cooking is a universal language, these cooking classes can be a wonderful way to bring your family together by successfully creating something you all can enjoy. Children will benefit from watching their parents sit and learn and follow directions like accessible, real human beings—even (maybe especially) if their dish doesn’t turn out exactly as planned. For a large family, or family event, private cooking classes can be geared to the family’s individual preference.

Apron Strings also offers such programs as Culinary Camp. Students will learn basic cooking skills and methods. With each day reflecting a theme (such as Japanese, Greek, Indian, Italian, ballpark, comfort), students will learn a wide array of menus including soup, salad, bread, entrée, and dessert. Because the class is open to children over 10 years old, the students will get to interact in a true tangible learning experience. Very tangible: students get to eat what they cook in the class. The fee is $65 per week per child ($75 for adults), a very modest amount since it includes cost for equipment and food.

The venue is even open for birthday events—a great way for kids to have fun with their friends. Parties are available for children as young as four years old. The party runs around two hours and costs $350 for 10 children or less (with a cost of $20 per additional person, the party being able to accommodate up to 20 children). Try out Apron Strings as a family. Who knows what fun you’ll cook up—and maybe you’ll be asking your children what’s for dinner, for a change.

When I select places to review for PlanJam, I generally try for the types of shops, coffee houses, and restaurants that visitors to the city, or even residents who are new or have less time to wander outside of their own regular stomping grounds, may not have heard of or visited before. Sometimes though, I'm going to have to share a place that many people know about but that is worth reviewing for the one person who may not have heard of it. It would be an injustice if a single person in San Francisco, be it for good or for a few days, didn't know that Mitchell's Ice Cream is a must.

My first visit to the city last year was a whirlwind – shopping on Haight Street, visiting Coit Tower and Fisherman's Wharf, hitting Ocean Beach and the Musee Mecanique. In all of the sightseeing, my partner made very sure that we made it to Mitchell's, and, being a New England girl, I was surprised to find myself contemplating my now wavering loyalty to my favorite Vermont based ice cream men.

Mitchell's is open from 11:00 to 11:00 daily, and I've never once arrived and been able to go straight to the counter. Sometimes the line is ten or more people, and their deli style ticket dispenser is absolutely necessary. Other times, just a few people are ahead of me and I get a little panicky because I know I'll never make up my mind before it's my turn. With over fifty flavors of ice cream and sorbet in their standard queue and seasonal flavors on a rotating schedule, choosing what's going to land on my cone or in my cup is a difficult task. Thankfully, the staff is very helpful and friendly, and they'll let you sample any flavors you want without once looking at the growing line behind you.

Perhaps their most famous flavor selection is the tropical group – from avocado to lychee to thai tea, choosing a scoop from the tropical list is always an adventure of the most delicious kind. If you're not sure where to start, try a delicious Halo Halo, a traditional Philippine summer cooler (only made in Spring, Summer, and early Fall). If you're looking to get a couple of different scoops but don't know what flavors are going to taste best together, ask your server – they're always ready with an amazing combination that's guaranteed to make mouths happy.

My most recent Mitchell's experience, as suggested by my server? Their seasonal Pumpkin Ice Cream atop a scoop of Mexican Chocolate. The cinnamon of the Mexican Chocolate combined with the explosion of spices and cream in the Pumpkin was just like something that should be served after every holiday dinner. And it can – Mitchell's also pre-packs half-gallons of all of their flavors, and will hand pack a quart, pint, or half pint at your request. For larger gatherings, one and a half gallon or three gallon containers are available, as are round cakes, sheet cakes, and pies.

Visit Mitchell's and see why they've been a San Francisco favorite, earning awards and recognition from magazines, television shows, and local publications and fairs, for over fifty years.

Meatloaf and macaroni and cheese? They said they wanted to go to a really nice restaurant. Are you sure about this? "Just trust me." With a completely unconcerned smile, my partner whisked me out the door and propelled me towards the car.

My friends had come from the East Coast to visit me here in San Francisco. Their week in town had nearly ended, and as a thank you for housing them while they were here, they insisted on taking us out for a wonderful dinner. At the time, I had only lived in the City for a few months, and as any transplant who works for a living can tell you, there aren't too many meals that cost more than ten dollars happening at first; San Francisco may be a foodie's wonderland, but the cost of living sure comes as a shock for a girl from Portland, Maine. So of course, I turned to my partner for a recommendation for a fancy dinner; as an eleven-year resident, and a hedonist like myself, she knows where to get the best in anything and everything around San Francisco. Her selection? The Blue Plate Restaurant.

The few tables in Blue Plate are occupied when we arrive, which is no wonder; its seating capacity is limited and intimate, but we don't mind waiting on the back patio. We are led to a table in the garden, where our host pays us exquisite attention despite the fact that we are the only people seated outside. Our wines arrive, and we are apologized to repeatedly for the wait; it seems the people inside are lingering over dessert. No worries, we assure the staff, but we are treated to an appetizer of Gnocchi in a garlic cream sauce for our trouble. The sauce is perfectly balanced, the Gnocchi perfectly cooked, and before we know it, we're being ushered to our table.

At my partner's insistence, we order the meatloaf and the macaroni and cheese to share. All I can think of are the meatloaves and macaroni and cheeses I've seen thus far, and for the life of me, I can't imagine any of it arriving on a plate at an upscale San Francisco restaurant. When the Blue Plate meals arrive, however, it all makes sense.

The portion of meatloaf is enormous, and it's pretty. Have you ever seen pretty meatloaf? No? I'm telling you, it's hard to believe, but it's the truth. The greens and potatoes round off the meal brilliantly, and with every bite, I can imagine the look on my face – caught somewhere between, "Are you kidding me?" and "Can we eat this every night? Please?" The macaroni and cheese is as far from the boxed stuff as you can possibly dream; served in an earthenware bowl, you know that they just finished melting the drunken goat cheese on the pasta and spread the breadcrumbs over the top only seconds before it hit your table. My friends were every bit as impressed with their meals as I was with mine, and my partner was able to wear an "I told you so" smirk all night long.

The portion of meatloaf is enormous, and it's pretty. Have you ever seen pretty meatloaf? No? I'm telling you, it's hard to believe, but it's the truth. The greens and potatoes round off the meal brilliantly, and with every bite, I can imagine the look on my face – caught somewhere between, "Are you kidding me?" and "Can we eat this every night? Please?" The macaroni and cheese is as far from the boxed stuff as you can possibly dream; served in an earthenware bowl, you know that they just finished melting the drunken goat cheese on the pasta and spread the breadcrumbs over the top only seconds before it hit your table. My friends were every bit as impressed with their meals as I was with mine, and my partner was able to wear an "I told you so" smirk all night long.