San Francisco: City on the Bay
by Pola Rosen, Ed.D.

San Francisco holds great visual appeal: its hills and architecture combine the gracious curves of the past with the edges of the present and everywhere, the sense that all streets lead to the beautiful bay.

For family travel, San Francisco holds the interest of every age group. The main public library, is not only a repository of great books, CDs, state-of-the-art computers, but also one of the grand architectural feats of the city. A sense of openness greets you as you enter the great hall topped by a huge atrium. Open steel balconies surround each floor and look down onto the great hall.

On to the Museum of Photography featuring an extensive exhibit of women by Annie Leibowitz, which began with a photograph of her mother in upstate New York and went on to Hillary Clinton and Justice Sandra Day O’Connor, among others.

The Exploratorium is an exceptional hands-on children’s museum that is closest in feeling to the Franklin Institute in Philadelphia. Crawling in tunnels, seeing for yourself how things work, makes the world come alive for children.

A visit to San Francisco is not complete without seeing the sea lions at Fisherman’s Wharf. The din is remarkable as the heavy seals vie for position and jostle each other, guarding their space on the wooden platform, while they bark into the air and at each other.

Along the bay, boats are leaving for Alcatraz, one of the most popular trips in San Francisco. To avoid disappointment, make a reservation a week in advance. The island has a school that educated the children of the guards, that still stands. The original cells are there, and you can enclose yourself in one to feel what it must be like to be shut away from the world. Alcatraz is now part of the National Park Service; the guided tours by rangers are comprehensive and enjoyable.#

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