• City Walks with Kids San Francisco, 50 Adventures on Foot
  • Courtesy of Chronicle Books

City Walks with Kids San Francisco, 50 Adventures on Foot.

by Leslie Crawford. Chronicle Books, 2007; $14.95.

I have a secret: I’m a serial guidebook destroyer. I hate excess baggage so when I find a guidebook I like, I read it before my trip and then (gasp!) rip out all the relevant pages I want. Usually my selections are in the dozens, not hundreds, of pages. My rationale is that by the time I come back, I’ll need a new one anyway. So, this guide is perfect for me. It’s like a large deck of cards on thick stock, each card featuring one walk with attractions and a map. For example, card number 31, Golden Gate Park (Stow Lake) lists the boathouse, Strawberry Hill, Huntington Falls, the Golden Gate Pavilion and all the activities (boating, biking, looking for turtles) that you can do there. I can pick the walks I like and leave the others at home, no harm done.

Pros

Really comprehensive directions make outings a breeze. All you need to do is get yourself to the starting point and go. Phone numbers and Web sites of each attraction are given, too. Cartoon graphics will engage the kids as they help pick out the walks they want to tackle.

Great Tips

You absolutely know that the author walked every inch of each walk. Take the Japantown tour (number 36), for example. She takes you into the Kintetsu Mall to pick sushi from floating boats at Isobune Sushi, then makes sure you don’t leave without checking out the scale model of ancient Osaka Castle on the bottom floor.

Cons

One of my pet peeves with guidebooks targeted to families is that they sometimes seem written for people who have no experience with kids. I don’t need to be told to bring a snack for my child or that kids might not want to walk a lot (maybe the guides are written for nannies?). Even though the intro mentions these, mercifully, it ends there.

Worth Buying?

Yes, but if it’s your first time in the city, you’ll probably need a companion guide.