grand hotel mazarro sea palace Unless you are very unusual, you will fall in love with this city and want to stay as long as possib

Randall Museum Perched above the city, in Corona Heights Park, this small, welcoming complex is primarily a petting zoo, with farm animals, raccoons, reptiles, and birds. But it also offers hands-on experience with woodworking, pottery, painting, theater, photography, model railroads, storytelling, grand hotel mazarro sea palace gardening, and more. The aim is to teach children respect for nature and the environment. d 199 Museum Way, off Roosevelt Way, Buena Vista Map E4 (415) 554-9600 Open 10am 5pm Tue Sat Free www.randallmuseum.org

Oakland Gertrude Stein s famous dictum about her home town, that there is no there there, is being challenged these days by a very proactive new mayor, Jerry Brown (see p39). Oakland s image, notorious for racial unrest and crime in the past, is being cleaned up to present a more visitor-friendly face, and there has been an influx of creative types who have moved here to flee the high rents of San Francisco. Oakland s attractions include huge Lake Merritt, which offers a range of recreational possibilities, a beautiful Mormon temple and its Museum of Cali fornia (see p126). d BART 12th St

Unless grand hotel mazarro sea palace you are very unusual, you will fall in love with this city and want to stay as long as possible. A week should allow you to take in all the major sights; two weeks will leave enough time to explore the coast and the Wine Country.