Making sure Mom gets out to play in the snow

Making sure Mom gets out to play in the snow

Come on, moms! Got your snow pants and mittens? Let’s go have some fun in the snow — on the ski slopes. No watching the kids, no trying to keep up with your husband!

San Francisco’s hidden gem — The Presidio

San Francisco’s hidden gem — The Presidio

We’re hiking the famous Batteries to Bluffs trail in San Francisco’s Presidio, a national park unlike any other, which takes us up and down steps along the western Pacific shoreline, past historic gun batteries, rewarding us with a spectacular view of the Golden Gate Bridge. Wow!

A quirky new hotel in San Francisco makes you feel special

A quirky new hotel in San Francisco makes you feel special

Welcome to the Hotel G, San Francisco’s newest boutique hotel with 151 rooms just north of Union Square but miles away from the big-box chain hotels in the neighborhood. Incidentally, there have been hotels in this building since just a few years after the 1906 Earthquake.

At the Presidio in San Francisco, top chef aims at kids menus

At the Presidio in San Francisco, top chef aims at kids menus

Award winning San Francisco chef Traci Des Jardins wishes American restaurants would take a page—a menu page—from their counterparts in other parts of the world. “The United States is one of the only places in the world that has special meals for kids,” she said. “We are conditioned to teach kids to eat differently than we do and that is a mistake.”

Families love concierge level for informality

Families love concierge level for informality

“I love it here,” said Martha Kramer, enjoying an early dinner with her two kids, including one with special needs. She could have gone to the first rate restaurant downstairs Manzanita with her husband and his business colleagues, she said, “But this is more relaxing.”

At Northstar CA, moms get pampered with special ski progam

At Northstar CA, moms get pampered with special ski progam

This program at $295 is less than an all day private lesson. The women are grouped according to their ability, no more to four to a group. They might end up with a private coach all day. The day includes a lift ticket, the latest demo equipment and at the end of the day, champagne and canapés during a “tech talk” about equipment. Considering that a lift ticket is over $100 and demo equipment $70, this is a bargain.