There's not much South of Market that encourages lingering outdoors, or indeed walking at all, with this notable exception. These two blocks encompass the Center for the Arts, Metreon, Moscone Convention Center, and the convention center's rooftop Zeum, but the gardens themselves are the everyday draw. Office workers escape to the green swath of the East Garden. The memorial to Martin Luther King Jr. is the focal point here. Powerful streams of water surge over large, jagged stone columns, mirroring the enduring force of King's words that are carved on the stone walls and on glass blocks behind the waterfall. Moscone North is behind the memorial, and an overhead walkway leads to Moscone South and its rooftop attractions. The gardens are liveliest during the week and especially during the Yerba Buena Gardens Festival (May - October, www.ybgf.org), when free performances run from Latin music to Balinese dance.

Atop the Moscone Convention Center perch a few lures for kids. The historic Looff carousel ($2 for two rides) twirls daily 11-6. South of the carousel is Zeum (415/820-3320. www.zeum.org), a high-tech, interactive arts-and-technology center ($7) geared to children ages eight and over. Kids can make Claymation videos, work in a computer lab, and view exhibits and performances. Zeum is open 11-5 Wednesday through Sunday during the school year and Tuesday through Sunday when school's out. Also part of the rooftop complex are gardens, an ice-skating rink, and a bowling alley.