I haven't stayed in any of the hotels you mention, but the one semi-expensive hotel I stayed in last year, the Hotel Monaco, was a very nice hotel, centrally located. I had a delightful time, the staff was friendly and attentive, and helpful arranging daily excursions. The restaurants I have tried are all inexpensive ones, located in North Beach, in Chinatown, and along Clement Street near Arguello Blvd. I've had several dozen meals in SF, and have yet to be disappointed. I travel there about once a month. Perhaps you could post a report of your trips here. I'd like to hear of your experiences.

I have stayed several times at the Golden Gate Hotel, a small boutique hotel in a traditional victorian era SFO building. It is centrally located downtown at 775 Bush Street. Price is moderate, and the owners and staff are friendly and helpful.

When we went to SF, we stayed at The Marriot Hotel. I don't exactly remember the exact location, but what I remember was than it was walking distance to Macy's, a little bit more walk to Union Square. The hotel was really nice and staff were very attentive and friendly.Enjoy and do tell me where you stayed.

I have eaten at Bruno's. It's not in a great location, but the food was fabulous and the decor is reminiscent of an old style lounge. Quite frankly, there are scores of outstanding restaurants in SF, and Bruno's is just one of them. It's hard to go wrong if you do a little research, like what you are doing here. Have fun!

The hotel I liked was the Prescott, on Post; it's very cozy, has a nice parlor-lobby for having afternoon wine,and is only a block from Union Square and the theatre district. It should be under $200 with one of the standard discounts. The hotel also houses Wolfgang Puck's great restaurant, Postrio, which you can get into when you're a guest at the hotel. Two other restaurants that are really good are Fringale, on 4th St., and Boulevard.

Joseph: Some of our favorite restaurants are Fior d'Italia in North Beach; the Garden Court in the Sheraton Palace Hotel; Sotano Grill and Roxanne Cafe on Powell Street, and Perry's in Pacific Heights. Have fun!