I have a room booked at the Monarch in June. It says 7 blocks from Union Square, but when I called, the reservations clerk said it was close to city hall and the civic center. I heard there are certain areas to avoid in SF, and with two young children along, I'm concerned. SF is filling up so another option is to stay out in Berkeley and take the BART in. Advice? Thanks for your helpl.

You will get better advice if you give us the address of the hotel. I have never heard of the Monarch and find no listing in the phone book.Must be very new. Unless you are hitting a major convention you should be able to find a place in SF. It would help if you gave a n idea of what price range you are looking in. Dollar amounts are more helpful than terms like "moderate" or "reasonable". www.bayarea.citysearch.com is very helpful if you go to their "site map" and look under visitor info and hotels.

Yes, please give an address as the neighborhoods vary a lot in SF. I wouldn't stay in Berkeley however. There are lots of hotels to choose from in the city. You'll find many mentioned on this forum if you do a search on San Francisco.

The Monarch is 1015 Geary Street. It said it's a "boutique style" hotel, but I don't know what that means.
Any help you can provide would be great.
Thanks in advance.

Well I took a look at the location on mapquest and it's between Van Ness and Polk streets. Interesting location. Polk street has alot of shops but the neighborhood is how should I say it eclectic. If you like the alternative scene(Punks, Gay's Nose rings and the likes) you will enjoy. Van Ness is the business version of hwy 101 from the south to the Golden Gate bridge. Not a terrible location but certainly not the best for your first visit to the city. If your driving a car it's not bad. If your walking it could be a long haul to the more touristy areas. I would certainly not call it a Union Square hotel. Keep looking. Something around North Beach would be ideal. You might wan't to pony up for a better location.