San Francisco’s Fourth of July Waterfront Celebration

When people ask “When do the fireworks start?” this is what they mean. The family-friendliest place to watch may be from the room of your apartment building, but failing that, the party at Aquatic Park has live music, food, kids’ activities, and, of course, fireworks that may or may not be visible. KISS-FM provides the simulcast soundtrack, should you care to tune in.
When: Fri., 7/4, 2-10pm (Fireworks begin at 9:30pm); All ages; Free.

Where: Fisherman’s Wharf Aquatic Park, Jefferson Street (at Hyde Street), San Francisco; 415-674-7503, fishermanswharf.org.

San Francisco Mime Troupe in Dolores Park

Even if your kids are too young to get the political references, they’ll love lying on a blanket in the park and taking in the show.

When: Fri.-Sun., 7/4-6, 1:30-3pm; All ages; Free.

Where: Dolores Park, between 18th and 20th Streets and Dolores and Church Streets, San Francisco; sfmt.org.

Pier 39 Fourth of July Waterfront Celebration

Best for kids who want something zippier than face-painting, this party’s main attraction is lengthy sets by two popular San Francisco cover bands, Big Bang Beat and Tainted Love, along with the glittery touristy allure of Pier 39’s shops and restaurants itself. Unless the fog rolls in, Pier 39 is an excellent spot to view the city fireworks show. If the fog rolls in, of course, no one’s going to see the show.

When: Fri., 7/4, 1-10pm; Age 7+; Free.

Where: Pier 39 , Embarcadero Street (at Beach Street), San Francisco, pier39.com.

July 4th Family Festival at the Cannery

A family-friendly alternative to fireworks shows that don’t even start until long past bedtime, the Cannery party features live music, face painting, and food booths.

When: Fri., 7/4; 11am-3pm; All ages; Free.

Where: The Cannery at Del Monte Square, 2801 Leavenworth Street (at Columbus Street), 415-771-3112, delmontesquare.com.

There are a few ways you can go. For $12.95 Safeway delivers in many areas of SF, and for big-grocery-store prices and total availability of products, that’s what you’re going to end up with if you want to have your entire grocery load delivered. Even though it hasn’t gotten such glowing reviews. You want something done right, do it yourself. Otherwise, order at shop.safeway.com, take the delivery and thank God they bring it right up to the door. Maybe you want to buy your fruits and veggies at the corner market, but this is the way to go for milk and kitty litter.

Like Safeway, Cal-Mart in Laurel Village will also not only deliver your groceries, they’ll go through the store and fill your cart for you. Time-crunched shoppers can call or fax orders between 8am and 3:30pm, Monday through Friday. A personal shopper will run the aisles for $15; delivery is free. The store is known for its fabulous fresh fish, cheeses, meats, and produce. The great big huge drawback: you must live between Fulton, Van Ness, Marina, and Beach Streets, which cuts out a huge swathe of city dwellers. Cal-Mart is located at 3585 California Street (between Locust and Spruce Streets); call 415-751-3516.

Mollie Stone’s, also on California Street, also delivers. You can either do your own shopping and then have it delivered free on the Mollie Bus later on that day, or the friendly Barry will do your personal shopping for called-in orders for a $15 charge, and bring it over during a specified delivery window, usually Monday-Wednesday. Their delivery area is a bit more diffuse than the Cal-Mart’s (depending on Barry’s schedule) but still hovers in the center of town. As an upscale grocery much like Cal-Mart, Mollie Stone’s also has exemplary meat and seafood, and a wonderful bakery and deli. Mollie Stone’s is located at 2435 California Street (at Fillmore Street); call 415-567-4902

Ask them to deliver an extra pint of bourbon for mom, will you? Oh, and some mint chocolate chip ice cream. Thanks.

That’s exactly why Peekadoodle Kidsclub has a shot, if it can manage to sign up enough members to make a go of it. Located in a magnificent spot at the corner of Ghirardelli Square, Peekadoodle is a spacious, well-appointed members-only play space for kids and comfy lounge for moms. Opened in February by mom-preneurs Kayla Lee and Ellen Park, the club is intended for kids aged 0 to 5.

“We send them off on their sixth birthday,” says Lee with a smile. She was the one with the idea for Peekadoodle, during a Chicago summer when her son was small. “It was 100-plus degrees outside, and I found an indoor place to play that was $100 a month. One hundred a month and nothing there but a play space, and I was happy to pay it just to get out of that heat. I knew we could do something better.”

They have. I visited last week with my 3-year-old, and both of us were bowled over by the accommodations. A big play-den filled with miniature wooden San Francisco icons like a Victorian house, cable car, and the Golden Gate Bridge! Friendly staffers overseeing the play as moms and nannies lolled on long benches, reading magazines! Kid-sized toilets in the bathrooms! Washers and dryers by the changing tables in case someone has a blowout! The rooms where kids can take cooking, language, music, and other classes were spiffy too, particularly the small-scale kitchen, and the food at the cafe is delicious.

The downside, of course, is the price. Membership at Peekadoodle starts at $100 a month, and most everything else — classes, food, childcare if you want to play on the computers or work out uninterrupted — is extra. The small hotel-style workout room is free, a plus; as are the computers in the lounge, and the free Wi-Fi. The convenient underground parking is a huge plus, but again, it’ll cost you: $2.25 for 90 minutes if you get a validation from Peekadoodle, but then $2.25 every 20 minutes thereafter.

If I had the extra cash, I’d be at Peekadoodle in a second. It’s posh, friendly, relaxing, safe, and my kid went insane for it. If you find yourself with kicking-around money, check it out. Work-at-home parents in particular might find Peekadoodle cost-effective. With on-site childcare available for a mere $5 an hour, Peekadoodle makes a lot of sense for telecommuters. Hey, maybe you could write membership off as a business expense? Check with your accountant on that one.

900 North Point St., 415-440-7335, peekadoodlekidsclub.com.

It was tough to hear over the “Oh HELL yeah” emanating from local parents, but the grand jury insulted the lottery system on all fronts: it’s expensive, it’s confusing, it chases intimidated families out of the city, and worst of all, it doesn’t even work. One 2005 study found that more than 50 percent of the SFUSD’s schools were “severely segregated.”

The lottery was only a stopgap solution anyway. As a story in the San Francisco Examiner explains, a 1983 NAACP suit caused a federal court to order San Francisco to integrate its public schools. Another lawsuit in 1991 said that using race to assign students to schools was also unfair. Thus our bizarre lottery system, which assigns weight to such factors as the languages students speak, their socioeconomic background, and the performance of individual schools.

For parents the process is stressful and confusing; for taxpayers the lottery’s expensive: it costs $2 million a year just to maintain the 29-member staff necessary to help parents with the application process. And here’s the real kicker: The federal order to desegregate the schools expired in 2005, so there’s not even anyone making us run it anymore.

Does that sound racist? I’m not jumping up and down that schools are so segregated. I drive by the nice, expensive private schools in town and see only white faces, and then by the schoolyards in the neighborhoods I can afford to rent in and see only brown ones. It bums me out because weren’t we supposed to be over this by now? Actually melting together in our melting pot?

It’s not working, but the lottery isn’t the solution we need either. And it’s a stressful time-suck for the parents and students who have to research scores of schools, and who can’t be sure which (if any!) of their ultimate choices they’ll get. And maybe they get School X all the way over on the other side of town, and either Mom or Dad are hauling them, or they’re getting up at 5:30am to take two buses in order to get there on time.

School board president Mark Sanchez agrees that the lottery ain’t working, and this fall there’ll be discussions and probably changes.

Yippee.

Grab an unusual chance to camp under some extremely local redwoods at The Great American Backyard Campout, a national celebration of camping with a local overnight party at Joaquin Miller Park in Oakland. Usually closed to campers, the 500-acre park is home to the world’s only urban second-growth redwoods, startling panoramic Bay views, rushing waterways and verdant, steep trails. Besides, how often can you camp 20 minutes away from your house? You need a pizza or a diaper, you can make a quick run back over the bridge.

The $8 per person fee includes dinner, snacks, and breakfast, a nature talk, a campfire party, and a star-viewing session. You’ll bring your own camping equipment and set it up, but you have to admit that this is pretty cushy camping.

When: Sat., 6/28 (event continues through Sun. 6/29), 3pm-10am; All ages; $8.

Where: Joaquin Miller Park Large Meadow, 3300 Sanborn Drive (at Joaquin Miller Road), Oakland, 510-238-7275; oaklandnet.com/parks.

Go where you will this weekend; just don’t move your car or the pride people will steal your space.

The Art of William Steig

See the career highlights of the man responsible for Pete’s a Pizza, and the original Shrek at this fascinating exhibit of Steig’s drawings, New Yorker covers, and other doodles.

When: Ongoing daily through 9/7 (museum is closed Wednesday); Age 7+; Free with paid admission (Free-$10).

Where: Contemporary Jewish Museum, 736 Mission Street (between Third and Fourth Streets), San Francisco, 415-655-7800, thecjm.org.

38th Annual San Francisco LGBT Pride Celebration

The big parade starts moving down Market Street at 10:30 a.m. Sunday; hunker down early to get a good spot and once you’ve gotten an eyeful, move on to the afterparty at the Civic Center for food, music, vendor booths, and fun. If the crowd scene gets too hectic, drop in to the Family Garden for gentle kiddie fun: face-painting, games, arts and crafts, and the like.

When: Sun., 6/29, noon-7pm; All ages; Free.

Where: Parade goes from Market and Beale Streets to Market and Eighth Streets; Civic Center party is between Market, Van Ness, Leavenworth, and Turk Streets; (Family Garden is at Larkin and Grove); 415-864-0831; sfpride.org.

Peter & the Pirate

If your child has gotten bitten by the pirate bug, bring him to the San Francisco pier to meet Peter, Captain Bootleg, and Peter’s sea lion pal, Saline D. Ion, in this original maritime musical. Kids are invited to sing and dance with the cast.

When: Ongoing Saturdays and Sundays, 6/28-8/31 with shows at 11:30am and 1pm; All ages; Free-$15.95.

Where: Pier 39, Beach Street (at The Embarcadero), San Francisco, 415-433-3939, peterandthepirate.com.

Mrs. Grossman’s Company Store Annual Warehouse Store

Few local parents realize that Mrs. Grossman — she of the long, skinny sticker sheets that are sold in just about every toy store and pharmacy in America — is practically a local, and once a year the Petaluma warehouse sells deeply discounted stickers that make the sale worth the drive. No strollers allowed during the sale so leave very small kids at home and just bring the walking sticker freaks.

When: Fri., 6/27, 9am-5:30pm; Age 3+; Free.

Where: Mrs. Grossman’s Company Store, 3810 Cypress Drive (at South McDowell Boulevard), Petaluma, 800-429-4549, mrsgrossmans.com.

Perhaps Princess would prefer the smiling, round Domino wooden figures or banks from You&I Toys, or the intense expression on the face of the Nara Yoshitomo-designed rolling dog toy from French toy makers Vilac. And surely no one could resist the pocket-size Sonny Angel Mini Figures, which come in Vegetable, Fruit, and Animal sets. You’ll be the only guest at the party to bring kewpie dolls with onions and cabbages on their heads, imagine!

All joking aside, all this stuff is pretty hard to find, even online, and to have it arrayed before you at the bookstore is pretty delicious. If the selection at Kinokuniya were bigger, the toy section would even rival that of the SFMOMA MuseumStore. And that’s saying something.

The Kinokuniya Bookstore’s San Francisco branch is located at 1581 Webster Street (at Post Street) in the Kintetsu Mall in Japantown, San Francisco. Call 415-567-7625 or visit bookweb.kinokuniya.co.jp.

Young designers who sign up for San Francisco’s Wee Scotty Fashion School Project Junior Runway class will create a garment from the ground up with the help of a Tim Gunn-like mentor. The fashions will then be presented in front of a panel of judges selected from local design companies, and the winners will go on to show their creations in a runway show at San Francisco Fashion Week.

Too much pressure? Wee Scotty also offers a full range of classes for kids from age five to teens. Choose from basic sewing skills classes, or take a project-based series and make your own sun dress, bubble skirt, or beach cover-up.

The next session of Project Junior Runway begins June 30; other classes run at various times throughout the year. Wee Scotty Fashion School is located at 1807 Divisadero Street (at Bush Street), San Francisco. Call 415-345-9200 or visit weescotty.com.

Do you know who can make $200K and afford a $790,000 house? Two people making excellent full-time incomes. You know who can’t? Parents that cut their working hours to take care of the kid(s). The Chronicle story agrees:

The social consequences for a city where moderate- and low-income families can’t get by are manifold. Many believe it’s the primary reason San Francisco has the fewest children per capita of any major metropolitan area in the United States. In 2006, a group of Potrero Hill parents concerned about declining public school ranks surveyed families that had left San Francisco to find out why they had done so. Fifty-three percent cited the schools; 70 percent blamed housing costs.

For most of the decade, San Francisco Unified School District has lost an average of 800 students per year, which has meant losing an additional $4 million in state and federal funds each time.

“So we offer less for kids in terms of programs and classes,” said Mark Sanchez, president of the San Francisco Board of Education. “It definitely hits us hard.”

So you shell out an insane amount of money monthly to live here, and if you want your kid to get a great education, you have to shell out even more to pay for private schooling. No wonder people split for Redwood City and Pacifica.

“Absolutely not,” one mom assured me. “The kids fall asleep in the car on the ride home. And besides, if I drive to San Bruno, I can experience the wonder of Mollieland.”

Mollieland is the child-minding center at Mollie Stone’s (upscale, expensive) grocery store. As long as they stay in the store, parents can drop off their potty-trained kids aged 2-12 in a clean, attractive little room staffed by a smiling babysitter who urges them to play games, fiddle with the computers, color, or encrust something with stickers. The kids are on closed-circuit TV, so parents can stop by the monitors in the store and make sure their kids aren’t screaming.

It is so much fun, says my savvy mom friend, that her children regularly beg her to take them grocery shopping (!) and to leave them in Mollieland longer (!!), and my friend gets to slowly peruse all the types of cheese, and maybe even sit down and have a salad from the superbly appointed salad bar, in total, blessed silence. There’s a Peet’s coffee too.

Since I regularly find odd items in my cart due to my daughter’s sticky fingers, or my own distractedness, see you there.

Mollie Stone’s Market is located at the Bayhill Shopping Center, 851 Cherry Ave. (at Bayhill Dr.), San Bruno. Call 650-873-8075 or visit molliestones.com. There is another Mollieland at the San Mateo location, 49 42nd Ave. (at El Camino Real) but none in San Francisco. Hey, Mollie Stone’s: Where is the love?