We went to the members' pre-opening of the California Academy of Sciences and think that visitors will very much enjoy the exhibits at the academy.  The architecture alone is worth seeing - see the website of the Academy to get an appreciation.  Kids (and parents) enjoyed the T Rex skeleton, a great whale skeleton and several marine exhibits.  There is a swamp and an African wildlife exhibit to name a few.  Our son's favorite though was the two heads snake - I guess my favorite too.  The Academy within a mile from the house so about a 15-20 minute walk or very short drive.

 
 

You should obtain a parking permit if you plan to leave a car parked on the street all day during weekdays.  If you plan to leave a car parked on the street all day during weekdays the first thing we would say is that you should know that you can get around the city without a car and that you might not want a car if you intend not to use it much.  That said, if you must have a car but do intend to use it during the day then we would say that you do not need a parking permit because the parking restriction is only 2 hours between 8 and 5 on weekdays.  There is ample street parking overnight.  There are also parking options - there is the UCSF parking garage 2 blocks away and there is a surface lot on Stanyan about 4 blocks away.  If you intend to be at the house for the day with a car and do not want to get a parking permit that is okay too - you just have to check your car tire to see if it has been marked by the parking department - if it has been marked you simply move the car. 

 
 

Parking from Monday through Friday for more than 2 hours does require a resident parking permit which the city offers - here is a link to the city of San Francisco's web site which deals with temporary resident parking permits

http://www.sfmta.com/cms/pperm/13442.html#temp

We supply guests with a letter and evidence of residency in order to obtain a permit.

 
About Parking 11/09/2008
 


For a city like San Francisco, you will find that there is an unusual amount of street parking in our neighborhood.  The reasons include the fact that there is no through traffic on our street.  Willard and Woodland form a loop and following Belmont to Edgewood leads to a dead end.  Another reason is that this neighborhood is mostly surrounded by city and University of California dense, hilly forest.  So, visitors to the area should expect to find street parking on Woodland, Willard, Belmont or Edgwood.  Parking from Monday through Friday for more than 2 hours does require a resident parking permit which the city offers - here is a link to the city of San Francisco's web site which deals with temporary resident parking permits http://www.sfmta.com/cms/pperm/13442.html#temp
We supply guests with a letter and evidence of residency in order to obtain a permit.