Laser Quest may be the next "it" location for birthday parties in our family!

The staff at Laser Quest was welcoming yet effective at juggling the many birthday parties on a Saturday afternoon rolling along. Our daughter's group had to wait a while before beginning its laser games, so each child was kept busy with arcade game play, much to our little competitor's delight.

Once time to get to shooting, each player was able to register an alias — each child has a vest on, registering a hit, and those outside of the laser game room can see which players are scoring high. Then, players head into the 'Debriefing Room' where play instruction is given. We appreciated that two games were part of the birthday package deal: the first game allowed for the players to become familiarized with their equipment, the course, and strategy; the second game allowed for an all-out war!

As the play time wrapped, the group was led into the (small) party room. The children were able to enjoy some snacks, cake, and watch as the birthday kid opened her gifts. [Note: all food, drink, and dessert is supplied by the family hosting the party; none is available directly through Laser Quest.]

Our daughter suggested that Miss Birdie give Laser Quest five stars — "I really had THAT MUCH FUN!" — so Miss Birdie will; however, there are a few reservations Miss Birdie has and would like to share with those looking for a fair and balanced report:

* The bathrooms (which do not include any changing tables) were not particularly tidy on this busy Saturday afternoon

* As a cautious parent, Miss Birdie was a little nervous throwing her petite laser-armed child in a dark room with other larger, more rambunctious pre-teens. No injuries were sustained, so worry Miss Birdie should not.

* There were party guests under the age of 6 as a part of our group. The youngest of the children were apprehensive of even walking in through the hulking 'Debriefing Room' door, let alone remaining in the darkened, black-light only laser tag room.

* The party room was a tight, tight squeeze, and as parents arrived to pick up their children, the room became that much smaller.

Holiday skating can't get any better than skating at the Safeway Holiday Ice Rink in Union Square!

Surrounded by the twinkling wreaths in each window of the Macy's building, a giant decorated spruce, festive red and green lights of St. Francis Hotel's zooming elevators, skating becomes an annual must-do for my birdies.

The sessions do sell out, so if you're set on skating at a particular time, it's wise to purchase your tickets earlier in the day. We went on a weekday evening, and the 4:00 session had sold out and the 6:00 session was nearly sold out by the time we got our tickets.

The viewing area is simply the open spaces that can be found around the rink; shoppers and tourists bustling by with packages will stop and watch, and simply being amongst happy bystanders is such a joy.

Music is piped over the rink, though not ridiculously loud so that you're unable to hear your little one ask for some help. Very little Christmas music was played during our session, though it seemed like holiday music was on heavy rotation throughout the previous session.

Each skate session is one-and-a-half hours, with a 30 minute break between sessions for ice resurfacing. Water, gloves and socks (thank goodness; one of my kids needed a pair!) are available for purchase. At the east end of the rink is a small café/bar where other beverages can be purchased before or after the skate session.

The San Francisco Zoo is possibly the best zoo in Northern California! The animal habitats themselves are well-kept and often just as aesthetically beautiful as the amazing exotic animal residents within them.

Our family enjoys this zoo so thoroughly, we go right at opening and stay all day. Upon entering the zoo, we typically take a right and head for the expansive giraffe house and grounds, then loop around and become engrossed in the primate exhibit for a long while.

Though sometimes we pack a lunch, I typically just budget for eating within the park. The International Tastes Deli has a great taco salad, and the veggie stir fry is another tasty option. Just next door is another little cafe featuring typical attraction fare: hot dogs, burgers, pizza and more.

On a weekday, the zoo handles the amount of visitors well, so the pathways are open and even my five year old can run a wee bit ahead of the family... After a day of animal sight-seeing, we hit the playground for swing, slides, and climbing fun; then we make a final stop at the historical carousel (an extra $2/person) and sometimes even the Little Puffer Train ($4/person)!

To be outdoors, walking along the same paths that another person used, hundreds of years ago, is a thing to relish. How big the world is — and how miniscule we are — is amplified in the small valley where Indian Grinding Rock lies.
Now certainly this is an adult's perspective, and most children will not stop to share such an idea; however, the physicality of the huge limestone grinding rock, with its 1,185 mortar holes which were created so long ago, will surely impress even the youngest visitors. "How hard was it to grind acorns into a flour? How long did it take? How many acorns were enough?"
The onsite museum is small, but effectively communicates some aspects of life for Native Americans long ago. The tools used and structures built are covered in depth. Folklore and legends, not so much.
The trail is long for those under 8 years old, but active, high-energy kids will benefit from the walk before going into the museum or back into the car. Pack a lunch or snack — there are plenty of places to sit, and the walk will result in hungry tummies, but there is not much available near the park in the way of food... unless you eat acorns.

Miss Birdie and her flock of three birdies (12, 8, and 6 years of age) and one husband-bird, dined at Golden Corral in December 2011. From a reliable source, we had heard that going Monday through Wednesday is the best bet, so a Wednesday night it was.

The all-you-can-eat buffet restaurant opened in August, with eager diners creating lines out the door. Upon entering, we realized why such a craze was stirred: directly in front of us stood the grill area where meats, poultry, and seafood aplenty were being sliced or even cooked-to-order. (Golden Corral actually plans the meal's menu to include 15 different proteins at a time!)

But let me pause: we still had not yet paid nor found a seat before this cornucopia of aromatics hit us. Mr. Birdie had already grabbed cups of frothy carbonated beverages before realizing they were not included in the meal price, which a customer would not know unless they had taken the time to read the television screen denoting the current meal's pricing and discounts based on age. As we met the cashier, I was frozen in a moment of panic, trying to recall the ages of my three kids, and under which pricing tier they would fall. $40 and two minutes later, we were still standing at the register, feeling like we were holding up the entire gaggle of hungry customers behind us, while an employee found us seats.

We had gone for dinner, and a late dinner at that. The restaurant was packed solidly, with a serious line queuing at the grill and the dessert bar. Greens before sweets, of course, but sadly, much of the salad bar was emptied of its bounty. The kids hit the one section of the hot foods area that could appropriately be titled "deep-fried goods" and stocked up on mini corn dogs, fried zucchini, and what they thought were chicken bites but turned out to be fried shrimp.

I, myself, am not a patient wait-in-line sorta gal, so I bypassed the exotic cuisines where a throng of people ogled foods through sneeze guards (Mexican and Asian fare is offered) and helped myself to a few tong grabs of romaine, spinach, and mushrooms, a slice of garlic cheese pizza bread, and the Cajun Potato Salad. Typically, I shy away from mass-produced, mayo-based salads — but this! — this potato salad was the business! One of the stars in my review is dedicated solely to the potato salad.

Dedication of star number two goes to the dessert bar, where the self-serve chocolate fountain and made-to-order cotton candy was readily available. The kids were in awe of it all: cake, pie, crispy rice treats, soft-serve ice cream, hand-scooped ice cream... it went on and on.

I have to be honest here: Golden Corral is a buffet, not a high-end, white tablecloth type restaurant. What you see is literally what you get. The staff is always, always busy, either cleaning your empty plates away or cooking and restocking food with which you will fill your next plate. Everyone in your party — large or small — will certainly find something to eat at Golden Corral. You will not leave hungry!