From guest blogger, Stefania Pomponi Butler, of City Mama

When we were younger, Thanksgiving was all about being together at home. We’d spend the day tending to the turkey while watching football or just hanging out. My mom would bust out the nosh around noon—patés, dips, crudités, chilled seafood—and we’d nibble the afternoon away as guests arrived until it was time for dinner which we always ate at dinner time.

Now that we’re all grown and live in different places, we’ve embraced the new tradition of going out for our Thanksgiving dinner when we are together. The upside to going out is not having to spend all day cooking and polishing silver, and not having to scrub any greasy roasting pans or crusty mashed potato bowls. The downside to going out is not having any tasty leftovers, so we always cook a Thanksgiving dinner as well, but we usually do it on the Saturday or Sunday after Thanksgiving.

For Thanksgiving, my extended family usually gathers together in San Francisco and we dine in whichever restaurant can accommodate the twenty or so of us. Most often we find ourselves on Nob Hill at either the Fairmont or the Mark Hopkins Hotel. Both offer up lovely buffets in their top-floor restaurants which offer expansive views of San Francisco and the bay. The Fairmont Crown Room serves a traditional Thanksgiving meal with special accents like a sushi bar, chocolate fondue fountain, a station featuring locally made cheeses, and a separate, lowered buffet just for the little ones.

The Mark Hopkins buffet in the Top of the Mark is slightly more elegant in feel. Champagne flows freely as you select from turkey and roast beef at the carving stations or assorted caviar from the caviar bar. If you want to spend your Thanksgiving in San Francisco, you can always bet that restaurants in hotels will be open, but if you are looking for a more special and intimate experience, you may want to try some of my favorite restaurants which are all open and serving deliciousness this Thanksgiving.

The sublime Ame in SOMA—one of San Francisco’s best restaurants—is offering up their regular “New American” menu with French accents. I’m glad they are sticking to what they do best because what they do best is why the restaurant finds itself on “Best of” lists year after year. Thanksgiving at Ame is bound to be a truly special event.

The Carnelian Room in the Financial District is presenting “a buffet extravaganza with an abundance of this season’s harvest.” This “old school” San Francisco restaurant offers amazing views of the city and the bay. It’s one restaurant I always recommend to people who visit San Francisco, especially if you are into the retro vibe. If you don’t stay for dinner, at least have a drink in the clubby bar. Thanksgiving seatings are at 12:00, 2:00, 4:00, and 6:00 PM. $79/person, $43/child 10 & under + 18% gratuity.

Also in the Financial District is Tommy Toy’s. A favorite with the business lunch crowd, the Chinese-inspired restaurant will be presenting their regular menu as well as a seasonal $75, 6-course prix fixe menu created by Chef Yeong. The menu features Prawns with Grand Marnier, Crab meat Pumpkin Bisque, Whole Maine Lobster, and much more! Sounds pretty tasty if you ask me.

Coté Sud, is a cozy neighborhood restaurant located in the heart of the queer-friendly Castro. Coté Sud is known for its all-organic menu and French bistro cuisine. For Thanksgiving they are serving up three courses with choice of appetizer, main course, and dessert. Cost: $50/person.

Fior d’Italia, established in 1896, is America’s oldest Italian restaurant. Located in North Beach near the downtown Financial District and walking distance to Fisherman’s Wharf, this restaurant is convenient to many of San Francisco’s most popular hotels. It’s known for its Northern Italian food, but let’s face it, people go there because it’s a San Francisco institution. Fior d’Italia is open on Thanksgiving and is offering a four-course menu designed by Chef Gianni Audieri, $39.95/adult, $24.95/child. If you want to celebrate Thanksgiving Sopranos-style, this is the place for you.

Garibaldi’s in Presidio Heights is one of those San Francisco restaurants that flies under most people’s radars and that’s the way its ardent followers like it. It is exactly what a neighborhood restaurant should be—cozy, friendly, and consistent. I’ve never had a bad meal there. On Thanksgiving, Garibaldi’s will be serving from 1:30 – 7:30pm and will be offering a special, three-course, prix-fixe menu priced from $55—$60/person. The regular menu will not be available this day. Which is fine, because you’ll want to go back.

Casual and contemporary Metro Kathmandu in the Haight is the perfect choice if your idea of Thanksgiving dinner is a twist on the usual. Anyone can do turkey, right? Metro Kathmandu serves delightful, modern Nepalese cuisine with Indian accents. On Turkey Day, they are cooking up a three-course dinner with choices that include Truffle Oil-infused Lentil Soup, Pistachio-crusted Rack of Lamb with Potato Fritters, Tiger Prawn Masala, Goat Cheese stuffed Potato, and dessert. Mouth. Watering.

My last pick for Thanksgiving dinner out is an intimate Nob Hill neighborhood French bistro where I’ve spent plenty of birthdays and special occasions: Rue St. Jacques. Service is a little scattered at times (hey, it’s a neighborhood restaurant with a forgiving regular clientele), but the wine is always free-flowing and the staff is friendly. This Thanksgiving they are preparing a menu featuring amuse bouche, choice of appetizer, main course, and dessert, all for a very reasonable $40. Cheese courses are also available.

Where do you plan to spend your Thanksgiving this year? Do you have a favorite restaurant or recommendation for Thanksgiving or Christmas, in or out of the Bay Area? What do you do to celebrate this holiday? Tell us!

Just can’t get enough of Halloween? You and your family may want to extend the chills and thrills of All Hallow’s Eve into a long weekend or a haunting family vacation. It seems like ghosts abound throughout the year.

Here are my top five haunted vacation destinations:

1. Savannah, Georgia. Savannah was voted America’s most haunted city in 2002 by the American Institute of Parapsychology and offers 30 ghostly tours of homes and cemeteries. The town’s history of the Revolutionary and Civil wars, lynchings, voodoo and murders make for a perfectly chilling place to visit.
2. Alcatraz Island, San Francisco. Many tour companies offer night tours of Alcatraz prison. Even if you don’t see a ghost, the prison is creepy enough in the daytime, let alone on a dark, damp, windy San Francisco evening. Dress warm, the night tour will be chilly and a bit unnerving.
3. Somewhere in your neighborhood. RealHaunts.com lists 46 states with eerie houses, castles, streets, bridges and cemeteries. Pick your state and find a ghostly locale near your home. A search on Washington, my home state, revealed six places where a ghostly presence has been seen or felt. Ghosts seem to inhabit interesting sites, each place usually has its own story to tell, even if no ghosts are found.
4. Gettysburg, Pennsylvania. Sleepy Hollow was voted the #1 ghostly tour by Haunted America tours. New Orleans tops their list and Galveston, Texas comes in at number two. I prefer to visit their third choice, Gettysburg to see if I can spot a soldier’s uneasy spirit wandering the battlefields and maybe learn a bit more about the bloodiest battle during the Civil War.
5. Stull Cemetery. I think it is worth a trip because of its other name, the Gates of Hell. The site, zerotime.com features a total of thirteen haunted cemeteries around the U.S. Why not create your own tour and visit each of them on a long drive trip around the U.S. this summer?

With just a bit of searching, it is possible to find spine tingling destinations throughout the year. If you do actually experience the paranormal at any of these places, please let me know.

My friend recently lost her dog on a long weekend hike. She finally found him after two weeks of a county wide search. Whether your travels take you far away or just around the corner, keep your collar on your pet with your name and phone number. I also realized with Halloween approaching, pet owners everywhere need to be a bit more vigilant about protecting their dog. As you and your kids travel the streets this Halloween in search of some fabulous treats, remember to keep you pet safe and warm at home.

1. Halloween can be scary. Keep your pet inside, preferably in their crate with a nice toy and a good chew toy or treat. My little dog is an escape artist that rivals Houdini. She will out the door in a flash if she sees an opening.

2. Keep that chocolate up high and out of reach. It is poison to dogs, but they don’t know that. My lab once casually walked by my chocolate cupcakes cooling on the counter and wolfed four down in four seconds, paper and all. He was fine. I had to make another batch for the school party.

3. Light up your dog. If you must take your dog with you, keep it on leash and attach a little neon glow stick to its collar. You can also purchase a glow- in-the- dark collar. Your pet will be seen by pre-occupied drivers and you can find your roving friend easily if it takes off in a fright. Glow sticks work for kids too.

4. Keep it warm. My little Shih Tzu gets cold easily. Her costume is just a warm coat to ward off the chill.

5. Costumes can be a bit tricky. Make sure they won’t choke your pup or hamper their movement.

6. Candles and tails don’t mix. A tail and a candle can be an inflammatory combination. Make sure all glowing candles, especially those inside pumpkins are out of reach of your dog’s wagging tail. Those glow sticks can also be used inside your pumpkin. I really love glow sticks, can you tell?

7. Protect your dog. As the night progresses, tricksters may see your pet as a target for a prank. Keep it safe inside.

8. If you have a cat, I assume it already knows what to do on this day, especially if it is black.

Have a great Halloween.

For those of us here on the West Coast of the U.S., leaf peeping is something we have only really heard about, but not experienced. Most of our trees change color and lose their leaves all in the same 24 hour period. Over at CNN.com, Eileen Ogintz has a great article on leaf peeping in Wisconsin. That and cheese curds almost make me want to move there. However, for now I am staying here and thought I would throw out some suggestions for experiencing the wonders of Northern California in October:

• The Half Moon Bay Pumpkin Festival
• Webb Ranch on Alpine Road in the Stanford foothills
• Apple picking at Gizdich Ranch in Watsonville
• Ardenwood Farms Harvest Festival in Fremont
• Halloween Haunts at Hidden Villa in Los Altos Hills
• Oktoberfest by the Bay at Fort Mason Center (don’t miss the accordion players)

What is your favorite fall activity? I would love to know what folks outside of the Bay Area do to celebrate the changing seasons!