Walking Tours
Walking Tours ( call 800/281-9255 or 415/981-8989) takes you into nooks and crannies not usually seen by tourists. Each guide is intimately acquainted with all of Chinatown’s back ways, alleys and small businesses as well as the area’s history, folklore, culture, and food. Tours are conducted daily from 10am to 1:30pm and include a dim sum lunch. There’s also a less expensive tour that does not include lunch. It’s an easy walk, fun and fascinating, and you’re bound to make new friends. Groups are generally held to a maximum of 12, and reservations are essential. Prices (including lunch) are $37 for adults, $35 for seniors 60 and older, and $3 for children under 12.
Shirley Fong-Torres also operates an I Can’t Believe I Ate My Way Through Chinatown tour that starts with a Chinese breakfast in a noodle house, moves to a wokshop, and then makes further stops for nibbles at a vegetarian restaurant, rice-noodle factory, and a supermarket before taking a break for a sumptuous luncheon (most Saturdays; $65 per person), as well as a Walk & Wok tour that includes shopping for food in Chinatown, then cooking (and eating) it together at Shirley’s Cooking Center (most Saturdays; $75 per person).
NORTH BEACH CAFE SOIREE Self-described “coffeehouse Lizard” Elaine Sosa leads Javawalk, a 2-hour walking tour. Aside from visiting cafes, javawalk also serves up a good share of historical and architectural trivia. Sosa keeps the tour interactive and fun, and it’s obvious that she knows a wealth of tales and trivia about the history of coffee and it’s North Beach roots. Tours are given Tuesday through Saturday at 10am. The prices is $20 for adults and $10 for kids 12 and under. For information and reservations, call 415/673-9255.
THE VICTORIAN LEGACY Jay Gifford of Victorian Homes Historical Walking Tour 415/252-9485) and San Francisco resident of two decades, portrays his enthusiasm and love of San Francisco throughout this highly entertaining 2½ hour tour. Set at a very leisurely place, it incorporates a wealth of interesting knowledge about San Francisco’s Victorian architecture, as well as the city’s storied history – particularly the periods just before and after the great earthquake and fire of 1906. You’ll stroll through the neighborhoods of Japantown, the Western Addition (where you can take a break to cruise the trendy shop on Filmore Street), and onward to Pacific Heights and Cow Hollow. In the process you’ll see more than 200 meticulously restored Victorians, including the one where Mrs. Doubtfire was filmed. Jay’s guests often find they are the only ones on the quiet neighborhood streets, where tour buses are forbidden. The tour ends with a trolley ride back to Union Square, passing though North Beach and Chinatown. Tours, which start at Union Square at 11am, are offered daily year-round and cost $20 per person. Reservations are required. You can preview the tour at www.victorianwalk.com.
A TRIP BACK TO THE SUMMER OF LOVE If you’re nostalgic for the 1960′s, the Haight-Ashbury Flower Power Walking Tour will take you to the cities hippie haunts, including the Grateful Dead’s crash pad and Janis Joplin’s house. Tours begin at 9:30am Tuesday and Saturday and cost $15 per person. For reservations, call 415/863-1621.
A LOOK AT THE CASTRO For a totally new insight into the gay community’s contribution to the political maturity, growth, and beauty of San Francisco, contact Cruisin’ the Castro (415/550-8110). Tours are personally led by Ms. Trevor Hailey, who was involved in the development of the Castro in the 1970s and knew Harvey Milk – the first openly gay politician elected to office in the United States. Call for tour times, but expect to $40 for adults, $35 for seniors 62 and older, and a negotiable price for children 16 and under; the price includes lunch at one of the Castro’s restaurants.
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