Things to do in San Francisco - San Francisco Neighborhoods Private Walking and City Tour #SanFranciscoNeighborhoodsUrbanTrek

Things to do in San Francisco - San Francisco Neighborhoods private walking and city tour by Urban Trek USA. (Note: Urban Trek USA is a one-man operation and takes only approximately 3 reservations a month so making a reservation in advance is a plus.)

The San Francisco Neighborhoods urban trek has a good mix of history and beautiful scenery, well-known tourist and not so famous interesting places, some art and architecture by combining five San Francisco diverse neighborhoods plus brief walk-throughs of two more neighborhoods. You will get a local perspective from your Urban Trek Leader who has lived in San Francisco for decades. You will definitely get the insider's tips on what you can do in these neighborhoods should you want to revisit them after your urban trek experience. This particular urban trek is a true well-rounded San Francisco experience for visitors, especially first-time visitors.

Our goal for this private urban trek is for you to experience five different and diverse neighborhoods of San Francisco plus a brief walk through in one neighborhood in a full-day walking and city tour:

Chinatown for its rich historical and cultural aspect. Click here for a more detailed description of the Chinatown experience.

 

North Beach for its uniqueness and a place with a whole bunch of legacy businesses (over 50 years old). Click here for a more detailed description of the North Beach experience. (Note: The coffee break in North Beach is not part of the San Francisco neighborhoods itinerary, but you will get recommendations on what cafes are worth visiting on your own.)

A brief walk through in the Cow Hollow neighborhood to transfer buses. Cow Hollow is a neighborhood with Victorian houses that have been converted into boutiques, restaurants and offices.

Fillmore Street in Pacific Heights has a whole bunch on good places to eat so this is an excellent place to have a lunch break. You will have a choice from varied cuisines: American, Mediterranean, Italian, Seafood, Vietnamese, etc. (Note: The cost of lunch and snack break, when applicable, is not included in the urban trek price and will be your responsibility.)

After lunch, you will explore Pacific Heights which can be considered the premier neighborhood of San Francisco because most of the city's elite live in this neighborhood. Click here for a more detailed description of the Pacific Heights experience. 

Alamo Square neighborhood has the famous "Painted Ladies" Victorian houses and NOPA (North of the Panhandle) has been going though quite a transformation (gentrification?) in the past years. The name NOPA is part of said transformation (LOL). Click here for a more detailed description of the Alamo Square / NOPA experience. 

 

Hayes Valley is the neighborhood that had gone through a huge transformation and used to be called an up and coming neighborhood, but I believe it has already arrived to be a desirable place to live. Click here for a more detailed description of the Hayes Valley experience.

How to make a reservation:

• Send an e-mail to anton@urbantrekusa.com
• Include the date you want to reserve and the private urban trek you want to do.

Additional information:

• Start time: 9:30 am (or mutually agreed upon time)
• Approximate length of urban trek: 6.5 to 7 hours which includes one-hour lunch break and, if you want, an afternoon break for ice cream, coffee, hot chocolate, beer/wine.
• To make a reservation, send an e-mail to anton@urbantrekusa.com or WhatsApp and Viber 1-415-265-8229
• Price: 1 to 4 people $210 (total) plus $15 for each additional person (Note: Price does not include the cost of your meals, but it includes the cost of Muni fares <no cable car rides>)

 Fitness level for this urban trek:

This is a moderate urban trek mostly because it is a whole-day urban trek (with bus rides) and a few uphill walks to get the best vantage points and being San Francisco is a very hilly city. But there is a one-hour lunch break to relax halfway though the urban trek. Everyone has to be fit in order to walk uphill for at least one city block and can spend hours on their feet. Of course, walking will not be constant since there will be a whole lot of standing stops while you hear commentaries and short stops to admire and take photos of the scenery. Resting will be fine but it will be hard for people who cannot walk for about 10 minutes without stopping to rest to do this urban trek and enjoy it. Each stretch of walking will be approximately 10 minutes before a short standing break while the Urban Trek Leader explains or says something about the place.

Things to do in San Francisco - Hayes Valley

Urban Trek USA San Francisco private walking and city tours has been the premier San Francisco tour for over a decade.

Hayes Valley is one of the hippest neighborhoods in San Francisco with a whole bunch of good places to eat with outdoor seating; neat bars, beer garden and wine shops; excellent coffee and hot chocolate places; and trendy boutiques. Another neat thing about this neighborhood is the contrast of old Victorian buildings and more contemporary architecture style buildings mixed together. This neighborhood used to be considered an up and coming neighborhood but today it has definitely arrived. In my opinion, the gentrification that happened in this neighborhood was a good thing. You will learn about the transformation that happened and the main reason for the transformation. 

If you are doing the San Francisco neighborhoods private urban trek, this neighborhood is where it ends. This was done intentionally because you have the option to hang out here and shop or browse at the many of the trendy shops or have coffee or hot chocolate or beer or wine to unwind after your full-day urban trek of San Francisco neighborhoods. You will be given directions on how to get to where you want to go (e.g. your hotel) if you decide to end your private urban trek here. You will also get excellent recommendations of what to do in this neighborhood.

Hayes Valley is also a good place to have a lunch break if you do a customized urban trek because you will have a whole bunch of good choices for a place to stop for lunch.

#HayesValleyUrbanTrek #NeighborhoodsUrbanTrek #SanFanciscoNeighborhoodsUrbanTrek #SFNeighborhoodsUrbanTrek 

Last updated: May 17, 2022

  

What is an urban trek in San Francisco?

Urban Trek USA San Francisco private walking and sightseeing city tours. (Note: Urban Trek USA is a one-man operation and takes only approximately 3 reservations a month so making a reservation in advance is a plus.)

What is an Urban Trek?

Short definition:
It's like having a knowledgeable friend giving you the insider's scoop on San Francisco vs. just a tour guide.

Long definition:
An urban trek is a unique walking and city tour. This walking tour immerses oneself in the various San Francisco neighborhoods, history and culture of the city. Part of this tour includes taking public transportation to cover distant & uphill locations. 

Joining an urban trek will give you a better perspective of what makes San Francisco unique from most cities because you will get information that might not normally be found in tour books or websites about San Francisco.

The Urban Trek Leader (Anton) has been a San Francisco resident for decades. Anton will provide you with an experience that will leave you with a deeper understanding and appreciation of the city of San Francisco.

Urban Trek USA has been the premier walking tour of San Francisco for over a decade.

Testimonials:

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Read more testimonials on TripAdvisor, Google, Facebook, Yelp, etc.

How to make a reservation:

- Sending an e-mail to anton@urbantrekusa.com will be the best way. In you e-mail, include the date you want to reserve and which itinerary you want to do if you already know the itinerary you want (e.g. Historical San Francisco, San Francisco Neighborhoods, San Francisco Secret Spots, San Francisco Scenery).

- Send a text message to (415) 265-8229. You can also use WhatsApp and Viber. Provide the same information noted above.

Links to itineraries offered with detailed information:

1. Historical San Francisco

2. San Francisco Neighborhoods

3. San Francisco Secret Spots

3. San Francisco Scenery

#SanFrancisco

Things to do in San Francisco - Presidio Pet Cemetery #TuesdayTips

This installment of #TuesdayTips part of #UrbanTrekUSATips by Urban Trek USA San Francisco private walking and city tours features how to walk from Battery Bluff Park to the Presidio Pet Cemetery.

This video pretty much shows how to walk from the overlook at Battery Bluff Park to the Presidio Pet Cemetery:

Note: On the video, there is a message when you see the photo below to watch a video about this amazing discovery:

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It was thought that the Franciscan Manzanita was extinct in the wild until someone discovered this plant in the Presidio before the old Doyle Drive was to be demolished and replaced by the Presidio Parkway. Click on this link to the YouTube video by Melissa Peabody documenting the amazing set of circumstances ("divine intervention" as said by one person in the documentary video) that  lead to saving the Franciscan Manzanita from being extinct: Click here for the link to YouTube video

For more information and history about the Presidio Pet Cemetery, click here for the link to the Presidio website page for the Pet Cemetery.

Note: Click here for self-guided directions from Pet Cemetery to the best scenic way for walking  to the Golden Gate Bridge.

Last updated: June 16, 2023

Things to do in San Francisco - Francisco Park in Russian Hill #TuesdayTips

This installment of #TuesdayTips part of #UrbanTrekUSATips by Urban Trek USA San Francisco private walking and city tours features the newly opened Francisco Park in Russian Hill.

Francisco Park is a park along Hyde Street where the famous Powell & Hyde cable car runs; bounded by Hyde, Francisco, Larkin and Bay Streets. The best view is at the entrance of the park at the top of the hill at Hyde and Francisco Streets. 

Francisco Park is just two city blocks away from the very famous crooked part of Lombard Street. Make sure to check out Francisco Park when visiting Lombard Street's crooked portion. 

Tips:

If you are coming form the lower portion of the crooked part of Lombard Street, walk to the top of the crooked street (to Hyde Street). When you get to Hyde Street, turn right and walk down the hill to Francisco Street. Make sure to walk on the sidewalk at the western side of Hyde Street (i.e. when you get to the top of the crooked street, cross to the other side of Hyde Street and turn right). There is no crosswalk at the intersection of Hyde and Francisco so it will be more dangerous to cross there. You will see the entrance of Francisco Park where the stairs is located that goes down to the main section of the park. Go down the stairs and check out the various exhibits in the park (see photos below). If you have children, they will definitely want to play in the playground. Then take the wooden ramp leading down to where the dog play area is located. Make sure to check out the plants and flowers in the garden. The exit is at the corner of Hyde and Bay Streets.

If you are coming from Ghirardelli Square, Aquatic Park or Fisherman's Wharf, walk up the hill (going south) on the sidewalk of Hyde Street along the cable car route on the western side.  When you get to the southwest portion of Hyde and Bay Streets, you will see the entrance to Francisco Park where the dog play area is located. You will also see the wooden ramp that leads to the top of the park. Take the ramp and check out the plants and flowers in the garden. Also, make sure to check out the various exhibits along the way (see photos below). If you have children, they will undoubtedly want to check out the playground.

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This is the wooden ramp and the dog play area

 These are the various exhibits that have interesting things to know:

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Maria Manetti Shrem Community Garden:

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Picnic tables:

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Public toilets:

There are public toilets in this park. Being a brand new park (opened April 27, 2022), they are nice and new at the moment.

Miscellaneous (quite funny):

On Apr. 20, 2023, a herd of goats that were hired to eat the vegetation above Francisco Park escaped and caused a little traffic jam. According to the article, the herd possibly went all the way down to Ghirardelli Square. LOL. Click on the link to the San Francisco Standard story about this incident:

https://sfstandard.com/community/loose-herd-of-goats-near-san-franciscos-ghirardelli-square-stops-traffic/

 

Last updated: May 7, 2023