Things to do in San Francisco - Historical San Francisco Private Walking and City Tour #HistoricalUrbanTrek #HistoricalSanFrancisco

Things to do in San Francisco - Historical San Francisco 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.)

Our goal is to provide you with San Francisco's a very interesting history. This private walking and city tour includes six diverse neighborhoods that are rich in history and some awesome views:

We start in Union Square, which is considered the heart of San Francisco today. You will learn how this neighborhood evolved from its beginnings as a huge sand dune and the great earthquake and fire of 1906 and a woman associated with Union Square and her rags to riches story. You will also walk through an alley lined with high-end boutiques and learn of its seedy past. Click here for a more detailed description of the itinerary for Union Square.

Chinatown is next on the itinerary. Mostly everyone thinks of Chinatown as the neighborhood where the first Chinese immigrants settled. However, the most interesting aspect of Chinatown is this is the location where San Francisco began as a trading village to the heart of San Francisco during the gold rush era. You will see the location of the oldest street in San Francisco, where the first house was built and the old town square. Also learn where the one block of the original Chinatown started and a brief history of how/why the Chinese came to San Francisco and see the "Alley of the Painted Balconies" and learn the current living conditions in this neighborhood. Click here for a more detailed description of the itinerary for Chinatown.

Next up is Jackson Square Historic District. This part of San Francisco was spared from the great fire of 1906. Therefore, buildings that date back to the 1850s are still standing so you can get a glimpse of what this area looked like back then. Also learn where the old beach used to be and where some buried ships are located. Click here for a more detailed description of the itinerary for Jackson Square.

Onward to North Beach. Known as San Francisco's "Little Italy" but there are so much more interesting aspects about this neighborhood. For one, this neighborhood is one of the few neighborhoods that has not changed much since the 1950s even though the Italians have moved away a long time ago. There is also a concentration of legacy businesses (50 years and older). Learn how this neighborhood as evolved, get tips on places to check out on your own (for food and cocktails) and a brief history about the Beats and their old hangout. Maybe the best part of the itinerary is the coffee break at one of the legacy businesses (my favorite cafe) with excellent selection of Italian pastries and one cake that they are famous for. Click here for a more detailed description of the itinerary for North Beach.

Next is Telegraph Hill. Coit Tower and the fresco murals inside are the most popular attractions in this part of The City. However, there are more interesting historic aspects like homes dating back to the 1850s that survived the great fire of 1906, the uniqueness of this neighborhood and what some residents have to endure to live here, as well as the awesome views. Click here for a more detailed description of the itinerary for Telegraph Hill.

The last stop is the waterfront area around the Ferry Building. However, first you will walk through Levi's Plaza where the corporate headquarters of Levi Strauss & Co. is located and you will get a brief history on the Levis jeans (i.e. how it came to be). The Waterfront area has some awesome views of San Francisco Bay and the skyline of San Francisco's Financial District. This is also a good place to end the urban trek because the Ferry Building is a foodie Mecca with a bunch of excellent options for food, wine, beer, coffee, desserts, etc. A perfect spot to relax and enjoy the view after you have enjoyed your Historical San Francisco private walking and city tour.

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: 9:00 am (or mutually agreed upon time)
• Approximate length of urban trek: 4.5 hours which includes 20-minute coffee break.
• 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 $204 (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 the easiest urban trek even though it is mostly a walking tour because the uphill walks are less steep and you have the option to take public transportation up to Telegraph Hill and to the Ferry Building. For some people with knee or leg issues, it might be difficult to go down the stairs with about 380 steps. 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 historical commentaries and there will be about a 20-minute stop in Chinatown where you will be able to sit down and short breaks to take photos and admire the views. 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. There will also be approximately 20 minutes for a relaxing coffee break in North Beach, which is approximately 2.5 hours after the start of the urban trek.

Things to do in San Francisco - Union Square

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

Union Square is considered the heart of San Francisco where the majority of the hotels and shopping is located. Hence, the most suitable meeting place for Historical San Francisco private urban trek.

These are the things you will learn at this location:

1. How this neighborhood has evolved over the years (and boy has it evolved)

2. What happened during the great earthquake and fire of 1906

3. A woman’s rags to riches story and the mark she left here

4. The notorious and seedy past of the alley next to the square

5. A building remodeled by a very famous architect

Although this place is the meeting place, this area has a lot of history to it so sign up for the Historic San Francisco private tour (urban trek) and learn about and experience Union Square.

#UnionSquareUrbanTrek

Things to do in San Francisco - Telegraph Hill

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

Telegraph Hill is the neighborhood the Urban Trek Leader plans to buy property should he be blessed with winning several millions of dollars playing the lottery. Seriously, this neighborhood pretty much has everything:

1. Awesome views

2. History and some historic houses that survived the great fire of 1906

3. Fresco art inside Coit Tower

4. Uniqueness from other neighborhoods

5. Beautiful flowers in the gardens

6. Locations where a few movies and two TV shows where shot (e.g. The Wedding Planner, Invasion of the Body Snatchers (1978), Streets of San Francisco, Zoe's Extraordinary Playlist)

What Urban Trek USA delivers that most other tours do not:

1. Finding spots that are the best places for photos so you do not have you pay the fee to go to the top of Coit Tower (and waiting in a long line during peak tourist season)

2. Taking you to the area with historic houses and where movies and TV shows were filmed

Other things you can expect;

• The truth about Coit Tower

• History on how this place has evolved over the years

• The easiest way to walk up with a scenic view should the bus not be available

So experience Telegraph Hill with an urban trek instead of just visiting like most people do.

#TelegraphHillUrbanTrek

Things to do in San Francisco - Jackson Square

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

Jackson Square is not necessarily a neighborhood but more of a historic district (i.e. Jackson Square Historic District). I think most people who visit San Francisco are not very aware of this area, which is between the Financial District and North Beach. Although only a small area, this place has a bunch of interesting historical importance to San Francisco. For one, it has the oldest commercial buildings (some date back to the 1950s) in San Francisco because they survived the great fire of 1906.

When you are part of an urban trek that includes Jackson Square as part of the itinerary (e.g. Historical San Francisco), these are the things you will learn:

1. How the old buildings survived the great fire of 1906 and why the buildings are made of bricks and why they have certain enhancements to them.

2. Why this area became important to the beginnings of what would be San Francisco.

3. Buried ships and how some old ships were repurposed. 

4. The heart of the seedy “Barbary Coast” area of San Francisco.

5. Along the way, on weekdays, stop by a place with a bit of tranquility in the Financial District.

This place is definitely worth visiting especially if you are interested in getting a little glimpse of the old San Francisco.

#JacksonSquareUrbanTrek

Things to do in San Francisco - North Beach

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

North Beach is the Urban Trek Leader's most favorite of all neighborhoods in San Francisco and Anton will try his best to share the reasons why:

1. Although businesses have changed hands, most buildings look pretty much the same from the 1950s. There are a whole bunch of establishments that are over 50 years old (legacy businesses) and you will get some insight on my favorites. In my opinion this place has kept its charm through the years in spite of changes all neighborhoods experience. Other places lose their essence due to gentrification. North Beach has kept most of it.

2. Although North Beach is known as San Francisco's Little Italy, it was not the Italians that first inhabited this neighborhood and the Italians are no longer the major ethnic population. You will learn the evolution of this neighborhood.

3. North Beach is also a good place to hang out at night (i.e. dinner, cocktails) and you will get tips on the best places to feel the old vibe and the new vibe.

4. Of course, this neighborhood is the best place to stop for a coffee break. You can sample excellent Italian pastries at one of the oldest cafes in San Francisco that are still baked in the oven from the 1940s. (Note: This happens when the itinerary is the Historical San Francisco one.)

So when you join an urban trek that has North Beach as part of the itinerary, you will experience one of the well-known and historic neighborhoods in San Francisco.

#NorthBeachUrbanTrek

Chinatown - San Francisco - Things to do in San Francisco

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

Chinatown has been a neighborhood famous as a tourist destination. It is probably because most visitors feel this neighborhood is exotic. However, in my opinion, the importance of this neighborhood are two-fold:

1. Prior to being Chinatown, this place was were modern-day San Francisco started and the center of happenings during the Gold Rush Era. Yes, most people probably do not realize this but if you want to learn about the interesting history of San Francisco, this is where you should be and why our urban trek to this neighborhood will give you interesting historical information while being where it all happened.

2. The City is very diverse and this neighborhood is where the major minority group has its roots. You will learn what kind of life the people that live here is like. Fantasy does not always match reality.

So when you join an urban trek that has Chinatown as part of its itinerary, you will have a good historical account about San Francisco and learn how it has evolved over the years.

#SanFrancisco #ThingsToDoInSanFrancisco #ChinatownUrbanTrek