Things to do in San Francisco: Golden Gate Park JFK Dr Promenade Play Area #UrbanTrekUSATips #SanFrancisco

Things to do in San Francisco: Golden Gate Park JFK Dr Promenade play area. With the permanent closure of JFK Drive in Golden Gate Park, one of good additions is the play area near the Music Concourse where you can play ping pong, corn hole and bring out the kid in you by spinning on one of those spinning seats. 

Other things you can do along JFK Dr Promenade in Golden Gate Park are depicted in this video:

This #UrbanTrekUSATips by Urban Trek USA San Francisco private walking and city tour.

#SanFrancisco #GoldenGatePark #JFKDrPromenade #UrbanTrekUSATipsGGP 

Last updated: May 17, 2023

Things to do in San Francisco - Fuchsia Garden in Golden Gate Park #UrbanTrekUSATips #SanFrancisco

 This #UrbanTrekUSATips by Urban Trek USA a private San Francisco walking and city tour  is about the Fuchsia Garden.

The Fuchsia Garden is not as popular as the Rose Garden, Dahlia Garden, Botanical Garden, etc. but it is worth the visit especially if you want to be in a place of solitude. 

The Fuchsia Garden is located near the entrance to Golden Gate Park at Stanyan and Hayes Streets. Taking the #21 Muni bus and disembarking at the Hayes & Stanyan bus stop <Stop ID 15009> is the easiest way to get there via public transportation. After you disembark, cross Stanyan Street to the entrance to the Golden Gate Park and you will soon see the sign showing the entrance to the Fuchsia Garden (shown in the video below). And if you follow the path heading west, you will end up near the Dahlia Garden & Conservatory of Flowers. 

Click here for other things to do in Golden Gate Park.

#GoldenGatePark #FuchsiaGarden #SanFrancisco #UrbanTrekUSATips 

Last updated: Dec. 22, 2022

Things to do in San Francisco to feel that Christmas spirit (holiday joy) #UrbanTrekUSATips #SanFrancisco

 I wasn't feeling the Christmas spirit so I decided to do something yesterday evening to capture that feeling and I am happy I did it because today I am more in a holiday frame of mind. 

This is the whole video showing what I did:

In my opinion, it's best to do this in the evening especially if you plan to check out the events at Grace Cathedral (e.g. Dec. 23, 2022).

Here's what I did:

1) I started at Hallidie Plaza (where the Powell Metro & BART station is located) where there is the Holiday Winter Wanderland until Dec. 24, 2022. Click here for more information about the shows done daily. 

2) Head up the escalator to the cable car turn around and check the cable cars with holiday decorations.

3) Walk up Powell Street to the St. Francis Hotel and check out their holiday decorations.

4) Walk across the street to Union Square where the ice skating rink and giant Christmas tree are located. 

5) Take the cable car or the bus (or walk?) to the top of Nob Hill to the Fairmont Hotel. (Note: Taking the bus is cheaper than the cable car. Walk to the bus top at Stockton & Sutter and take any bus headed into the tunnel. Disembark at the very next stop in Chinatown <Stockton & Sacramento> and take a short walk to the bus stop at Sacramento & Stockton and take the #1 bus and disembark at Sacramento & Sproule/Mason and take a short walk to the Fairmont Hotel. Check out their holiday decorations and the giant ginger bread house.

.6) Walk to Huntington Park and check out the Christmas lights. 

7) If the music and screen projection is on at Grace Cathedral across the street from Huntington Park, cross the street and check it out. Also, click here for the calendar of events at Grace Cathedral. 

Enjoy the holidays!

#SanFrancisco #HappyHolidays #SanFranciscoChristmas #SanFranciscoHolidays 

Things to do in San Francisco - Let's Glow SF #UrbanTrekUSATips #SanFrancisco

Things to do in San Francisco - Let's Glow SF kicked off Dec. 2, 2022. It is "America's largest holiday projection mapping festival." This year is the second time for this event in San Francisco. The projection installations will be running until Dec. 11, 2002 from 5:00 - 10:00 pm. I highly recommend it if you will be visiting the downtown area. 

Click here for more information and list of artists with bios.

There are 5 locations and this is the order I recommend to see them:

1. Mechanics Monument Plaza (Market & Battery)

2. 1 Bush Street (Best to watch from across the street at 525 Market St)

3. Hobart Building (Market & Montgomery)

4. Pacific Stock Exchange Building (Pine & Sansome)

5. Station J (222 Leidesdorff)

When you end at Station J, you will be within walking distance to Chinatown, Jackson Square and North Beach where you have a whole lot of choice to eat or get some cocktails.

Here are a few of my recommendations in the following areas:

Chinatown

1. Hong Kong Clay Pot at 960 Grant Ave (Food)

2. R&G Lounge at 631 Kearny St (Food & Cocktails)

 Jackson Square

1. Cotogna at 490 Pacific Ave (Food & Cocktails)

2. Bix at 56 Gold St (Food & Cocktails)

3. Bask at 42 Columbus Ave

North Beach

1. Comstock Saloon at 155 Columbus Ave (Food & Cocktails)

2. Specs at 12 William Saroyan Pl (Cocktails)

3. Vesuvio at 255 Columbus Ave (Cocktails)

4. Stella Party & Cafe at 446 Columbus Ave (Italian desserts & coffee) 

5. Trestle at 531 Jackson St (Food & wine) 

6. Caffe Trieste at 601 Vallejo St (Coffee)

 

 

 

 

 

About Urban Trek USA San Francisco Private Walking & City Tours

What is Urban Trek USA? 

• We are currently a private walking and city tour experience in San Francisco, CA
• Urban Trek USA is a one-man operation (Anton). Therefore, no need to request for Anton since Anton is the only one 😀 (Note: Urban Trek USA takes only approximately 3 reservations a month so making a reservation in advance is a plus.)
• Urban Trek USA started offering tours back in August 8, 2008
• Urban Trek USA is a 5-star rated San Francisco tour for over 10 years now
• As a result of the pandemic, Urban Trek USA is now only offering private San Francisco experiences

How was the urban trek concept developed?

The urban trek concept, which is to provide an immersive San Francisco experience by walking and taking public transportation, came about almost by accident. Anton's original plan was to do the usual walking tour that are offered by the majority of other tour companies. However, when Anton was attending a tour guide seminar, a bunch of seminar participants who were not from San Francisco asked Anton to show them around San Francisco since Anton is a local. Anton planned an itinerary where he took participants to his favorite local places in the city that are not well-known to visitors and also took  them for dinner at one of his favorite restaurants. Everyone loved it! So basically, that is how the urban trek concept was conceived. 

Another aspect of the urban trek concept was to be environmentally friendly and to help visitors learn how to navigate San Francisco on their own after the urban trek, hence taking public transportation was part of the urban trek. (Note: The Historical San Francisco itinerary has less of the public transportation aspect because it is only a half-day itinerary and most places are easy to walk to.)

The different itineraries always offer a local point of view and "secret spots" when possible in addition to the more well-known attractions. When lunch is part of the itinerary, Anton makes excellent recommendations depending on what you want to have.

Local point of view is defined as Anton's favorite places/neighborhoods that are not well-known to visitors (maybe even some locals) and/or neighborhood places (i.e. restaurants, bars, cafes, dessert places, etc.) that would be worth visiting after the urban trek to soak in more of San Francisco's way of life, food culture, etc.

Secret spots is defined as neat places that are not crowded and often have awesome views. You will notice from the videos, even at the Golden Gate Bridge, there are not many people even though the videos were taken in the middle of the day.

Maybe the most important aspect of the urban trek concept is that the urban trek service is not done for only the time during the urban trek. Urban Trek USA provides free tips and directions for self-guided exploration of more places in San Francisco that were not covered in the urban trek itinerary. Anton is always willing to provide you with helpful tips on whatever else you want to experience.

Note: Prior to offering only private tours, Urban Trek USA limited the total number of urban trekkers to 6 (in the beginning) so guests will have a private tour experience since it was always a small group. Later on, the number was raised to 7 in order to not raise the price. Urban Trek USA does not want to make guests feel like being part of a herd. Urban Trek USA's priority has always been and will always be to provide excellent service.  

.  

Why is walking and taking public transportation better?

You cannot get the real feel for a neighborhood if you do not walk the streets, alleys, etc. Walking is the only way to get a more intimate experience because you are not detached from the environment. Also unexpected things can happen when walking like being able to watch a movie being filmed in the neighborhood; or kids seeing a distressed baby seal and wanting to make sure it is cared for; or being offered to appear in a video to promote Earth Day.

As mentioned previously taking public transportation is a way to be environmentally friendly since there is no additional pollution being produced and no contribution to the the traffic congestion in San Francisco. You will also get a feel for the locals who live or frequent the different neighborhoods. And you will feel more comfortable exploring more of San Francisco on your own once you experience taking public transportation, which is a lot cheaper than other forms of transportation in the city. 

Click here for detailed descriptions of the different itineraries. 

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 itinerary you want to do.

Things to do in San Francisco - San Francisco Scenery Private Walking and City Tour #SFSceneryUrbanTrek #SanFranciscoScenery

Things to do in San Francisco - San Francisco Scenery 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 Scenery urban trek includes two of the most iconic San Francisco attractions (i.e. Golden Gate Bridge, crooked part of Lombard Street) plus the also popular Palace of Fine Arts and the less popular billionaire's area of Pacific Heights. All of the places have beautiful views, but most important is you will get to experience some of the "secret spots" with awesome views without the crowd. In addition to the awesome views, you will also learn some historical information about the places and, as always, the insider's scoop on more recent events about them. 

(Note: Maybe if the promotional video for this urban trek goes viral then the "secret spots" will be less of a secret so do not share it. LOL.) 

The first place you will experience is Russian Hill where you will see the crooked part of Lombard Street, a very steep street and a couple of the "secret spots" noted above. 

The Palace of Fine Arts in the Marina neighborhood is the next stop, which has a beautiful architectural design and park for the neighborhood. 

After the Palace of Fine Arts, lunch break will be on Chestnut Street in the Marina neighborhood where you will have a wide variety of good choices for lunch. The Urban Trek Leader will provide you with excellent recommendations to help you make a good choice. (Note: The cost of your lunch and snack break, when applicable, is not included in the urban trek price and will be your responsibility.)

After lunch will be the Golden Gate Bridge. There will be quite a bit of time devoted to this area so you will see it from far and near, left side, right sie and under. You will have the option to walk to the first tower (closest to San Francisco) if you want to do so. Therefore, you will be very familiar with the bridge after you leave. Did I mention the "secret spots?"

After the Golden Gate Bridge is the billionaire's area of Pacific Heights which has a nice view and you will see where the ultra rich live in San Francisco. You will be given some scoop on who owns some of the mansions.

The itinerary for this private urban trek ends at this point. You have the option to stop for an afternoon coffee, tea, ice cream, snack at one of the places along Fillmore Street in Pacific Heights. Or the Urban Trek Leader can take you back to your hotel or take you to a location you want to go as long as it is within a reasonable distance and accessible by public transportation.

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 little above 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 and having to go down a lot of steps and up several steps. The trails around the Golden Gate Bridge area can also be narrow and uneven (dirt trail). 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 - 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.