Ghost Tours San Francisco

Mansions in Pacific Heights-SF Tour-Alta Plaza Pk.to Lafayette Pk.

Don't be a No-show and lose your membership in the group. Attendance is taken. **We are meeting on the sidewalk at the intersection of Jackson St. & Pierce St., SF, along the north-side of Alta Plaza Park.** (There is a restroom near the top of the Park.) There is available free **parking** around the neighborhood and no restriction on weekends/holidays. (There is always parking on the very steep streets and usually around Alta Plaza Park for example.) To find a spot quickly look on the steep hilly street of Pierce between Jackson & Pacific Ave, 90 degree parking on the west side of the street here. The tour is a little longer than in the past with some new additions as we may make our way from the far west side of the tour at Vallejo & Normandie (where photo above was taken) to Lafayette Park to the east and return to where we started. (Unless lunch intervenes as we cross Fillmore on the return.) After the tour visit Fillmore St. where there are lots of shops, restaurants, coffee houses, bars and bakeries and today. You're welcome to join for lunch. My go to place is, La Mediterranee other places, Mayflower Market for sandwiches, Janes across the street at Fillmore & Sacramento St. Or About midway through the tour we'll stop for a break atop Lafayette Park. The strange 19th century tale of Samuel Holladay and how he got away with building his mansion on the highest point in Pacific Hts., even though his residential real estate "empire", **was atop and within Lafayette Park**. This is a true tale and will be told with some of the old photos. They'll be restrooms at the Park and views and we'll describe the surrounding heritage Victorian houses as time allows, but making our way back through some of the best examples of remaining Victorians in SF. Pacific Heights is best known for being one of the most affluent neighborhoods in San Francisco. This tour highlights the architecture, and some of the people who built, occupied and maintained these grand properties. About 30 of which will be on our tour with a few sentences of information about each property. The walking tour is 3 miles. With the usual SF hills. \-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\- **Looking at a San Francisco Victorian, what to look for:** *(There are five Styles)* 1. Flat front Italianate- (earliest Victorians). 2. Italianate with slanted bay windows. 3. San Francisco Stick Style (also called East Lake). Simpler square bay windows now used. Overall more elaborate decoration. 4. Queen Anne Tower House&Witches Cap, with angled or rounded bay windows & front gable 5. Queen Anne Row House"Cottage", 1, 1-1/2 or two stories. Large front gable. Possible moon-gate entry. * Features & "Gingerbread" * Floral Decor-Garlands (one of many types of decorations known as \*"Gingerbread") * Fish scale&Diamond shingles- * Towers & Witch's Cap- * Stained Glass or Beveled Glass- * Carvings of grotesque faces- * Sunbursts- often painted gold color, half or full. * Gables (Queen Anne's) in a variety of material- (mainly redwood) * Newel Posts and Finials on Tower tops and roof peaks- We'll see clusters of Victorian homes systematically built for the average working person by a development company, "The Real Estate Assoc." THEA, in business from 1870 to 1880. Not quite magnificent but many still standing. *Periods* **1860 - 1870s *Italianate*:** Buildings were vertical in emphasis with rounded classical detail. Earliest had flat windows, with false roof fronts. **1880s *Stick Style* (also called East Lake):** Squared off bay windows appear. **Late 1880s and 1890s *Queen Anne*** : Gingerbread would be applied to both the Stick and Queen Ann styles in San Francisco. Sloping roofs appear. With gables and towers. *Rooflines in the Queen Anne were irregular, combining the witches hat rooftop on a rounded or octagonal tower*. Following the Victorians the next major architectural style were the Period Revival residences popular in the 1920s and 1930s. [If you would like a scholarly and detailed explanation with photos, click.](https://sfplanning.org/sites/default/files/documents/preserv/bulletins/HistPres_Bulletin_18.PDF)

Victorians in Pacific Hts.-SF Tour-Alta Plaza Park to Lafayette Park

**\*Don't be a no-show. *See the Group's no-show policy below.*** Don't be a no-show and lose your membership in the Group. Attendance is always taken and no-shows recorded. *Paraphrasing William Faulkner from Requiem for a Nun, "The past isn't gone , it's not even past."* At least it looks that way in parts of Pacific Heights. There is available free **parking** around the neighborhood, be prepared to drive around a little bit, but it is early morning and there are no restrictions on weekends. (Don't park by a meter like those on Fillmore.) Restrooms are located at the top of Alta Plaza Park behind the kid's playground. About 2/3s of the way through the tour we'll stop for a break atop Lafayette Park. For restrooms and views and describe the surrounding houses and the saga of Samuel Holladay and his mansion, questionably located atop Lafayette Park. *(Afterwards one of my go to's for brunch is La Mediterranean Cafe at Sacramento and Fillmore. Great food, drinks and service in a cute little iconic SF restaurant. Also Mayflower Market has great picnic items to go, to take over to Alta Plaza.)* Pacific Heights is one of the most affluent neighborhoods in San Francisco. This tour highlights the Victorian architecture, and the architects, builders and people who owned and built, occupied and maintained these grand properties. About 30 of which will be on our tour with a few sentences of information about each property. The walking tour is 2.5-3.5 miles. With some typical SF hills for short distances. **Looking at a San Francisco Victorian, what to look for:** *(There are five Styles)* 1. Flat front Italianate- (earliest Victorians). 2. Italianate with slanted bay windows. 3. San Francisco Stick Style (also called East Lake). Simpler square bay windows now used. Overall more elaborate decoration. 4. Queen Anne Tower House&Witches Cap, with angled or rounded bay windows & front gable 5. Queen Anne Row House"Cottage", 1, 1-1/2 or two stories. Large front gable. Possible moon-gate entry. * Features & "Gingerbread" * Floral Decor-Garlands (one of many types of decorations known as \*"Gingerbread") * Fish scale&Diamond shingles- * Towers & Witch's Cap- * Stained Glass or Beveled Glass- * Carvings of grotesque faces- * Sunbursts- often painted gold color, half or full. * Gables (Queen Anne's) in a variety of material- (mainly redwood) * Newel Posts and Finials on Tower tops and roof peaks- We'll see clusters of Victorian homes systematically built for the average working person by a development company, "The Real Estate Assoc." THEA, in business from 1870 to 1880. Not quite magnificent but many still standing. *Periods* **1860 - 1870s *Italianate*:** Buildings were vertical in emphasis with rounded classical detail. Earliest had flat windows, with false roof fronts. **1880s *Stick Style* (also called East Lake):** Squared off bay windows appear. **Late 1880s and 1890s *Queen Anne*** : Gingerbread would be applied to both the Stick and Queen Ann styles in San Francisco. Sloping roofs appear. With gables and towers. *Rooflines in the Queen Anne were irregular, combining the witches hat rooftop on a rounded or octagonal tower*. [If you would like a scholarly and detailed explanation with photos, click.](https://sfplanning.org/sites/default/files/documents/preserv/bulletins/HistPres_Bulletin_18.PDF)

Golden Gate Park, Eastside Hike to POIs & SF Botanic Garden

**\*Don't be a no-show. *See the Group's no-show policy below.*** Don't be a no-show and lose your membership in the Group. Attendance is always taken and no-shows recorded. **[Here's a link to the video of the tour we did here on May 21st, 2022.](https://youtu.be/bJWphCOOW1g)** Golden Gate Park celebrated its 150th year anniversary in 2020. That's a lot of urban history. We'll get into just a little bit of that fascinating history today. But we want to get a good walk in. Distance today will be around 3.5 miles. Little up hills or elev. gain. Bring water only. Food trucks are available. My all time favorite is Sam's Chowder House truck, behind the huge, music Band Shell. Just the best clam chowder around. If you tip a dollar I'm sure you get extra clam, let's try it!. Also Annie's food carts, always around here and there. Below are the highlights to choose from in the eastern section. Unique about this walk is the members will choose as we go from the suggested sampling below. Come and see how this, **"we do it ourselves"**, style tour works. (I love it!) ***Golden Gate Park, (A sampling of POIs)*** Conservatory of Flowers (1878) US President James Garfield Statue (1884) Victorian era Baseball Player Statue, by Douglas Tilden (1891) Lily Pond & Australian Tree Fern Dell (1902) Tennis Courts (1894-2021) Lawn Bowling Courts (1901) Sharon Meadow (1894) Coffee House in the Park (recent) Lake Alford (1882) Alford Bridge & Tunnel (1889) Children's Quarter (1888) Sharon Building (1888) GG Park Carousal (1888-first Carousal) A Monastery Stone & the amazing story of these 8000 tons of stones that landed in the Park from Spain in 1931? Handball Courts Big Rec Baseball fields (1893) Shakespeare Flower Garden(1928) Spreckels Temple of Music , the "Band Shell" (1900) LUNCH (about 12:00pm) Music Concourse (built for 1894, Calif.Mid-Winter Fair) & new Ferris Wheel (Golden Gate Park Band plays Sundays at 1:00pm in season.) Japanese Tea Garden (1894) Stowe Lake (1881) San Francisco Botanical Garden (1940) (Then returning to where we started to the Conservatory of Flowers, we'll pass by the following.) **Itinerary-San Francisco Botanical Garden Tour, If we go there on this tour?** Garden of Fragrance Rhododendron Garden Heidelberg Hill & Magnolias Mediterranean Garden Ancient & Primitive Plant Garden South Africa/(Cape Town) Garden New Zealand & Australia Andean Cloud Forest Zellerbach Garden of Perennials Japanese Moon Viewing Garden Camellia Garden Redwood Grove California Natives Lots of interesting things in the Park. In-season: "Magnificent Magnolias", peak bloom time around Feb.1st. But we'll find lots of other beautiful plants and flowers to amaze. (\*Don't be a no-show.) It's good to give out name tags which I do. I fill out the name tags just before I leave for the tour. This also gives me a way to take attendance. Because name tags that are not picked up, are recorded as no-shows. If you get too many no-shows recorded in your personal Meet-up profile you'll be cancelled from this Meetup. In the photos is a picture of No-show name tags in February 26. (To cancel your RSVP beforehand [please at least 24 hrs. in advance]. Look for the, **"Edit Attendance"** tab at the bottom right hand corner of the screen for lap tops and left, bottom for phones.)

Bodega Dunes overnight

**Bikepacking overnight on the Sonoma Coast via SMART train.** **We will leave 8:45am Saturday from** [Shorebird Park in Emeryville](https://maps.app.goo.gl/KDSRWVUi51yAANrV7) **and ride the Richmond-San Rafael bridge, stopping in Larkspur for donuts before catching the 11:00 SMART train to Santa Rosa. If you chose to meet us at the train station in Larkspur, please be there at 10:45am (to get your donut fuel!). We plan to eat lunch on the train.** **We'll get off the train at Santa Rosa Downtown station and ride 28 miles to** [Bodega Dunes campground](https://www.parks.ca.gov/?page_id=451#:~:text=Hiker%2FBiker%20site%20at%20Bodega%20Dunes%20Campground)**. The hike/bike campsite does not require a reservation.** **On Sunday, the plan is to leave the campground by noon and likely do the same route in reverse.** **Please bring:** * **lunch to eat on the train on Saturday** * **$10 per person for camping plus card for SMART train ($6 OW)** * **water, snacks, food for meals at camp** * **your own copy of the route, in case we get separated** * **All the camping supplies you need (tent sleeping bag n mat, stove, etc.)** **\*****\*****\*****\*****\*****\*****\*****\*****\*****\*****\*****\*****\*****\*****\*****\*****\*****\*****\*****\*****\*****\*****\*****\*****\*****\*****\*****\*****\*****\*****\*****\*****\*****\*****\*****\*****\*****\*****\*****\*****\*****\*****\*****\*****\*****\*****\*****\*****\*****\*****\*****\*****\*****\*** **Important Notice:** **The Organizer, Assistant Organizers, and Event Organizers in this group are not professional leaders or guides. By signing up for a trip, or any other event organized by this group, you are acknowledging you are aware of the risks, dangers and hazards associated with the activity and freely accept and fully assume all such risks, dangers and hazards, and further agree to release and discharge the Organizer, Assistant Organizers, and Event Organizers of the NorCal Bicycle Touring and Camping Meetup Group against any and all liability arising from your participation in the group activities.** **Read these Safety Notes for Riders:** [https://www.google.com/search?q=safety+tips+for+bike+touring](https://www.google.com/search?q=safety+tips+for+bike+touring) **Gear List for Bike Touring:** [https://www.reddit.com/r/bicycletouring/comments/12vfu65/chatgpt_gear_list_to_get_started_bicycle_touring/](https://www.reddit.com/r/bicycletouring/comments/12vfu65/chatgpt_gear_list_to_get_started_bicycle_touring/)

💎 Hidden Gems of Pacific Heights: Architectural Walking Tour in SF! 💎

💎 **“I Never Noticed That Before” – Discover the Hidden Stories of Pacific Heights** 💎 Join architect Martin Bernstein for a lively and engaging 1.5-hour walking tour through one of San Francisco’s most beautiful and historic neighborhoods. One of his popular ***“I Never Noticed That Before”*** walking tours, this experience invites you to slow down, look up, and notice the details most people walk right past. From architectural quirks and design secrets to fascinating history, hidden symbolism, and colorful stories about the people who once lived behind these grand facades, Martin brings Pacific Heights to life in a way that’s both entertaining and eye-opening. You’ll never look at the neighborhood quite the same way again. \-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\- 📍 **Starting Point:** 2040 Franklin Street (corner of Franklin & Jackson) 🕜 **Starting Time:** 1:30 PM sharp — please arrive a few minutes early so we can begin on time. Whether you’re a history buff, an architecture lover, or just looking for a fresh way to explore the city, this tour promises plenty of *“aha!”* moments and a delightful afternoon of discovery. \-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\- 🎟️ **COST:** The Walking Tour is **FREE**, but we are supported almost entirely by walker donations. At the end of the tour, you will be given the opportunity to make a **suggested $20\* cash contribution** or to contribute via Zelle to: martinbernstein617@gmail.com. *\*10% of each donation supports* **New Beginnings**, *a volunteer-led community that brings people together to make new friends, have fun, and share new experiences.* ✨ We hope you will consider contributing so we can keep walking! \-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\- **WHAT TO BRING** ☀️ Sun protection — hat and/or sunscreen 💧 Water to stay hydrated 👟 Comfy shoes 🤔 Your curiosity **🚗 PARKING** **Free 2-hour Street Parking** throughout the neighborhood. Note signs for any special parking restrictions. For **paid garages**, visit ***[Haas-Lilienthal House - Driving Directions & Parking](https://www.haas-lilienthalhouse.org/map-hours)***. (Haas-Lilienthal House is near our starting place.) **🚇 PUBLIC TRANSPORTATION:** * **Muni Bus, BART, or Cable Car**: For detailed directions, visit the ***[Haas-Lilienthal House - Driving Directions & Parking](https://www.haas-lilienthalhouse.org/map-hours)***[ ](https://www.haas-lilienthalhouse.org/map-hours) page. * **Muni Bus Fare & Schedule**: $2.75 for adults, $1.50 for seniors (65+). Pay with cash or through the Muni Mobile app. Check routes and timings at **[SFMTA.com](https://www.sfmta.com)**. * **Taking the Train into SF?** Exit at 4th & Townsend (the final stop). From there, take Muni or Uber/Lyft to our meeting location. \-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\- ✨ **Spots are limited to 20 — RSVP soon to save yours!** If the event fills, join the waitlist. Walk-ups welcome if space allows. 👨🏻‍💼 **Your Tour Guide** Martin Bernstein, Architect [martinbernsteinarchitect.com](https://martinbernsteinarchitect.com/) Palo Alto ∙ San Francisco 📞 650.387.1000 \-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\- 🔷 **See our Group Guidelines [HERE](https://sites.google.com/view/new-beginnings-guidelines/home)** **🔴 *Help Keep the Fun Going in 2026*** *We’re a volunteer-led group, and member contributions help cover annual Meetup fees and occasional venue rentals. See our [2026 contributor list](https://docs.google.com/document/d/1FhXm1V0hEuWSbuOMivlLUqTm3JaCPD6VSOzg3ZrAJyE/edit?usp=sharing). Please make your **annual $20 contribution for 2026** by giving cash **with your name to the host at an in-person event**. (Contributions are not tax-deductible.) New here? Enjoy a few events first, then pitch in if it feels like a good fit!* 🔴 *By participating in any New Beginnings Social Event, you and your guests RELEASE and DISCHARGE the organizers, hosts, and participants from all liability for injuries, illness, damages, death, issues relating to privacy or economic loss arising from activities, advice, or information provided. Participation is voluntary and entirely at your own risk. You are responsible for your safety, belongings, and transportation decisions. Choose carpool drivers carefully and consider leaving valuables at home.*

GATECREEPER

Presidio Tunnel Tops Memorial Day May 25 Katy Christie

Muir Woods,Memorial Day Hike,5 miles-1k'-elev-gain

Don't be a No-Show, a No Show's, membership will be cancelled. Attendance is closely monitored and always taken. What better way to spend Memorial Day then a late Spring day in Muir Woods and the lower west side of Mt.Tam. We have to get an early start to find parking and to beat the heat. Hiking boots required. Bring some food/fruit/snacks, plenty of water, sunscreen, a hat, light layers to peel off, when it gets hot. My favorite stop afterwards is, Good Earth Natural Foods at the junction of Flamingo Rd. & Hwy.1, directly on the way home. Great hot food, baked goods and all kinds of special drinks like, "Marin Golden Milk", worth a stop just for that, not really. We can sit outside below the Tennessee Valley hills. **About parking:** One of the reasons to start so early is because of the parking difficulty where we start, but arriving early should make it easier. Meet in the parking lot across from the Mountain Home Inn. Shortly before you get to this lot, there are parking spaces on the left side of the road. These lots will fill quickly.The later you arrive the harder it will be to find parking. If none, stop across from Mtn.Home Inn and ask me where to find parking. I'll be wearing a western style hat. Muir Woods, Memorial Day Hike, 5 miles-1000'elev.gain. **\*Don't be a no-show. *See the Group's no-show policy below.*** Don't be a no-show and lose your membership in the Group. *Attendance is always taken and no-shows recorded.*

Section 6 of the Roundabout

Section 6: Tunnel Tops to Ferry Building Though this final section is likely the most familiar part of the Roundabout trail for both locals and visitors, we trust we’ve still found some new treasures to share with all. Open only since 2022 and still adding features, community-built Tunnel Tops Park (over 80% funded by public donations) is part of the former army base turned national park Presidio; access by free Presidio Go shuttle, Muni 30 and 43 lines and more. Continuing the Roundabout theme of transformation, the site of a utilitarian Golden Gate Bridge freeway connector is now a park and kids natural playscape connecting Crissy Field and the waterfront to the Presidio Main Post, and known for its sweeping views from the Golden Gate to Alcatraz and beyond. Head east from here along the waterfront and through the Marina District, former marshland transformed into a site for the 1915 Panama-Pacific International Exposition, at which San Francisco showed off its recovery following the 1906 quake and fire. Bernard Maybeck’s magnificent Palace of Fine Arts is one of the few expo remnants; catch some photos as you pass. Many may be familiar with the path through former Port of Embarkation Fort Mason (busiest during WWII, when it was the central hub for troops and supplies headed to the Pacific), but the Roundabout takes us off the familiar route, revealing little-known Black Point Battery, where cannons still look out to the bay, and the adjacent Black Point Historic Gardens, offering terrific views from the hillside terraced in the 1850’s, the gardens restored and reopened in 2021. The trail continues past Aquatic Park, historic Hyde Street Pier, and Fisherman’s Wharf. Along the way, stop in at the SF Maritime National Historical Park Visitors Center in a 1907 brick warehouse known as “The Cannery” (where, despite its location, 2,500 employees once canned fruits and vegetables, not fish, for Del Monte). The visitor center is a great free museum sharing SF’s maritime history (and has a handy clean bathroom!). The Fisherman’s and Seaman’s Memorial Chapel (a tribute to San Franciscans who have devoted their lives to the sea) and the Musée Mécanique at Pier 45 (filled with historic and not-so-historic arcade games and attractions), are other worthy stops. Finally, as you carry along towards the Ferry Building return, don’t miss the slight detour off the Embarcadero, (here named Herb Caen Way after the legendary and beloved former local newspaper columnist), to take in the Klamath Ferry rooftop gardens at Pier 9 (open weekdays and first Saturdays; the 1925 ferry once carried over 1,000 passengers at a time across the bay), and Pier 3 Promenade.

Slumber Party Massacre II (1987) - Terror Tuesdays at the Alamo!

Courtney and her friends go to their condo for a weekend getaway, but Courtney can't get rid of the haunting feeling that a supernatural rockabilly driller killer is coming to murder them all. Join us for fun and mayhem that they don't make like that any more. Tickets: https://drafthouse.com/sf/event/terror-tuesday-slumber-party-massacre-ii?cinemaId=0801 I have seat 13 in row 5 if you want to sit close. Showtime is 9.30 pm - we'll meet around 9.15 pm in the lobby of the theater.

The Berkeley Rose Garden & Cragmont Rock Park Walk

**This walk is very special because 2 years ago we found out that the Berkeley Rose Garden times its roses to all bloom at the same time: in the month of May. This walk is especially good for photographers!** **Half of my walks are free. For this May 23rd walk I am asking for $5 cash per adult. I don't collect it until the middle of the walk and children are always free.** **Sometimes there it can be exciting with crowds of people taking photos and posing with the roses for photos. Roses of every color were there.** **This walk is open for RSVPs. Attendance limit is 70. One guest per attendee allowed if put on the RSVP. Bring a sack lunch and enough water. Near our starting point there are cafes and sandwich places where one can buy food.** **Take a look at 48 photos taken on our May 31st, 2025, Walk.** **Link below:** [The Berkeley Rose Garden & Cragmont Rock Park Walk (May 31, 2025) Photos](https://www.meetup.com/walking-in-sf/photos/35382214/) **Below are 92 photos taken on our May 18th, 2024, Walk. Link below:** [https://www.meetup.com/walking-in-sf/photos/34540010/](https://www.meetup.com/walking-in-sf/photos/34540010/) **At 11:15 AM we will meet in front of the Berkeley Main Library which is close to the Berkeley Downtown BART Station. Both buildings have restrooms. We expect to start walking at 11:25 AM.** **We will eat our sack lunches at the Berkeley Rose Garden. Bringing water is essential. but it is also a good idea to bring paper towels as some restrooms lack paper.** **We will walk to areas around and also North of the Rose Garden to our furthest North and highest point, Cragmont Rock Park.** **Then this hard uphill walk becomes easy as we walk South, all downhill. We will walk several stairways and passageways and visit the Berkeley Art Center near Live Oak Park. I estimate the distance at 5 miles or less & we return to our starting point at 4:15 PM.** **Below is a brand new ink to a site about the Berkeley Rose Garden:** https://berkeleyca.gov/community-recreation/parks-recreation/parks/berkeley-rose-garden-park **This walking group is for humans only. No dogs or other animals allowed.** **Some legal disclaimers:** **By joining us for any event you hereby RELEASE and DISCHARGE it's organizers, hosts and participants from any and all liability, claims, demands or causes of action that you now have, or may have in the future, for injuries, damages, death and/or economic loss of any kind or nature, arising in whole or in part out of the activities, advice or information contained herein. You further agree that if you or someone under your supervision uses the information on this website you assume all risks of injury, damage, and economic loss, without limitation, and release providers from all liability therefore. It is advisable to consult a doctor before you begin any strenuous physical activity. The organizer is not trained for emergency medical procedures and no doctors, nurses or ambulances are provided on the walks.**

May 2026 Book Discussion: Aftertaste - Daria Lavelle

The results are in! The book we'll be reading and discussing for our May meetup is: Aftertaste by Daria Lavelle. ***Summary***: Konstantin Duhovny is a haunted man. His father died when he was ten, and ghosts have been hovering around Kostya ever since. Kostya can’t exactly see the ghosts, but he can taste their favorite foods. Flavors of meals he’s never eaten will flood his mouth, a sign that a spirit is present. Kostya has kept these *aftertastes* a secret for most of his life, but one night, he decides to act on what he’s tasting. And everything changes. Kostya discovers that he can reunite people with their deceased loved ones—at least for the length of time it takes for them to eat a dish that he’s prepared. He thinks his life’s purpose might be to offer closure to grieving strangers, and sets out to learn all he can by entering a particularly fiery ring of Hell: the New York culinary scene. But as his kitchen skills catch up with his ambitions, Kostya is too blind to see the catastrophe looming in the Afterlife. And the one person who knows Kostya must be stopped also happens to be falling in love with him. Set in the bustling world of New York restaurants and teeming with mouthwatering food writing, *Aftertaste* is a whirlwind romance, a heart-wrenching look at love and loss, and a ghost story about all the ways we hunger—and how far we’d go to find satisfaction. Lavelle’s debut is a multi-course tasting menu of a book that will sate, delight, excite, comfort, and inspire even the pickiest of readers.