Ghost Tours San Francisco

HAGS Does The Haunted Bay's SF Chinatown Ghost Tour

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)

Modernism-Architecture Tour, Berkeley's Mid-Century Moderns

*(\***Don't be a no-show and lose your membership in the Group. See the Group no-show policies at the bottom.**)* * *(For those familiar with the Bay Area's, "Eichler" style houses, here's your chance to discover where they came from.)* * Optional afterwards we'll drive down one mile to the Gourmet Ghetto for lunch. ***\-\-\-1st Bay Tradition* to *Mid-Century Modern House Tour*\-\-\-** *(EXTERIORS)* You can truly get the feeling of what the architects and landscape designers in the 1930s through the 1960s intended, compared to the nearby earlier, 1st Bay Traditional work of Bernard Maybeck, John Gayland Howard, Edwin Lewis Snyder(period revival was his specialty) and John Hudson Thomas. The modernist architects work we'll see today include; William Wurster, Roger Lee, Donald Olsen, Charles Warren Callister, John Hans Ostwald, Robert Klemmedson(the magnificent Japanese villa at #14 Maybeck Twin Dr.) and my personal favorite, Louise Rigg and her house at 170 Tamalpais Rd. Some of these 2nd Bay Tradition modern houses still have original furniture and have undergone no or little change since they were first constructed. The gardens were designed in keeping with the era of bringing the outdoors into the house, facilitated by huge windows. You will also see incredibly wide views of the bay and peninsula rarely found in other locations. The design, layout and construction requirements of these houses facilitated maximizing the awesome views these houses afforded. *Meeting Location:* We are meeting on the sidewalk where Rose Walk meets Euclid Ave. Halfway between Cedar St. & Eunice St. (Nearby address, 1400 Euclid Ave.,Berkeley Without the incredible work of the *Berkeley Architectural Heritage Association,* going back to the 1970s, the information for these Berkeley tours would not be available. A summary of some of this information can be found in their tour guide book, "41 Berkeley Walking Tours". For more details visit their website. *(\***Don't be a no-show.**)* It's good to give out name tags for socializing, which I do. I fill out the name tags 24hrs. before the meeting time. This also gives me a way to take attendance. (See photo below of Feb.& early Mar. no-show names.) 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 (Only Organizers can view.) you'll have to be cancelled from this Meetup. (To cancel your RSVP beforehand (please at least 24 hrs.), look for the, **"Edit Attendance"** tab at the bottom right hand corner of the screen.)

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.)

💎 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.*

Trek to Coyote Peak & explore this redwood forest creeks & trails !

## Details Aloha former sofa surfers & current active adventurous members !! \*\*\*\*\*\* I haven't done this event in about 7 years. It's near the Wine castle . We have 3 choices of a 5 , 6 or 7 mile trek. RED WOODS ,CREEKSIDE TRAILS ,& GETTING TO THE TOP OF COYOTE PEAK! iTS A VERY EASY TO MODERATE TREK &. Even has a hidden \*\*\*\*\*Waterfall !! T he forest has returned after the fires several years ago . \*\*\*\*\*\*\*\* Copy this address : 3801 St Helena hwy. Look for big black mailbox across from the park entrance .Park entrance is on the left & mailbox is on the right. (Napa-Bothe State Park. ) We will park just a few feet North of the mailbox. From there we will carpool into the park. \*\*\*\*\*\*\*\* Note: this park also has a swimming pool near where we park. So bring your bathing suit ! \*\*\*Bring a lunch , but I'll also have plenty of snacks & drinks, hiking poles & Bathrooms are available, \*\*\*\*\*\*\* After we can visit the Wine Castle, (Castelo de Amorosa) !! Im good friends with the owner (Dario Satui),! \*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\* \*\*\*Member donation fee is only a paltry $22. & guests are only $15. Also, Wear good hiking shoes & a light jacket, just in case. ! \*\*\*Note: Remember that a No Show will get you dropped from meetup ! I also need your phone # & email in case I have to reach you quickly ! Indie Tom:: [boldbackroads@gmail.com](mailto:boldbackroads@gmail.com) & 925 787 3041 \*\*\*\*P.S. I have a few new great day trips to plan before my meetup Organizer status retires. !!! Watch for more info & new post meetup Events & adventures !

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.

Angel Island State Park Hike - 5-16-26