Ghost Tours San Francisco

East Bernal Hts. Walking Tour-Via Stair Path & SF Vernacular Architecture

(Photo above: *Family moving "their" earthquake Cottage from Precita Park up to Bernal Hts.,1907. Occupants could keep the government provided, Union built cottage they had lived in after the earthquake, if the rent was up to date. Sometimes charged $100. for the cottage. But land values had bottomed after the earthquake. Rows of these, painted, park bench green, were temporarily built in most of the parks in SF and the Presidio.* East Bernal Hts. is rarely seen on City Guides or other organization's listings. But we're adventurous and we'll risk the wilds of East Bernal Hts. and have a great time. In what is one of the most unique neighborhoods in San Francisco little houses cling halfway up the hills here. We'll explore and discover the scenic, up and down stair pathways, as well as the Victorian architecture in this especially unique neighborhood. Not to mention the marvelous views as we ascend the stair paths. ([Here's a simple link that will allow you to support the Meetup and add a thank you.](https://www.paypal.com/donate/?business=TJ8W6VVEGJ6BS&no_recurring=1&item_name=%0AIt%27s+very+nice+of+you+to+respond+and+give+support.%0AThank+you%2C%0AJordan&currency_code=USD)) (Total distance, three miles, but there are several novel steps/stair/paths to climb up, resulting in a total elevation gain of a few hundred feet. You'll get your, "steps"/exercise, but overall we go slow, stopping to see some of the Victorian and vernacular varieties while taking in the gorgeous views of the bay. Wear sturdy shoes. *Don't risk a fall or a sprained ankle, or worse ,by wearing inappropriate footwear for this activity.* I think what makes Bernal Hts. unique in SF is that the early difficulties in commuting due to the terrain, made it a less desirable location. Resulting in a very working class, blue collar neighborhood with affordable housing for the locals. It also lacked in City infrastructure with some dirt roads not being paved until the 1980s. The typical SF, rigid grided, street layout didn't work well in Bernal Hts. The Berkeley ideal of streets following the contour of the land may have resulted in much more expensive housing? Instead we see so many moderate wood houses almost defying gravity in clinging to the sloping hills. If you have a problem maintaining your social calendar, please be advised! ***(Don't be a no-show.)*** It's good to give out name tags which I do. I fill out the name tags 24 hours before r the tour start time. This also gives me a way to take attendance. Name tags that are not picked up, are recorded as no-shows. (See photo below.) If you get too many no-shows recorded in your personal Meet-up profile you'll have to be canceled 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.)

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.)

Presidio Heights, SF, Architectural Heritage Tour & nearby Presidio Hike

***\*Don't be a No-Show*** *and have your membership in the Group canceled. See the,\*No-Show policies at the bottom.* This tour highlights not only the diversity of the architecture, but also the mix of architects and people who built, occupied and maintained these grand properties. About 50 of which are on our tour today, including Presidio Terrace. I also have some ephemera we can see to get a feel for what life was like here about ninety years ago. Here are some links if you would like to help with Meetup expenses. [Here is a Venmo link.](https://venmo.com/code?user_id=3262702482882560580&created=1757371525), for my account. Here is my Paypal account. '[herrmann48@comcast.net'](http://herrmann48@comcast.net'/) The walking tour covers approximately 15 blocks (3.0 - 4.0 miles of walking). Afterwards there are a couple of interesting dining spots at Divisadero and California Sts., *Patisserie & Dynasty Dumpling.* Both are good options for lunch. **But sometimes it's fun to try something different, Hinodeya Ramen Bar at 1737 Buchanan St.** I know where to find parking, no worries. So join me afterwards. They also have a location just off Chestnut St. at 3340 Steiner St. This location looks more luxe with nice outdoor seating and more tables. Same menu. The House Ramen or Spinach soup seems like the go to's! ($17.00.) By the way Chestnut St. seems to have a lot of new and unique restaurants if you have a good suggestion that you've actually tried and recommend, let me know. Lots of walking today, about three miles, but mostly level. (On Sundays we'll pass by the **[Swedenborgian Church of San Francisco](https://sfswedenborgian.org/history/)** at the end of our walk. A weekly Sunday tour of this early Arts & Crafts gem is offered at 1:00pm. We'll stop by and take a look. See some of the art there in the photos here.) We're meeting at the intersection of Baker St & Vallejo. Very ample parking on the nearby streets. We always manage to find a relatively clean porta-pottie nearby. But we do pass restrooms on our side hike through the Presidio. *\*(Don't be a no-show.)* It's good to give out name tags which I do. I fill out the name tags 24hrs. before for the tour. This also gives me a way to take attendance. 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 have to be cancelled from this Meetup. (To cancel your RSVP beforehand (must be at least 24 hrs. before the Event or a No-show is recorded.), so look for the, **"Edit Attendance"** tab at the bottom right hand corner of the screen.) *Please ask your guests to join the Meetup, otherwise they can't attend.* [Here are several photos, including inside the house at Presidio and Pacific, the house pictured above.](https://www.compass.com/listing/3198-pacific-avenue-san-francisco-ca-94123/1291319997995710705/) Popular architectural genres in the early development of Presidio Hts.- At the time of its development around 1905, the **brown shingle, Arts & Crafts style** was popular. Known as the First Bay Traditional or Regional style we'll see this genre in evidence at the beginning of the tour. (Be sure to take a look at the four photos here of a great example of this type of architecture.) Presidio Hts. was an early hot bed of this style, led by the Swedenborgian Church nearby and Its founding pastor, Rev. Joseph Worcester who is credited with building the first Bay Area brown shingle house in Piedmont, in 1876. **1895 the 1910 *Edwardian and Colonial Revival:*** The continued elaboration of ornament and facade shapes reached its height in the early 1890s as the the Victorian era ended. After that there was a gradual move towards simplicity and away from excess and toward, order. Eccentricity gave way to strict conventions, quiet lines and understated quality materials. Money now made understatement its chief method of display. Style was no longer measured in pounds of gingerbread ornament per square foot, but in elegant proportions and an air of conservatism. (Julia Morgan lived nearby at Washington & Divisadero. There are four JM houses on today's tour.)

Presidio Tunnel Tops Memorial Day May 25 Katy Christie

Costa Rica Eco Adventure: Waterfalls, Snorkeling, Zip lines, Rafting, Volcanoes!

***¡¡¡ Pura Vida !!!*** Come alone, leave with friends! This is what Meetup is all about. Being able to join and do what you wanted to do . . just not alone. We are going to Costa Rica for 9 nights/10 days of exploration and tropical adventures. . . . **Best Meetup ever!**! To see how fun it is . . . Here are photos from when we did go before [https://photos.app.goo.gl/cswRyeNZp1r6WW9t9](https://photos.app.goo.gl/cswRyeNZp1r6WW9t9) Costa Rica is a playground for the adventurous and an eco-tourist's dream! It is an unspoiled tropical paradise. * Beautiful beaches * Rainforest biodiversity * Misty volcanoes * Roaring rivers * Lush jungles * Exotic flora and fauna * And more!! **And we are going there to enjoy it, learn about it and make memories of a lifetime!** This event is a true Meetup. We are creating it from scratch, and bringing like-minded people together on this adventure. Along the way making lifelong memories and friendships. Together . . . let’s make a Meetup to remember! * Hike around the base of the Arenal Volcano * Selvatura Zip Line Canopy Tour * Guided visit to Finca Luna Nueva Farm * Caño Negro Refuge Tour/Visit * Rio Frio Wildlife Refuge Boat Tour * Hanging Bridges Walking Tour * Ecotermales Hot Springs * Monteverde Night Walk Tour * Monteverde Cloud Forest Reserve Tour (daytime) * River Floating Tour * Tamarindo Beach * Sunset Sailing * Snorkeling Tour * And more! For a detailed Day By Day itinerary **[Click Here](https://forms.gle/cQdqYw74gAYqphXX8)**[ to fill out our info request form](https://forms.gle/cQdqYw74gAYqphXX8) **Land Tour cost $3350 per person, double occupancy** (we match roommates for those traveling solo, and most of us are doing just that). If you want your own room: **Solo occupancy additional $950** The only way to secure your spot for this meetup is a $300 deposit that is refundable up to 90 days before departure. **[Click here for secure deposit link](https://www.paypal.com/instantcommerce/checkout/24X2UREP9XPKC)** When you make a deposit be sure to fill out this [ATTENDEES FORM](https://docs.google.com/forms/d/11uywUNCIB5ONrpZ-gU_4mk3bvpc4p_nhhL3ewsbkC5A/edit)**.** As we mentioned, . . . the cost is $3350. This is for the "Land" portion only. Airfare is not included. This gives you the flexibility to have a flight with timing that works best for you. Or to use points/miles. I can also help arranging your airfare. To receive an offer, **[CLICK HERE and send me a message.](https://secure.meetup.com/messages/?new_convo=true&member_id=14363992)** **What is Included in this trip:** * **9 Nights hotel accommodation** * **9 breakfasts, 4 lunches, 2 dinners.** * **Meet & Greet at the airport.** * **Pick-up from airport to our hotel, and hotel to airport at the end of the trip** * **Transportation throughout the trip** * **Private naturalist English speaking tour guide** * **All entrance fees and tours mentioned in the itinerary day-by-day description** * **Daily water bottles for the group** * **Hotel and Added Value Tax** Does not include: ***x*** *International Airfare* ***x*** *Meals other than specified* ***x*** *Optional Tours* ***x*** *All items of personal nature (telephone calls, Laundry, room service, etc.)* ***x*** *Tipping for tour guides and drivers* **Want more info?** **[Click Here to fill out our info request form](https://forms.gle/cQdqYw74gAYqphXX8)** **OR** **RSVP to the event with your email to receive additional info.** **OR** **[CLICK HERE to send me a message](https://secure.meetup.com/messages/?new_convo=true&member_id=14363992)** Whatever is easiest for you! *Still have questions?* **We do a Q & A Zoom once a month.** **[CLICK HERE](https://www.meetup.com/moretoexplore/events/296044209/)** for our Q & A Zoom. RSVP on that event to get a reminder for the zoom. [Click here for the ](https://www.meetup.com/moretoexplore/events/305233138/)**[MAIN ](https://www.meetup.com/moretoexplore/events/288444641/)[location of this event on Meetup](https://www.meetup.com/moretoexplore/events/305233138/)** RSVP there to post any discussion and to get notice of any comments and discussions. As well as any updates and reminders **We believe in good decent social.** **SOT 2000318-10** **[Click Here to see all our other events](https://www.meetup.com/CulturalArts/Events)**

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.

Join Us For Dinner And A View of the New Bay Bridge Lights in San Francisco 6/6

Movie Outing - Scary Movie 6

Great Smoky Mountains Hiking and Glamping Weekend

Join us on our Great Smoky Mountains Hiking & Glamping Weekend for women only! Enjoy four days of sweeping mountain vistas, a private whiskey tour, forest hikes, and more. Spend a long weekend with a small group of women hiking the best trails in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park (including parts of the Appalachian Trail). Luxuriate with nightly glamping near Gatlinburg, TN. Your hiking adventure has been carefully (obsessively?) curated by the Explorer Chick team over countless in-field tests. Only our top treks make the itinerary. Prepare to be challenged on the trail and rewarded with the most OMFG-level mountain views and waterfalls. **GREAT SMOKY MOUNTAINS HIKING** Stride through sweet-smelling pine forests to reach sweeping panoramic vistas with a girl gang you’d trust more than Paul Bunyan. Climb to only one of three remaining fire towers in the National Park when you embark on the strenuous trek up Mt. Cammerer. You can take it “easy” on a moderate hike to the park’s highest single-drop waterfall, Rainbow Falls. Then, inch out to a bald rock outcropping on Charlie’s Bunion to get your heart hammered by mountain scenery in every direction. Walk in the foot path of thousands of Appalachian Trail thru hikers that have come before you on two hikes. Your Insta feed won’t know what hit it. Yes, this is real life with WILD women. **WHISKEY TOUR** Of course, what’s a trip to Tennessee without whiskey? You’ll spend a few hours on an exclusive, private tour with our local guide visiting distilleries on the Tennessee Whiskey Trail. Go behind the scenes at a real working still house and see how everything is made start to finish. Learn the history of whiskey throughout the Prohibition era, the state’s romance with whiskey, and why these mountains were such an integral part of moonshine culture. **GLAMPING** Each night, put your feet up in total Pinterest-worthy digs at our adorable glamping site minutes from Gatlinburg. You will sleep in a tent that has been tastefully decorated and luxuriously appointed with WiFi and temperature control – with meals freshly prepared at camp by your Explorer Chick guides. You only have one task after hiking: RELAX. It’s a wonderfully wild weekend with a small group of women hiking the Great Smoky Mountains National Park. Over the course of the long weekend, you’ll quickly grow close with your posse of Explorer Chicks as you hike the trails and share memories of summits. **See the website for full itinerary, details and to book.** [https://explorerchick.com/adventures/smoky-mountains-hiking-and-glamping/](https://explorerchick.com/adventures/smoky-mountains-hiking-and-glamping/) **Say Hello 👋** **💻** Website: [https://explorerchick.com/](https://explorerchick.com/) 📧 Email: [hello@explorerchick.com](http://hello@explorerchick.com/) 📸 Instagram: [https://www.instagram.com/explorerchickadventureco/](https://www.instagram.com/explorerchickadventureco/) ❤️ Facebook: [https://www.facebook.com/ExplorerChickAdventureCo/](https://www.facebook.com/ExplorerChickAdventureCo/) 👯‍♀️ Facebook Group: [https://www.facebook.com/groups/weareexplorerchick](https://www.facebook.com/groups/weareexplorerchick) 🎥 TikTok: [https://www.tiktok.com/@explorerchick](https://www.tiktok.com/@explorerchick)

The Oakland Rose Garden & Lakeshore Neighborhood's Pathways/Stairs Walk

FREE WALK. Now open for RSVPs. Free. We will meet at 11:00 AM in front of a cafe called Tierra Mia Coffee, on the corner of Broadway & 20th Street, so people on BART should go to the 19th Street BART Station and then they should exit at the 20th Street exit and our starting point is right across the street. One may bring a sack lunch or buy one at Tierra Mia Coffee. We won't have time for the group to buy lunches after we have started walking. It would be good if our attendees buy drinks or something at our starting point (Tierra Mia Coffee) &/or give tips so they will like us. Attendance limit is 70. Below is a link about Tierra Mia Coffee: http://www.tierramiacoffee.com/ At 11:10 AM we begin a 20-minute walk to the local Whole Foods Market for a restroom break. We plan to eat lunch about 12:30 at Oakland's Morcom Rose Garden. I encourage all to take BART or other public transportation to be safer. I expect to come in a bus. Everyone should bring water, paper towels and a map. I love it when attendees bring cameras and upload their photos of the walk on our webpage. Dogs and other pets are not welcome. After Whole Foods Market we will walk to the Morcom Rose Garden to eat our sack lunches because it is the only location big enough for our group to eat lunch. We haven't done this walk since many years ago in the Covid days, and I changed it from a hard walk to a a nice relatively easy walk. We will see great things such as the Morcom Rose Garden in bloom, the Davie Tennis Stadium, and the Gardens at Lake Merritt, just to name a few. We expect to reach our ending point back at our starting point, the 19th Street BART Station at 4:45 PM. 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.