Location: San Francisco, CA
Website: www.sfstairwaywalks.weebly.com
Hundreds of stairways traverse San Francisco's 42 hills, exposing scenic vistas and linking diverse neighborhoods.
Recently released in its 6th edition, Stairway Walks in San Francisco has something for everyone, whether you want to explore a different San Francisco neighborhood, find an inspiring exercise route, or learn about the City's history and architecture.
The author, Adah Bakalinsky, is the queen of San Francisco's majestic, quirky, and quotidian stairways. Walker nonpareil and veteran guide, she explores the hidden corridors and cul-de-sacs of the city, charting neighborhood changes by gathering stories from residents, gardeners, and shopkeepers. She knows this city inside and out, from bottom to top, and most certainly like the backs of her...ummm...shoes.
You really should meet her sometime. So mark your calendars for the biggest stairways extravaganza of the year - May 5th San Francisco Stairway Day.
From Lands Ends to Eureka Valley, you'll be able to go on FREE walking tours with the City Guides of San Francisco (a project of the San Francisco Public Library), rub shoulders with Adah and other stairway-devotees, and undoubtedly discover a wholly new perspective of the city.
And don't leave your camera behind! To show off your skills, please join our group on Flickr,www.flickr.com/groups/stairwaywalks, where Wilderness Press will be hosting an ongoing photo contest.
As Adah says, "Happy heeling, frisky footing, and merry walking!"
Showing posts with label Tours. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Tours. Show all posts
Wednesday, May 15, 2013
Friday, April 19, 2013
Renegade Tours STL
Location: St. Louis, MO
Website: www.renegadestl.com
To us, Saint Louis is a state of mind; one that doesn't stop when you leave the city limits. We tell the history of the people that built this place, lived in it, died in it...while setting their stories against the gorgeous and important architecture. At Renegade STL we strive to provide fresh, offbeat, and completely original tours, and we refuse, I repeat, refuse, to take ourselves too seriously.
RENEGADES
Founder, tour guide, and french toast expert Amanda Clark comes armed with a B.A. in History, an obsession with architecture, and a sharp wit acquired from her Southern grandmother. For over 3 years Amanda has been creating private tours for clients such as Arch Grants and Leadership St. Louis.
She is also a founding member of Saint Louis TEN, a very popular story slam event held throughout the city. In 2011, she was listed as part of Alive Magazine's Buzz List, which makes her feel cool sometimes.
Tour guide and cool guy with a cool beard Chris Naffziger is an independent art historian who writes and edits www.stlouispatina.com, which is coming around on its seventh year documenting the history of St. Louis's built environment.
In 2012, Chris's blog was chosen by the Riverfront Times as the Best Architecture Blog in STL, which should make him feel cool all the time.
Lou-lover, world-traveler, lunch room raconteur, Jenny Ingram is our marketing maven and occasional tour guide. A high school English teacher by day with a background in Art History, Jenny is skilled at giving “the look,” deadly with a red pen, and proficient at making a fool of herself to keep an audience entertained.
Jenny is cool all of the time.
Website: www.renegadestl.com
To us, Saint Louis is a state of mind; one that doesn't stop when you leave the city limits. We tell the history of the people that built this place, lived in it, died in it...while setting their stories against the gorgeous and important architecture. At Renegade STL we strive to provide fresh, offbeat, and completely original tours, and we refuse, I repeat, refuse, to take ourselves too seriously.
RENEGADES
Founder, tour guide, and french toast expert Amanda Clark comes armed with a B.A. in History, an obsession with architecture, and a sharp wit acquired from her Southern grandmother. For over 3 years Amanda has been creating private tours for clients such as Arch Grants and Leadership St. Louis.
She is also a founding member of Saint Louis TEN, a very popular story slam event held throughout the city. In 2011, she was listed as part of Alive Magazine's Buzz List, which makes her feel cool sometimes.
Tour guide and cool guy with a cool beard Chris Naffziger is an independent art historian who writes and edits www.stlouispatina.com, which is coming around on its seventh year documenting the history of St. Louis's built environment.
In 2012, Chris's blog was chosen by the Riverfront Times as the Best Architecture Blog in STL, which should make him feel cool all the time.
Lou-lover, world-traveler, lunch room raconteur, Jenny Ingram is our marketing maven and occasional tour guide. A high school English teacher by day with a background in Art History, Jenny is skilled at giving “the look,” deadly with a red pen, and proficient at making a fool of herself to keep an audience entertained.
Jenny is cool all of the time.
Wednesday, December 5, 2012
Columbus Indiana Architectural Tours
Location: Columbus, IN
Website: http://columbusin.mobi/content.cfm?page=architecture-tour&menuid=1261&pageid=403
THREE WAYS TO TAKE A TOUR
There are three ways to see the architecture that made Columbus famous. Find out why the American Institute of Architects ranked Columbus 6th in the nation for innovation and design.
GUIDED BUS TOURS
Call 866-811-4111 to make a reservation.
Please arrive at the Visitors Center at least 30 minutes prior to the start of the tour to check in and view the introductory video, shown fifteen minutes prior to tour.
The Visitors Center is located at 506 Fifth Street, in the heart of downtown Columbus.
You can purchase ticket online here.
(Some changes in the schedule may occur during holidays.)
GUIDE BY CELL TOUR:
If walls could talk...
Try a self-guided tour of downtown Columbus, using your cell phone to hear recorded messages about the city's world-renowned architecture. Keep the colorful tour cards as a souvenir. Purchase them at the Visitors Center, 506 Franklin Street, Columbus, IN for $10 a set.
SELF-GUIDED TOUR MAPS:
Create your own tour, using our tour map. Purchase the large $3 full-color map at the Visitors Center, Viewpoint Books or Hotel Indigo.
Website: http://columbusin.mobi/content.cfm?page=architecture-tour&menuid=1261&pageid=403
THREE WAYS TO TAKE A TOUR
There are three ways to see the architecture that made Columbus famous. Find out why the American Institute of Architects ranked Columbus 6th in the nation for innovation and design.
GUIDED BUS TOURS
Call 866-811-4111 to make a reservation.
Please arrive at the Visitors Center at least 30 minutes prior to the start of the tour to check in and view the introductory video, shown fifteen minutes prior to tour.
The Visitors Center is located at 506 Fifth Street, in the heart of downtown Columbus.
You can purchase ticket online here.
(Some changes in the schedule may occur during holidays.)
GUIDE BY CELL TOUR:
If walls could talk...
Try a self-guided tour of downtown Columbus, using your cell phone to hear recorded messages about the city's world-renowned architecture. Keep the colorful tour cards as a souvenir. Purchase them at the Visitors Center, 506 Franklin Street, Columbus, IN for $10 a set.
SELF-GUIDED TOUR MAPS:
Create your own tour, using our tour map. Purchase the large $3 full-color map at the Visitors Center, Viewpoint Books or Hotel Indigo.
Thursday, November 29, 2012
Thinkwalks
Location: San Francisco, CA
Website: www.thinkwalks.com
There was a time when Thinkwalks was nothing but tours and talks. Now we’re setting up a community education board on Divisadero and more projects are in the works!
November 2003: The first Water Walking Tour! (Vulcan Stairway)
Originally, Joel conducted tours mostly for visitors, but in late 2009, by popular demand, he retooled Thinkwalks as “Nerdy Tours for San Franciscans,” to great effect. There are so many people in SF with deep knowledge or curiosity about the city, and many newcomers who share that.
Since then, we’ve also welcomed travelers, newcomers and visitors. If you know the difference between the Golden Gate Bridge and Golden Gate Park, you’re San Franciscan enough for a Thinkwalk. Many of the people on these tours are deeply knowledgeable locals including scientists and curators, some of whom know the city amazingly well.
Joel, your guide, had been exploring and writing about the history of SF creeks and fresh water for years, and occasionally giving a public talk. He also helped create a number of public murals, the Wiggle bike route and various essential maps. You can find out more about him on the FAQ page.
Topics we explore and why
In general, we cover topics few others cover. Lots of people research (or spread myths) about the Gold Rush, Emperor Norton, The Barbary Coast and so on. But who else talks about how nature transformed into a city and how that unfolded?
Few guides research their own material from original source documents to find out how SF’s juicily-hidden neighborhoods got to be how they are now. At Thinkwalks, we tie an exploration of history, nature and art to the economic and population shifts, in the hope that the knowledge of the past empowers you to be a full participant in your world.
Sadly, many SF tour companies just spread rumors and silly myths!
San Francisco’s past is a quaint, colorful tale of eye-rolling stories and weird behaviors to be entertained by, right? Wrong. Hollywood would have it that way, and so would most local politicians. But the truth, when you dig it out of its commercially arranged grave, looks more like a parade of deeply concerned and idealistic innovators, trying things that help average people live more empowered and creative lives. Of course this causes trouble for the controlling economic interests, so they are elbowed out of “respectable” history and tucked behind the carefully sculpted stories of Emperor Norton (whose real story is that he was a creative capital speculator who went insane from being a loser in SF’s typical boom-bust economic games).
In a better world, those idealistic people are honored and studied as inspirational examples. At Thinkwalks, we like to hang out with creative people who feel the same.
We invite you to our tours to scrutinize the exhumed info with amazement—as a collaborative, deliberative effort! That’s right. That’s something very special to Thinkwalks: group discussions and evaluation of the evidence.
Yes, we love living in one of the most dynamic places in the world. Why would we want to dismiss it as a fairy tale?
Website: www.thinkwalks.com
There was a time when Thinkwalks was nothing but tours and talks. Now we’re setting up a community education board on Divisadero and more projects are in the works!
November 2003: The first Water Walking Tour! (Vulcan Stairway)
Originally, Joel conducted tours mostly for visitors, but in late 2009, by popular demand, he retooled Thinkwalks as “Nerdy Tours for San Franciscans,” to great effect. There are so many people in SF with deep knowledge or curiosity about the city, and many newcomers who share that.
Since then, we’ve also welcomed travelers, newcomers and visitors. If you know the difference between the Golden Gate Bridge and Golden Gate Park, you’re San Franciscan enough for a Thinkwalk. Many of the people on these tours are deeply knowledgeable locals including scientists and curators, some of whom know the city amazingly well.
Joel, your guide, had been exploring and writing about the history of SF creeks and fresh water for years, and occasionally giving a public talk. He also helped create a number of public murals, the Wiggle bike route and various essential maps. You can find out more about him on the FAQ page.
Topics we explore and why
In general, we cover topics few others cover. Lots of people research (or spread myths) about the Gold Rush, Emperor Norton, The Barbary Coast and so on. But who else talks about how nature transformed into a city and how that unfolded?
Few guides research their own material from original source documents to find out how SF’s juicily-hidden neighborhoods got to be how they are now. At Thinkwalks, we tie an exploration of history, nature and art to the economic and population shifts, in the hope that the knowledge of the past empowers you to be a full participant in your world.
Sadly, many SF tour companies just spread rumors and silly myths!
San Francisco’s past is a quaint, colorful tale of eye-rolling stories and weird behaviors to be entertained by, right? Wrong. Hollywood would have it that way, and so would most local politicians. But the truth, when you dig it out of its commercially arranged grave, looks more like a parade of deeply concerned and idealistic innovators, trying things that help average people live more empowered and creative lives. Of course this causes trouble for the controlling economic interests, so they are elbowed out of “respectable” history and tucked behind the carefully sculpted stories of Emperor Norton (whose real story is that he was a creative capital speculator who went insane from being a loser in SF’s typical boom-bust economic games).
In a better world, those idealistic people are honored and studied as inspirational examples. At Thinkwalks, we like to hang out with creative people who feel the same.
We invite you to our tours to scrutinize the exhumed info with amazement—as a collaborative, deliberative effort! That’s right. That’s something very special to Thinkwalks: group discussions and evaluation of the evidence.
Yes, we love living in one of the most dynamic places in the world. Why would we want to dismiss it as a fairy tale?
Wednesday, November 28, 2012
SF City Guides
Location: San Francisco, CA
Website: www.sfcityguides.org
Do I need to make a reservation?
No. Just show up at the time and place indicated on the schedule. (NOTE: We ask groups of 8 or more to schedule a special tour several weeks in advance.)
How do I recognize the guide?
Your guide will be wearing a badge that displays the City Guides logo. If you don’t see the badge, just look for someone at the appointed place who seems ready to lead a tour.
What are the tours like?
Very fun and informative. We'll show you a combination of tried-and-true San Francisco landmarks and off-the-beaten-path sites.
What if it rains?
We walk rain or shine. We do have a few indoor tours: Palace Hotel, Fire Dept Museum, Coit Tower. But most of our tours are outdoors, and our policy is if guests are ready to walk, we lead the tour. We don’t have a snow policy, but the last major snowstorm in San Francisco was in the 1890s. So we’ll play that one by ear. (Note, however, that a very few tours take place where the terrain would raise safety issues or otherwise be particularly unsuited for walking in the rain. The individual tour descriptions will indicate, in such cases, that the tour will be cancelled in case of rain.)
What if the guide does not show up?
We would like to say that this just does not happen. However, guides can experience an emergency and not make it to the starting place. A no-show is a rare event.
Are tours strenuous?
Mostly no, although walking in San Francisco often involves hills. We try to indicate in the tour descriptions the somewhat strenuous tours. If you have mobility concerns, call the City Guides.
Can my (large) group join a City Guides tour?
City Guides does not allow groups of 8 or more to join our regularly scheduled walks. Large groups are a challenge and need to be pre-scheduled as private group tours.
Are pets allowed?
In consideration of the health, safety and comfort of our walkers, pets are not allowed on tours. Besides common fears and allergies, pets can cause distractions or safety hazards during a walking tour. Pets are prohibited by public law or private policy in some buildings included on tours. Licensed service animals are excepted.
Do you give tours on holidays?
City Guides runs a very limited schedule on these holidays: Thanksgiving, Christmas Eve, Christmas, New Year’s Eve, and New Year’s Day. Please check our website on those dates to view an accurate limited schedule of our tours.
What do tours cost?
Regularly scheduled City Guides tours are free, although donations are always welcome. We can arrange special tours (see below), which do have a fee.
How do I arrange for a private group tour?
Private tours are available for groups or organizations for a suggested donation of $12 per person. Groups of 8 or more need to make arrangements in advance. A discounted rate of $10 per person applies for senior groups. Click here for more.
Tours for school groups (grades 4-12) are $5 per person.
Are donations accepted on regular tours?
Yes. Yes. Yes. Running an organization like this costs money even though the tours are given by volunteer guides. You can make a donation when you take a tour or you can become a sponsor (or both).
Who runs City Guides?
City Guides is a non-profit, primarily volunteer operation. Officially, we are a partner of the San Francisco Parks Alliance. There are more than 200 active guides. The guides annually elect, from among themselves, a management board. We have one full-time program director who runs the office.
What is your relationship to the San Francisco library?
City Guides has always had a special relationship with the San Francisco library. We got our start more than 30 years ago when a San Francisco mayor asked the city librarian to find volunteers to give tours in City Hall. In our early years, we were funded as a project of the Friends of the San Francisco Public Library. While no longer connected to the Friends, we still receive sponsorship from the library. City Guides provides fun yet educational services that are a logical extension of a free public library, which is the reason we continue to provide tours to the public without charge.
Where do you get your funding?
The majority of our funding comes from the voluntary donations made by those who take our tours and from individual sponsorships. We also receive modest grants from Grants for the Arts of the San Francisco Hotel Tax Fund and other organizations.
How can I become a City Guide?
We periodically hold a six-month course for new guides at an enrollment cost of $200. You’ll attend a series of Saturday talks by authorities on San Francisco history and receive coaching on tour presentation.
Website: www.sfcityguides.org
Do I need to make a reservation?
No. Just show up at the time and place indicated on the schedule. (NOTE: We ask groups of 8 or more to schedule a special tour several weeks in advance.)
How do I recognize the guide?
Your guide will be wearing a badge that displays the City Guides logo. If you don’t see the badge, just look for someone at the appointed place who seems ready to lead a tour.
What are the tours like?
Very fun and informative. We'll show you a combination of tried-and-true San Francisco landmarks and off-the-beaten-path sites.
What if it rains?
We walk rain or shine. We do have a few indoor tours: Palace Hotel, Fire Dept Museum, Coit Tower. But most of our tours are outdoors, and our policy is if guests are ready to walk, we lead the tour. We don’t have a snow policy, but the last major snowstorm in San Francisco was in the 1890s. So we’ll play that one by ear. (Note, however, that a very few tours take place where the terrain would raise safety issues or otherwise be particularly unsuited for walking in the rain. The individual tour descriptions will indicate, in such cases, that the tour will be cancelled in case of rain.)
What if the guide does not show up?
We would like to say that this just does not happen. However, guides can experience an emergency and not make it to the starting place. A no-show is a rare event.
Are tours strenuous?
Mostly no, although walking in San Francisco often involves hills. We try to indicate in the tour descriptions the somewhat strenuous tours. If you have mobility concerns, call the City Guides.
Can my (large) group join a City Guides tour?
City Guides does not allow groups of 8 or more to join our regularly scheduled walks. Large groups are a challenge and need to be pre-scheduled as private group tours.
Are pets allowed?
In consideration of the health, safety and comfort of our walkers, pets are not allowed on tours. Besides common fears and allergies, pets can cause distractions or safety hazards during a walking tour. Pets are prohibited by public law or private policy in some buildings included on tours. Licensed service animals are excepted.
Do you give tours on holidays?
City Guides runs a very limited schedule on these holidays: Thanksgiving, Christmas Eve, Christmas, New Year’s Eve, and New Year’s Day. Please check our website on those dates to view an accurate limited schedule of our tours.
What do tours cost?
Regularly scheduled City Guides tours are free, although donations are always welcome. We can arrange special tours (see below), which do have a fee.
How do I arrange for a private group tour?
Private tours are available for groups or organizations for a suggested donation of $12 per person. Groups of 8 or more need to make arrangements in advance. A discounted rate of $10 per person applies for senior groups. Click here for more.
Tours for school groups (grades 4-12) are $5 per person.
Are donations accepted on regular tours?
Yes. Yes. Yes. Running an organization like this costs money even though the tours are given by volunteer guides. You can make a donation when you take a tour or you can become a sponsor (or both).
Who runs City Guides?
City Guides is a non-profit, primarily volunteer operation. Officially, we are a partner of the San Francisco Parks Alliance. There are more than 200 active guides. The guides annually elect, from among themselves, a management board. We have one full-time program director who runs the office.
What is your relationship to the San Francisco library?
City Guides has always had a special relationship with the San Francisco library. We got our start more than 30 years ago when a San Francisco mayor asked the city librarian to find volunteers to give tours in City Hall. In our early years, we were funded as a project of the Friends of the San Francisco Public Library. While no longer connected to the Friends, we still receive sponsorship from the library. City Guides provides fun yet educational services that are a logical extension of a free public library, which is the reason we continue to provide tours to the public without charge.
Where do you get your funding?
The majority of our funding comes from the voluntary donations made by those who take our tours and from individual sponsorships. We also receive modest grants from Grants for the Arts of the San Francisco Hotel Tax Fund and other organizations.
How can I become a City Guide?
We periodically hold a six-month course for new guides at an enrollment cost of $200. You’ll attend a series of Saturday talks by authorities on San Francisco history and receive coaching on tour presentation.
Wednesday, November 21, 2012
Chicago Architecture Foundation
Location: Chicago, IL
Website: www.architecture.org
The Chicago Architecture Foundation (CAF) is a nonprofit organization that inspires people to discover why design matters. CAF offers tours, exhibitions, adult and youth education programs and a retail shop.
Admission to our exhibitions is free. Most of our adult programs and family programs are free and open to the public. Tour prices vary.
Unless otherwise stated in the program or exhibition details, all programs and exhibitions are held at the Chicago Architecture Foundation, 224 South Michigan Avenue. See a map of our facilities for specific locations within the building.
Most of our adult programs and family programs are free and open to the public. Please refer to the adult programs or family programs section of our main website for detailed information.
Discounted parking is available for Chicago Architecture Foundation members at the Millennium Park parking garage or Grant Park South parking garage. Show your membership card at the Chicago Architecture Foundation Shop & Tour Center between 9:30am and 6pm to request your discount voucher.
Discounted parking for all Architecture River Cruise participants is available at Systems Parking, 111 East Wacker Drive. To receive the discount, validate the parking ticket at both the Chicago’s First Lady dock ticket window and the Systems Parking ticket offices before using the automated machine in the parking facility. Discount applies only to stays in the garage under 4 hours.
There are 3 ways to become a member: submit an online form, complete a form at the Chicago Architecture Foundation Shop & Tour Center, or call 312.322.1140
Membership benefits include annual buy-one-get-one-free Architecture River Cruise tickets, more than 65 free tours, invitations to exclusive members-only behind-the-scenes tours, Chicago Architecture Foundation Shop discounts, parking discounts and more. See the membership section of our main website for complete details.
Website: www.architecture.org
The Chicago Architecture Foundation (CAF) is a nonprofit organization that inspires people to discover why design matters. CAF offers tours, exhibitions, adult and youth education programs and a retail shop.
Admission to our exhibitions is free. Most of our adult programs and family programs are free and open to the public. Tour prices vary.
Unless otherwise stated in the program or exhibition details, all programs and exhibitions are held at the Chicago Architecture Foundation, 224 South Michigan Avenue. See a map of our facilities for specific locations within the building.
Most of our adult programs and family programs are free and open to the public. Please refer to the adult programs or family programs section of our main website for detailed information.
Discounted parking is available for Chicago Architecture Foundation members at the Millennium Park parking garage or Grant Park South parking garage. Show your membership card at the Chicago Architecture Foundation Shop & Tour Center between 9:30am and 6pm to request your discount voucher.
Discounted parking for all Architecture River Cruise participants is available at Systems Parking, 111 East Wacker Drive. To receive the discount, validate the parking ticket at both the Chicago’s First Lady dock ticket window and the Systems Parking ticket offices before using the automated machine in the parking facility. Discount applies only to stays in the garage under 4 hours.
There are 3 ways to become a member: submit an online form, complete a form at the Chicago Architecture Foundation Shop & Tour Center, or call 312.322.1140
Membership benefits include annual buy-one-get-one-free Architecture River Cruise tickets, more than 65 free tours, invitations to exclusive members-only behind-the-scenes tours, Chicago Architecture Foundation Shop discounts, parking discounts and more. See the membership section of our main website for complete details.
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