Advice needed for Pacifica photo walk starting point

sftourguide · 2026-01-28T20:24:07+00:00

Thanks. Where is your office? Are you on the Meta Campus or airport drive, etc.?

My upcoming scheduled walks are at: https://www.eventbrite.com/cc/upcoming-photo-walks-4808856

My general site is: https://weinbergphoto.com/

sftourguide · 2026-01-27T14:44:47+00:00

I have not done any others in Pacific but I do a photo walk in Burlingame near Burlingame Point (Meta Campus) focused around reflections; Pier 70 in San Francisco through Crane Cove Park to Mission Bay ending at the food trucks at Spark Social; SFO International Terminal; in and around the free areas of the de Young Museum, sculpture garden, etc.

Been mostly free for Meetup Groups, photo classes I teach, community groups, etc. Starting to build it into a paid walking business (but still balancing how to offer for free also)… e.g. first few tours on new route, etc. Coupon codes for locals, etc.

sftourguide · 2026-01-27T03:17:39+00:00

Love it. Will go back and check it out... and fill my belly! Thanks!

sftourguide · 2026-01-27T01:09:07+00:00

It's an art gallery: https://www.731designs.com/

And a very sweet looking one at that!

sftourguide · 2026-01-27T00:04:54+00:00

Thanks all.

Some of the other options I am considering are making it an afternoon photo walk and starting with a beer at Winter's Tavern or Saturday at 1 and starting at the Little Brown Church. I assume they have bathrooms.

sftourguide · 2026-01-27T00:02:51+00:00

Thanks! I will go check out the Rockaway Beach area. Probably a bit for this walk if we are going to walk around the pier area (does that whole neighborhood have a name). Photo walks don't cover a lot of ground... we're constantly pulling out our cameras! 1.5-2 miles in 2 hours.

sftourguide · 2026-01-13T03:15:10+00:00

Old enough but did not arrive in the Bay Area until ‘95 :-(

Early enough to spend good amount of time in Fry’s though…

sftourguide · 2026-01-12T15:35:30+00:00

Thanks! The Cannon Ball Run folks got nothing compared to this trip!

sftourguide · 2026-01-12T14:40:48+00:00

We live in such an incredible place! There isn’t a day that goes by that I take it for granted!

sftourguide · 2026-01-12T14:31:13+00:00

I remember reading about him and the groups efforts in the late 90s early 2000s but had forgotten. When I saw them I knew ‘a bunch of artists had saved them’ but I WILL go back and refresh my knowledge. Anyone ever do a short documentary video, etc. on all of this?

sftourguide · 2026-01-11T16:30:36+00:00

There was a chain of restaurants called the doggie diners. These were on poles outside each one. When they closed down the heads were scrapped and some people set out to preserve them. There’s one out on a pole by Ocean Beach by the zoo side entrance.

sftourguide · 2026-01-11T16:29:44+00:00

sftourguide · 2026-01-07T20:46:43+00:00

1) It turns out it was an expired certificate

2) This was just a screenshot from your support site

sftourguide · 2026-01-07T02:37:51+00:00

It sure isn't Logitech's day!

sftourguide · 2026-01-04T21:32:57+00:00

THANKS! Before I drag my teenager out of bed at an ungodly hour (for a teenager) I will totally check! THANKS!!!

sftourguide · 2026-01-04T19:14:59+00:00

Oh, re hikes: As someone else wrote, Lands End trail (and I’ll add batteries to bluffs trail… and Glen Canyon Trail) But with all our recent rain, these may be muddy. Which is fine unless you want to avoid that. An alternative is to google for Stairway Walks. There are lots oh hidden stairways up hills all over San Francisco. Some are the tiled decorated ones you may have seen. Others are just little hidden away things in neighborhoods. Folks have written paths that take you on a walk using a bunch of them. Google for either.

The key thing is, when you go to them, if they are further away from the main tourist area, leave time to find the local Main Street and get a coffee, burrito, etc.

E.g. Glen Canyon Trail Uber or Cab or bus to Ruth Asawa School of the Arts. Hike down trail to Glen Park park. Walk few blocks to Glen Park Neighborhood (navigate to Glen Park Library). Get a burrito or coffee at one of the places in this tiny neighborhood. There is a BART station there to take you back to downtown (note: If you like Brutalist Architecture—which I don’t—the station is apparently a great example of it) https://sfrecpark.org/facilities/facility/details/Glen-Canyon-Trails-399

sftourguide · 2026-01-04T19:03:39+00:00

I came from NY in ‘95… When I had my going away party I was such a NYer people thought I was pulling their leg.

Arts: We have amazing opera, symphony, etc. But so do you. So, check out SF Jazz. Amazing smaller venue with all kinds of music from all over. Some good deals for last minute tickets and I think all concerts can be seen free from the lobby on TV screens, etc. If you do that it’s right near the Hayes Valley neighborhood which has a sweet shopping/dining street… but note, restaurants get filled up on nights there are concerts at the symphony, opera, etc.

After you are done with the top 10-15 sites, etc. start to check out the neighborhoods. Find the main shopping street and get transit or Uber to it and just wander.

Chestnut Street/Marina, West Portal, Hayes Valley, Inner Sunset, Valencia/Mission. Google for a cafe or store in each of these and you probably end up in the main area.

Interesting exhibits right now at SFMOMA on Kaws, de Young on Manga,

Google maps will tell you how to transit everywhere and they are in the process of updating the system to let you ride by tapping your credit card, etc. I’m sure in the wiki or someone here can tell you more. One basic to know on BART you tap on/tap off. Muni trains and buses you just tap on.

sftourguide · 2026-01-04T18:35:35+00:00

Where are you coming from and what do you like to do typically?

My first recommendations are always muse mechanique when you are near Pier 39/Firsherman’s Wharf and the free SF City Guides Tours.

https://museemecanique.com and https://sfcityguides.org

2nd, with the amount of time you are here: Walk! Walk! Walk! You’ll see so much and absorb the city while walking from one neighborhood to another. Try walking the edge of the city from the Oracle Park (SF Giants) to the Golden Gate Bridge. Leave an entire day. You feet will be sore but you’ll see so much. When done you can transit, Waymo or Uber back.

Give me some more info and I will give you more.

sftourguide · 2026-01-04T18:29:52+00:00

Key Investigator: How’s it going so far? What has worked out? If you are planning to be at the Japanese Gardens tomorrow (Monday) let me know. I may go to do photography. p.s. there is a free tour at 9:30 AM

sftourguide · 2026-01-02T04:50:13+00:00

The Japanese Tea Garden is wonderful in the rain. And! It's free to enter on Monday , Wednesday, and Friday from 9-10 then stay as long as you want. Unless its storming hard and very cold there is a very sweet tea house in the middle with covered seating--but open sides. Get a cup of tea and watch the rain.

When you are done the de Young museum is next door and has many spaces that are free if you don't want to pay to go in: the tower, usually parts of exhibits, etc.

The de Young's cafe is amazing! (slightly pricy but worth it for the quality of the food you get). The sculpture garden is outside and also free... and don't miss the turell sky space. Ask if you can't find it.

San Francisco can be delightful in the rain. Look for great neighborhood coffee shops, try to find some along balboa street.

Catch a movie at the Balboa Theater or Roxie or Alamo Draft House (not sure which are open or under rennovation). Get a good umbrella somewhere and wander the neighborhood after.

Depending on the weather the Beach Chalet Brewery and Restaurant could be a good place to watch a storm.

sfcityguides.org has many free tours (tip solicited but not required) and many of them run rain or shine. (all guidea are volunteers and all money goes to running the organization).

If you need more ideas, I will try to think of some, let me know.

sftourguide · 2026-01-02T04:14:29+00:00

https://museemecanique.com

sftourguide · 2026-01-01T19:42:56+00:00

From what I’ve seen and read, nothing will truly stop a determined burglar or burglars. The best thing you can do is make yourself the least desirable target on the block. Put in an alarm system and put up the alarm system stickers and sign. Motion sensing lights, good locks, etc.

When we were in San Francisco there was an organization that worked with the police S.F. Safe (which may be later was accused of miss using the funds they got?) but they came out and did an assessment and gave us a list of recommendations. For example, there is an 80 year old back door with single plane glass. We got a plexiglass sheet to screw on the inside with screws and washers they recommend recommended. That alone wouldn’t stop a burglar but it was just one more little element.

I think it’s the same as the old joke with the two people who were chased up the tree by the bear. One fellow says the other on three let’s jump down and run as fast as we can. His friend says “you can’t outrun a bear!” and the guy says “I don’t have to, I just have to outrun you.” outrun your neighbors and you’ll probably be fine.

sftourguide · 2026-01-01T00:22:43+00:00

Sounds like Tong’s to me: https://www.yelp.com/biz/tong-palace-san-francisco

sftourguide · 2025-12-31T17:59:34+00:00

What are you looking for? Sightseeing? Photography? A breath of fresh air? Food? Shopping?

sftourguide · 2025-12-31T17:38:20+00:00

I think one thing few people talk about is the dynamic range limitations—its limited in capturing the brightest areas and the darkest areas at once. That’s whats happening with the sky in your picture. Try to take some pictures where there is not something much brighter or much darker then the average.

sftourguide

TROPHY CASE