Haight Ashbury Flower Power Walking Tour

Last year I had the great pleasure of taking the Haight Ashbury Flower Powder Walking Tour with my thirtysomething nephew who lives in San Diego. He grew up listening to endless hours of Golden Oldies every time he was a prisoner in my brother's car, and as a result, he developed a great interest in all things 60's. I felt this tour would be perfect for him, and as a Child of the 60's myself, I was excited to see where it all began! Eisu, our guide in 2011,was unbelievably colorful and a fantastic representative of the Peace and Love era (which she had lived through as a transplanted New Yorker when just a kid). When I knew I was returning to San Francisco with friends this past May, The Flower Power Walking Tour was an absolute MUST for them. It was a long shot, but I really hoped that Eisu would be our guide again. When you've had the very best, it would be so disappointing to have a different leader for the tour, no matter how excellent he or she might be. As we approached the meeting place, I was absolutely thrilled when my cell phone rang , and on the other end was none other than Eisu! She was going to be our fearless leader for the entire afternoon. From the moment we met on Stanyan Street, my friends were enchanted by her. Eisu is the most colorful person I have ever known, and she has the most amazing stories of what it was like during those Flower Power days, because she actually lived it! Still wearing her trademark flaming red lipstick, giant sunglasses, and a gorgeous black cloak, Eisu led us through the Haight. She enchanted us with stories from the 60's, and pointed out all the importand landmarks of the era from Janis Joplin's apartment to the first Free Clinic. A satchel filled with period pictures of the area gave us a real feel for the look and sensibility of that Golden Age of Innocence. Eisu has a wealth of knowledge and her passion for the spirit of the movement has never faded. The Flower Power Walking Tour should be on everyone's Top 10 List of "What to do in San Francisco". It is a wonderful experience, and if you happen to be lucky enough to have our Eisu as your guide, you've hit the jackpot. I will definitely return to San Francisco, and the Walking Tour will be the very first thing I do...after spending the morning at Dynamo Donuts. When it comes to this tour, once is definitely NOT enough. It's the real San Francisco Treat :)

We are two mid-sixties patrons from Alberta, Canada - we grew up with the music and politics of the 1960's but had never before been to Haight Ashbury. We had heard about it, read about it, listened to the music from that place and the era. Our guide, Izu, had lived the life in Haight Ashbury in the 1960's and continues to live there. She knew the people, the politics, the laughter, as well as about the drugs and the background that we had always wanted to know. The tour was wonderful - casual, like being with a new best friend who knew everything you had always yearned to know. There were 4 other, somewhat younger, people with us on this tour but they were as captivated by Izu and her stories as we were. It was a great experience - Go - you'll love it !!!!!!

Excellent tour guide. She was informative and friendly!! Dressed appropriately for a Flower Power Tour! Really knew a lot about the Haight Ashbury district, both facts and personal experiences included. Personable and easy to talk to.

Great to venture back to the age of idealism... where music ruled and helping your fellow man was the key to happiness. The tour guide, Eisu, was not only very informative, but her stories brought us back to these streets of the late 60s, early 70s, along with what has and hasn't changed since. Both my daughter (born several decades after the 60s) and I (who was young in the 60s and lived on the East coast) loved the tour and our tour guide. Peace!

I lived in the Haight for a year and a half and finally signed up for the tour after I found out that I would be moving across the country. It gave me a new appreciation for my 'hood, and I probably should have done it sooner! Ezu (spelling?) was a very passionate guide and is fun and well connected... just be prepared for a tour that could last at least 3 hours. Soak in the local architecture, rock 'n roll history, and so much more. Two thumbs up.

I took this tour with my 18 year old niece. We are both fans of hippie culture and could not wait to get to the Haight! We were not disappointed. This tour was a blast! We had so much fun. Our guide, Isu, was really friendly and outgoing as well as knowledgeable. She made everybody feel at home right away. We ended up having great conversations and talking about really cool stuff. By the end of the tour it was like our whole group were old friends! The specifics of the tour are not to be missed -- the Grateful Dead house, as well as homes of Janis Joplin and Jimi Hendrix, an exploration of many hang-outs, lots of entertaining stories, history, etc. (Isu has lived in the Haight since the 60's Flower Power days, so you are getting the stories FIRST HAND from someone who actually was there, which is important.) Isu also provides a lot of general information about the present day Haight neighborhood (where to eat, where to shop) which was really useful. This was one of the best things we did on our vacation. My niece loved it, so I will recommend it for teenagers. Bottom line -- you have any peace, love, social consciousness, rebel/ radical free thinking creativity in you, or if you just wanna have some Haight-Ashbury style FUN -- this tour is for you!

Would strongly recommend this tour to anyone who has an interest in the influence that "Haight Asbury' had on the culture of the 60s and early 70s. Our tour guide was outstanding. She brought life to how things took place, and the interconnection of the various personalities. Besides that she was a real hoot to spend several hours with her. This was the one of our high lights of our trip to S.F.

Ezu is like the Ambassador of Haight-Ashbury, bringing her years of history and experiences in the area to life! With every corner, she had a story of who/what/when from the past with linkages to current issues and future concerns and plans. Loved seeing where Janis lived and experiencing the locations that served as inspiration to so many artists. The tour was educational, fun, and motivational - feeling that there is still room for love in our jaded society!

Hi, Our quirky tour guide Izu really made the tour a day to remember. She was animated and lively and really knew the history of Haight Ashbury as she was someone who has lived it. She explains that as a serious child, her parents brought her to the area to be "hippy-fied". It took! She moved to Haight Ashbury as a young adult, lived through the "Summer of Love" and new many of the players. I pushed my sister in a wheel chair with assistance from a couple from Brazil (Thanks Gutavo and Natalie if you read this!) At the end of the tour we ended up at the small museum of Rock and Roll and did good-bye hugs. When we arrived home my sister found she had lost her wallet. Assuming it was lost at the museum she called Izu who then drove to the museum and couldn't find it. The owner of the museum, Izu's business partner did find it and drove accross San Franciso 7 miles and delivered it to our motel room. That's real Flower Power and made it a trip that we will never forget. Suzanne Connolly

My 17 year old son and I were the only ones on the tour. We have been to San Francisco many times and I wanted to find something that would be interesting to him and something we hadn't already experienced. Since he loves both history and music, he was fascinated with the history of the neighborhood and the stories from the late 1960's. Our guide, Ezu engaged him in conversation and really made the tour a memorable part of our visit!