Haight Ashbury Flower Power Walking Tour

This tour was the highlight of our 9-day trip to the bay area in spite of the bad weather. We not only saw the musicians' houses, we learned of the architechture, botany, overall history, and politics of the neighborhood. Our guide was knowledgable, friendly, and enthusiastic about guiding the tour. A must-do for anyone visiting SF!

Stan is amazing! He has not only lived in the area for some time, but also traveled the US. This gave him a wider approach to help us understand why this part of San Fran is so important to US history.

We (single mother and two teenage children-boy 16 and girl 14) had a great time on this walking tour through Haight Ashbury. There were many interesting facts and stories. Walking and learning about the history of Haight in the sixties on a beautiful sunny day was both fun and educational.

Izu knows everything there is to know about the hippy culture and Haight-Ashbury in the 60's. I would recommend her tour to anyone...

The tour was so, so ay best. The tour guide should have spent more time talking about the history of the Haight Ashbury District, i.e., who the streets Haight & Ashbury were named after rather than her personal experiences with the Greatful Dead. Which I found to be somewhat hard to believe due to her age. She spent a great deal of time rambling on about stuff that had no historical value regarding the era.

The last time I was in the Haight was on Thanksgiving and even Hippies take holidays so there was nothing going on and I was determined to see it the next time I was in San Francisco - which was a day that was pouring rain. Well, the advert said rain or shine so there I was on a stormy Friday morning under an umbrella with a bunch of people in plastic ponchos and Ezu walked up and said she was from New York (as am I) and that we would walk fast and see all the sights then go someplace warm and cozy for a cup of tea to talk about all we had seen. I think it was better than if we had just walked around and done a more regular tour. We wound up at a museum housed in an old Victorian house and sat in the front parlour talking and hearing her many stories and sipping lovely tea and it was great. Then we went into the dining room and she pointed out a poster of the Grateful Dead on the corner of Haight and Ashbury and in the background you could see the very house we were in - for some reason that made it for me. I could see that it was real, not just stories of some faraway time that is over. I felt like I had really experienced it in this small way. And on a personal note, I had a dental emergency and Ezu suggested a dentist for me to see right after the tour. I went there and they were closed, so I thought I'd have to wait to get back home, but Ezu called me a couple of hours later with the name of another dentist in case the first one hadn't worked out and they took me the very next morning. So incredible of her to follow up, to go out of her way - I will definitely recommend this tour to anyone I know going to San Francisco.

Izus was warm and personable, and related to everyone well within the diverse group: she was "in tune" with the individuals in the group and seemed to tailor her presentation accordingly. She was knowledgeable beyond the detail of the topics covered and explained things in more depth when asked. Topics included neighborhood and region history, local architectural uniqueness, Dead house and Dead history, Hells Angels house, Country Joe/Hendrix house, Janis Joplin house, Diggers, Manson house, free clinic, former free store, Golden gate park & panhandle, various details about the summer of love and what it was like, and a little of the "hippie philosophy". More information was presented than I could have gotten otherwise, and being there helped to put it into context and perspective. All in all a good tour and experience.

Our guide, Izus, was great. She not only knew her stuff----she presented it with enthusiasm. She was fantastic. A great choice of things to do !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I picked the worst day weatherwise in SF's history so it seems. Hurricane like weather beating down on the bay area. Hotel Awning's were flying off. But that didn't stop my flower Power tour of Haight and Ashbury. Our guide Izu and hippie who lived in the Haight and Ashbury in the 60's changed the tour around so we could sit comfortably in a beautiful Victorian home in the H&A neighborhood. There we were 5 of us and Izu sitting around a coffee table listening to Izu tell stories of life in the 60's in the H&A. Just Beautiful. We got a tour of the house and the last 15 minutes was spent outside looking at Grateful Dead's, Hell's Angels and Janis Joplins former homes. I would definately recommend this tour and had a greater appreciation of Hippie culture and philosophy after doing the tour. -Phil

We saw the tour advertised and thought it was a great idea. We love San Francisco and every trip back always take the time to discover something new about the city. No trip to San Francisco would be complete without a trip to the Haight district, to include this very thorough, informative, and fun tour. Our tour guide Stannous has lived in the Haight district since the 70's and was a plethora of infomation. As much as he said how enjoys giving the tours, it is evident in his knowledge, the pictures, and his pure love for San Francisco that comes through during the tour. An added bonus is to get a peek at the inside of one of the unique homes in the area.

I took my 21 year old daughter on the tour with Izu. Haight is a very bustling, colorful, exciting place, still looking like the 60's. Izu was fantastic! She was there in the 60's! Very knowledgable and organized. In addition to bringing us to sites we wouldn't have found on our own, she also had many visuals (old pictures, retro restaurant menus, etc). This tour gave us so many details and insight into the area then and now. She gave us shopping and dining tips also. Izu is a real character, eccentric, eclectic....perfect for this tour!

My friend and I took the Walking Tour with our Guide "Izu," and absolutely loved it. Izu was funny, knowledgable and entertaining. Would highly recommend this tour. Her personalized stories and knowledge of "Summer of Love" trivia made this a most memorable experience.

A trip to San Francisco is not complete without a visit to Haight Ashbury. Of course, the neighborhood is not the same today as it was 40 years ago. But with the tour given by a bonafide hippie who was there and lives there today, it really comes alive with its history, people and intimate details of the events that took place there. Izu, our hippie tour guide was a real delight. Outgoing and fun loving, she really shares her passion with the area and the ideals of the hippie movement. No, she won't offer you pot, but she might share a ginseng or ginko biloba capsul with you. At the end she will send you off with a hug and peace sign.

A well planned morning of hippie culture, music, art, architecture and neighborhood lore. I enjoyed walking the neighborhood, often stopping to hear alluring & amusing stories about the people, shops, homes, etc. Very entertaining! As a fan of the music, I loved seeing The Grateful Dead & Janis Joplin houses, and hearing the stories of life & death.. For the most part, our guide was knowledgable, energetic, entertaining and delightful. The bathroom break was much needed and overdue. The political speech at the end was not appreciated and waaaay too long. There were a few overzealous hints about tipping.

We had so much fun!! Our tour guide (Izu) was great! She was so knowledgeable and filled our heads full of interesting details that only a true hippy-who had lived and still lives in the movement-would know. She really personalized the tour to her group's dynamic; we loved hearing about all her personal experiences as it showed just how genuine she is. I highly recommend this tour!