| Rating |
Date Attended [v] |
Reviewer |
Gender |
Age |
Where From? |
Group Type? |
|
Great Time!!!!
|
| Tue, May 26 10:00 AM |
nancy8 |
Female |
60-69 |
Local |
Other |
| We found the beginning site easily. It was explained explicitlly. Frank was a wonderful leader. He spoke almost non stop while explaining history of Chinatown as well as explaining things about the current living situations. The dim sum was excellent. Frank was a real joy. A decent price too. |
|
Informative and Immersive
|
| Sat, May 23 10:00 AM |
mr23bean |
Male |
20-29 |
Domestic Tourist(s) |
Family Without Children |
| Our tour guide was Herman - he grew up in Chinatown so he knew a lot of the history and what it was like to live there. It was cool how we went in various shops and saw what everyday life was like in Chinatown and some of the history and culture. Sometimes it felt that Herman was a little too Americanized but it definitely helped to have someone who understood both cultures. We met the owner (Shirley?) at the beginning and the end. It kind of seemed like she wanted to just sell her book but we only saw/spoke to her for a brief period since Herman was our tour guide. Overall, very informative and worth it to see what it is like in Chinatown. |
|
Disappointed in tour guide
|
| Sat, May 23 10:00 AM |
eemery |
Female |
50-59 |
Domestic Tourist(s) |
Group of Friends |
| We visited our daughter in the Bay area and booked this tour based upon on-line reviews. Our tour guide, Herman, was somewhat inexperienced and nervous. Despite his best attempts, his stories were sometimes disjointed and confusing. The group was more than 30 people and he didn't have a microphone, so it was difficult to hear him. The dimsum lunch was very good, but we would have preferred to have the owner as a tourguide. My recommendation is to ask questions about your tour guide's experience before booking the tour. |
|
|
Great Experience
|
| Sat, May 23 10:00 AM |
rw1987 |
Female |
40-49 |
Domestic Tourist(s) |
Couple on a Date |
| You get to see things you'd never see on your own. Highly recommend this tour. |
|
|
Too long of a tour
|
| Fri, May 22 10:00 AM |
lmandeville |
Female |
30-39 |
Domestic Tourist(s) |
Couple on a Date |
| Chinatown is not that big but out tour still lasted over 3.5 hours. Our guide, while knowledgeable, rambled on and really gave way more detail than was needed. For instance, we spent 45 minutes standing in the square where everyone plays checkers and cards. That should've been ten minutes tops. The stops along the way are interesting, the tea tasting is quite informative and worthwhile. Lunch was good, but by then we were totally ready to complete the tour and get on with our day. We would be much more willing to recommend this tour if it was 1.5-2 hours total. |
|
|
a wonderful time in chinatown
|
| Wed, May 20 10:00 AM |
rascalsinpar |
Female |
50-59 |
Domestic Tourist(s) |
Family With Children |
| our guide had thorough knowledge of the area and stories to share as well as the history of the chinese in SF. it was a good cultural exp for our family. we esp enjoyed the fortune cookie factory, the art framing store and the tea tasting. the lunch was exceptional ! was easy to ride the cable car back to our hotel afterwards. |
|
|
Fun and insightful
|
| Mon, May 18 10:00 AM |
u696062 |
Male |
40-49 |
International Tourist(s) |
Group of Friends |
| Just walking around Chinatown yourself would be dull in comparrison to having some insight and background to the community, its' history and some of the rituals. We didn't walk that far, just a few blocks, but got lots of stories and met some of the locals. |
|
|
Must not miss!
|
| Sun, May 17 10:00 AM |
morrisoncad |
Female |
40-49 |
Domestic Tourist(s) |
Family Without Children |
| If you are only going to do one planned tour....this has to be it. Our tour guide, Lola, was amazing. This tour gives you an insider's view to Chinatown. Without Lola, we would have just had a superficial glimpse of the "looks" of the community. We found out so much about the culture, the people, the history and best of all the food. Do not miss this tour...plan your trip around it! |
|
|
GREAT TIME
|
| Sat, May 16 10:00 AM |
dlwalters |
Male |
50-59 |
Domestic Tourist(s) |
Family Without Children |
| GREAT TIME |
|
|
A tour worth taking
|
| Fri, May 15 10:00 AM |
mayosusan |
Female |
40-49 |
Domestic Tourist(s) |
Family Without Children |
| I've found Chinatown a hard nut to crack in the past--too many tourist shops and kitsch. But Frank our tour guide really opened the neighborhood up to us. It was great to hear his stories of growing up in Chinatown and how it has changed in the past 40-50 years. This tour is well worth taking, and the dim sum lunch was very enjoyable. Be sure to schedule some time after the tour to return to all the shops your guide suggests--the bakery, the tea house, etc.
(We brought along college-age kids who enjoyed the tour as well.) |
