| Rating |
Date Attended [v] |
Reviewer |
Gender |
Age |
Where From? |
Group Type? |
|
Lots of fun
|
| Wed, Jan 7, 09 10:00 AM |
cindyma |
Female |
50-59 |
Domestic Tourist(s) |
Individual |
| Our guide was delightful, knowledgeable, and made the tour quite enjoyable. I would highly recommend it. |
|
|
Highlight of my San Francisco trip
|
| Sat, Jan 3, 09 10:00 AM |
ssquilter |
Female |
50-59 |
Domestic Tourist(s) |
Group of Friends |
| I had been to San Francisco only once, 25 years ago, and I was looking for an activity to share with a high school girlfriend I had not seen since then who lives near SF and has worked there. From a hotel website I found out about the Wok Wiz tours and they sounded out of the ordinary and fun. My friend did not know much about Chinatown but likes Chinese food; I have many young friends from China and Taiwan on the East Coast and was eager to learn more about American Chinese culture. This tour was perfect. With only 10 of us that beautiful Sat morning, we could ask lots of questions and fit in small shops, but the best part was our guide. She had grown up in Chinatown and shared lots of cultural traditions we would never have learned otherwise. She did that as we toured and also at lunch in an uncrowded place around a round table where we could hear easily and feel like friends. The next day I returned by myself to most of the places we had been to take photographs and didn't feel like a complete gawking voyeur.
I'll repeat the comment that the tea tasting at Red Blossom was a highlight of the tour. Alice and Peter know chemistry as well as taste. Despite my knowing a lot about tea, I learned much much more.
This was the perfect activity for getting a feel for the city's history and distinctiveness and I highly recommend it! |
|
Bad Directions, No Refunds
|
| Sat, Jan 3, 09 10:00 AM |
DawnColler |
Female |
50-59 |
Domestic Tourist(s) |
Family With Children |
| A 10 a.m. starting time creates a hectic morning. The directions as given from the website cannot be followed. Washington Street from Montgomery is either not well marked or something like about Columbus St. is left out. By following the directions given I walked the length of Montgomery St. without finding Washington St. When Kearny St. was happened upon, unhappily lost, there seemed to be no 750. The street numbers, on adult entertainment blocks, went from 600s to 900s. People on the street asked either did not answer or did not answer in a helpful way. Therefore I missed the tour and lost $94 on it. No refunds or rainchecks are allowed for the relative who refused to honor the reservation or for myself who never found Washington Street during an hour walk, lost, that lovely morning. No one asked was able to give clear directions either. Also, because the parking directions were so vague with no cost listed, a decision was made to take the BART. My suggestion to others is to avoid this rip off. Walk yourself around San Francisco and stop at a restaurant for lunch of your own choosing. |
|
|
Excellent!
|
| Thu, Jan 1, 09 10:00 AM |
Kimmie7 |
Female |
40-49 |
International Tourist(s) |
Family Without Children |
| We thoroughly enjoyed the Wok Wiz tour which we took on New Years day 2009. Frank was our guide and he was very knowledgeable, funny and a really nice and down to earth person. Having grown up in Chinatown Frank had a lot of knowledge and stories which he shared with the group. We definitely recommend going for lunch after the tour - it was the perfect finish to an excellent tour! |
|
A good time was had by all !@
|
| Thu, Jan 1, 09 10:00 AM |
zaffywelch |
Unspecified |
Unspecified |
Unspecified |
Unspecified |
| this was a fun and informative view of Chinatown. The tea shop was excellent and provided a lot of information I did not know. The lunch was delicious and the group as a whole was friendly and enjoyable ! |
|
|
A Great Tour
|
| Thu, Jan 1, 09 10:00 AM |
djs226 |
Male |
30-39 |
Domestic Tourist(s) |
Couple on a Date |
| We travel extensively and have taken tours in Egypt, Poland, Italy and found our tour of Chinatown every bit as fascinating. Our guide was friendly, informative, and helpful. We never would have understood all the nuances of such a diverse neighborhood if we had not taken the tour. He showed us bakeries, tea shops, groceries, temples, streets, alleys, and more and explained them all expertly. Now, when I go to Chinatown in DC or NYC what was chaos will now make sense. Truly worth every penny. |
|
|
Fun, vivacious tour guide
|
| Wed, Dec 31, 08 10:00 AM |
Leburta |
Female |
60-69 |
Domestic Tourist(s) |
Couple on a Date |
| Shirley Fong-Torres led a fun tour of Chinatown with informative insights and stops. We had a great time and would recommend this tour, whether conducted by her or her well-chosen fellow tour guides. What's a trip to San Francisco without a visit to one of the largest and oldest Chinatowns in the U.S.? This is a must-do! |
|
Short on content
|
| Wed, Dec 31, 08 10:00 AM |
kljusko |
Female |
30-39 |
Domestic Tourist(s) |
Group of Friends |
| Although we were quite enthusiastic about this tour, it was not as informative or interesting as we hoped it would be. The deep and rich history of Chinatown was presented in a surface-level and cursory way, often in generalities that seemed inappropriate for a culture as diverse as China's is. Further, our tour guide actively undermined the experience by criticizing some of the places we visited (e.g., apparently, he would not eat at the dim sum place we visited of his volition).
Those with food allergies, beware: Our tour guide stated that those working in the restaurant often lie about what is in the food. Also, the "host" (an off-duty tour guide, joining our group for lunch) at the dim sum restaurant would tell us what was in each dish, this generally happened after, rather than before, it was eaten. The food was not very good, nor very authentic.
Alice, in the Red Blossom Tea Shop, however, was terrific in providing lots of information in an interesting and organized way. |
|
|
Fun, informative, delicious dim sum
|
| Mon, Dec 22, 08 10:00 AM |
llbear |
Female |
60-69 |
Domestic Tourist(s) |
Group of Friends |
| This was fun and informative. I enjoyed our leader, Dorothy, if I remember her name correctly. Very sweet and enthusiastic. Our walking/talking tour did last about three hours, which I found to be a bit long to be on my feet for that period of time. Then we had a very nice generous lunch. I'm wondering if the restaurant could include one or two exclusively vegetarian items in lieu of so much meat. Otherwise, it was a lovely experience. |
|
food
|
| Sun, Dec 21, 08 10:00 AM |
lisarogell |
Female |
40-49 |
Domestic Tourist(s) |
Family With Children |
| i did not like the restaurant - the food or the ambiance - there are much better places in chinatown to eat |
