| Rating |
Date Attended [v] |
Reviewer |
Gender |
Age |
Where From? |
Group Type? |
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A great way to see SF Chinatown. |
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Fri, Sep 1, 06 10:00 AM |
Luvbird |
Female |
40-49 |
Local |
Family Without Children |
| |
SF Chinatown is a lot of fun to see on your own; however, the Wok Wiz tour gives your visit depth. I entertain many out of town guests and always encourage them to take the tour. I've been a couple of times. The different tour guides have their own special insight into Chinatown and are very interesting. It only takes a couple of hours and ends with a scrumptious meal of dim sum! |
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Outstanding view of Chinatown |
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Fri, Sep 1, 06 10:00 AM |
Susant06 |
Female |
50-59 |
Domestic Tourist(s) |
Couple on a Date |
| |
Each Wok Wiz tour of Chinatown is customized by the perspective of the tour guide and the interests of the tour group. Dorothy took us on a walking tour, providing a historical view of the area based on her experiences growing up in Chinatown. She pointed out shops to return to, took us to places we would have never discovered on our own, and filled us with insight on how this unique area evolved. The tour culminated with a delicious dim sum lunch at a local restaurant. My husband and I highly recommend a tour with Wok Wiz. |
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great fun and worth the cost |
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Fri, Aug 25, 06 10:00 AM |
dorrice |
Female |
50-59 |
Domestic Tourist(s) |
Group of Friends |
| |
This is the 2nd time I have been on a Wok Wiz tour of Chinatown. I enjoyed it both times. Had 2 different guides who gave different versions of the tour. Both were excellent. Wear comfortable clothes and shoes as you will be walking about 2 hrs. I would do it again. |
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Fascinating end most enjoyable! |
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Fri, Aug 25, 06 10:00 AM |
susanfenn |
Female |
60-69 |
Local |
Group of Friends |
| |
Living in the Bay Area, I had wanted to go on this tour for several years, but waited until my cousin came from the East coast to enjoy it with me.
Dorothy was our fantastic tour guide, and her enthusiasm and information was simply wonderful. Her personal history added so much to our tour, allowing us to truly "feel" the essence of Chinatown.
She has the most incredible ability to remember the names and hometowns of all the participants, thereby enhancing our interest and direct involvement.
Seeing life and learning of important cultural traditions while touring tiny alleys rather than the typical tourist areas was not only informative, but so much more valuable.
Lunch, at the end, was delicious and fun.
I do have two suggestions:
First, I'm sure each of your tour guides shares slightly different information with the participants, but I think it would be wonderful if they could provide a simple hand-out at the end of the tour with some of the incredible facts they had shared with us -- e.g., key dates, #'s of immigrants and nationalities at various times, etc., etc. Dorothy was so knowledgeable, and I'm just afraid I won't be able to remember a lot of the fascinating history she shared with us.
Second, I think the size of each tour group should be limited to no more than 10 people if possible. Ours was probably 15-16 people, which I really think makes it more difficult to keep together at each stop and presentation. Also, at lunch Dorothy had essentially no time to sit and talk with us, let alone eat her own lunch, as she was constantly going back and forth between the two large tables explaining the dishes, etc. A significantly smaller group would have made the overall experience that much more personal, and enjoyable. Perhaps if you have more than 10 reservations for a given date's tour, you should consider adding a second tour guide and splitting the group into two smaller ones.
Dorothy is a most fascinating person and delightful tour guide, and her enthusiasm and energy made our experience a very special one. Many thanks! |
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Fascinating China Town insights and great food |
| |
Sun, Aug 20, 06 10:00 AM |
larsonbizer |
Female |
40-49 |
Domestic Tourist(s) |
Family With Children |
| |
We rarely take organized tours but decided to try this one because we thought we would get something "extra" out of it, which turned out to be true. The personal experience of the guide living in Chinatown made it come to life. He identified many aspects of Chinatown I would have entirely missed - like the meaning of the various items in the Buddhist temple, what all the various foods were in the markets, and the purpose of the store with all of the paper products (cars, houses, etc.). |
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Excellent tour, and an exceptional value! |
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Sat, Aug 19, 06 10:00 AM |
Arpjimhart |
Male |
40-49 |
Local |
Family Without Children |
| |
I was very impressed by this tour. Dorothy, a 72 year old native of China Town spoke passionately about life in this San Francisco neighborhood. Our group could barely keep up with her as we ducked in and out of the back alleys of China Town, stopping periodically to hear a story on what life was like for the Chinese about 100 years ago. Finishing up with Dim Sum was delicious, though I would have liked to try some more obscure dishes. This was the best $40 I've spent in San Francisco. The worst, parking one day for $49. |
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Excellent |
| |
Sat, Aug 19, 06 10:00 AM |
TORRESCALI |
Female |
40-49 |
Combination |
Family Without Children |
| |
We take this tour regularly with different guests (with and without children) from out of state. It's always different, entertaining and informative and ends with a delicious dim sum meal. The tour guides are local with most of them born and raised in Chinatown. They share a perspective and knowledge about the area and it's history that you would never get touring on your own or on a tour bus. We enthusiastically recommend this event. |
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A fun way to see and taste Chinatown |
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Fri, Aug 18, 06 10:00 AM |
flyerguybham |
Male |
30-39 |
Domestic Tourist(s) |
Individual |
| |
Our tour guide Chuck was fun and quirky, and knew lots of local lore. He gave us historical and cultural perspective on the area about the founding, the relation with the city gov't, some of the historic buildings, and then taking us through a produce market, a poultry market, the fortune cookie factory, a traditional crafts shop, an upscale tea vendor and then for a dim sum lunch. It was a lot of fun and I learned a lot about Chinatown I would not have otherwise, even though I had been through the area several times already that week. I recommend this tour as a great way to get oriented with Chinatown. |
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A fine and friendly tour |
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Tue, Aug 15, 06 10:00 AM |
wduncan |
Unspecified |
Unspecified |
Domestic Tourist(s) |
Family With Children |
| |
Our Wok Wiz tour was a great introduction to Chinatown. It was refreshing to get away from the main tourist streets to get a better picture of the life and history of Chinatown. Our guide was very friendly and clearly loved showing off her town. The dimsum lunch was quite good and it was very nice to have the guides stay and circulate among us. We felt like old friends after just a few hours. The length of the tour was about right -- we were left wanting to see more, and in fact my wife stayed the rest of the afternoon and shopped, keeping Chinatown green! Thanks for a fine time. |
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Not recommended |
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Tue, Aug 15, 06 10:00 AM |
bobpeaston |
Unspecified |
Unspecified |
Unspecified |
Unspecified |
| |
Enthusiastic group leader - enjoyed sharing personal life details - the food was disappointing and mediocre |
