| Rating |
Date Attended [v] |
Reviewer |
Gender |
Age |
Where From? |
Group Type? |
|
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. |
|
A fun way to see and taste Chinatown
|
| 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. |
|
|
A fine and friendly tour
|
| 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. |
|
Not recommended
|
| 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 |
|
|
Great Guide, nice tour
|
| Tue, Aug 15, 06 10:00 AM |
dvirshup |
Male |
50-59 |
Domestic Tourist(s) |
Family With Children |
| WE very much enjoyed Dorothy, our guide, and the history and small shops on the alleys. The food at the end was decent but not adventurous - we would have liked more introduction to dim sum variations in a small local restaurant (keep up the theme of the back alleys!).
|
|
|
Tour provides taste of culture and atmosphere
|
| Mon, Aug 14, 06 10:00 AM |
gwilson |
Female |
20-29 |
Local |
Family Without Children |
| I'm a local from Santa Cruz, but I had never been to Chinatown prior to this walking tour. Our tour guide was excellent - very knowledgable and informative. Since she grew up in Chinatown as a Chinese-American, she was able to provide thoughtful insight on the melding of both cultures. Our tour group was small (7 people), so we could navigate the streets and alleys without being labeled as a "tourist group". I really enjoyed visiting the open markets and the tea store. Lunch at a local Chinese restaurant was very good, and provided us with the opportunity to ask our tour guide any questions in an informal setting. I think older children and adults will really appreciate this tour. 3 hours is the perfect amount of time, but there's not much lingering in the streets, so be prepared to take your pictures quickly. If you have a good sense of direction, you can go back and take pictures after the tour is over. Overall, I highly recommend this experience. |
|
|
Terrific Tour
|
| Sun, Aug 13, 06 10:00 AM |
cmhaiken |
Female |
40-49 |
Domestic Tourist(s) |
Family With Children |
| We had a super time on this tour. Our guide was incredibly knowledgeable and friendly and had a great sense of humor. She told wonderful annecdotes that gave us a real feel for the place. Our dim sum lunch was delicious. We highly recommend that you go on this tour if you have any interest in San Francisco's Chinatown. |
|
|
Not worth the money
|
| Sat, Aug 12, 06 10:00 AM |
mhm112 |
Female |
30-39 |
Domestic Tourist(s) |
Family Without Children |
| The tour guide talked more about his own family than the history of Chinatown. We never got the promised cermonial tea. The best part of the tour was the lunch! |
|
A Once-Over Lightly View of Chinatown
|
| Sat, Aug 12, 06 10:00 AM |
kdemontellan |
Female |
60-69 |
Local |
Unspecified |
| If I had never visited San Francisco's Chinatown I might have found this a fascinating and educational day. As a San Francisco resident, of course I have window-shopped my way through Chinatown many times before. A few years ago I managed to take a free City Guides tour, from which I learned a great deal. I was hoping to to add to what I had learned on that visit. As it was, I often felt I should have been leading the tour. Our tour was a ramble through our personable guide's rather vague childhood memories of growing up in Chinatown. Had our guide enlarged his perspective beyond his early memories, talked about Chinese culture in more depth, and added some local history, my guests and I might have learned a lot that day. As it was, I felt we spent our time listening to him point out the obvious.
Finally we sat down to lunch, which had been billed as a dim sum meal. I enjoyed our meal because of the good company at our table -- our likeable guide, my guests, and other tour members. The restaurant was pleasant; however, there are more interesting places to go if one is particularly interested in dim sum.
So, would I recommend this tour? Only if you have never visited Chinatown before and will be happy with a superfical view. On the other hand, you could take a City Guides tour where you will learn at least as much and save some money. |
|
|
Excellent!!!
|
| Fri, Aug 11, 06 10:00 AM |
jessiaho |
Female |
20-29 |
Domestic Tourist(s) |
Couple on a Date |
| We had Dorothy as our guide. She thoroughly explained the history of Chinatown and added her own history along the way. She was captivating and the time flew by. The dim sum luncheon was superb and I can't wait to try dim sum closer to home, as I am no longer overwhelmed by the prospect. I have already told some of my friends about this tour, as they visit relatives in SF a few times a year. |
