| Rating |
Date Attended [v] |
Reviewer |
Gender |
Age |
Where From? |
Group Type? |
|
Depends on the tour leader!
|
| Sat, Oct 22, 05 10:00 AM |
LAS021 |
Female |
20-29 |
Domestic Tourist(s) |
Family Without Children |
| I had some friends who had gone on this tour, and they enthusiastically recommended it. I wish I could do the same, but the tour was more of a disappointment. I think that the group leader makes all the difference. In our case, we had a guide who liked to tell stories about his own family at the expense of moving us through Chinatown or allowing us to see things. We spent a lot of time standing around listening to him talk. We didn't have time to go to the temple (one of the promised activities), and that was a big disappointment. I really don't think I saw anything more than I would have seen on a self-guided tour. The lunch was definitely the highlight! |
|
Wok Wiz Daily Tour - Not Recommended
|
| Thu, Oct 20, 05 10:00 AM |
joannperkins |
Female |
40-49 |
Domestic Tourist(s) |
Family Without Children |
| Our Wok Wiz Tour was conducted by Shirley Fong-Torres. Shirley talked too much about herself and not enough about Chinatown. She interrupted the tour many times to take business calls on her cell phone. We enjoyed the visit and demonstration at the tea shop. Lunch at the Four Seas was bland and the service was very rushed with one course coming before we could finish the previous course. I would recommend visiting Chinatown on your own and finding your own Chinese restaurant for lunch. |
|
|
Disappointed
|
| Thu, Oct 20, 05 10:00 AM |
MFrohrip |
Female |
40-49 |
Domestic Tourist(s) |
Family Without Children |
| On October 20, my mother, niece and I took this tour. Shirley Fong-Yorres (who created the Wok Wiz tours and is somewhat famous for her worldwide promotion of Chinatown) led the small tour which consisted of 10 people. I had taken this same tour 7 years previous, had enjoyed it greatly at that time and now was wanting my family to see and understand an authentic Chinatown.
When I checked in, Shirley was dismayed that I had actually booked my tour thru Zerve! She recommended that in the future, I should call her company directly.
Once the walking tour began, Shirley gave us a brief but touching history of her family history in Chinatown. She promoted herself constantly throughout the tour, stopping and talking to people, accepting phone calls on her cell phone, etc. We did visit an herbal shop, enjoyed a tasting at a tea store, spent wasteless time at an art store and a Buddhist temple. We did not visit the neighborhood markets to watch the locals do their daily shopping -( from previous visits to Chinatown, I can tell you that is the most fascinating thing to observe).
I was greatly disappointed in this tour. For what we paid, this tour is simply not worth it. We got ripped off greatly. The Wok Wiz tours have lost my business forever. |
|
Tour Great, Food OK
|
| Tue, Oct 18, 05 10:00 AM |
SusanDickey |
Female |
40-49 |
Domestic Tourist(s) |
Family With Children |
| Dorothy was a wonderful guide! She showed us many interesting sights that we enjoyed very much and she had a wonderful personality.
The Dim Sum at Four Seas was okay. My group would have preferred less fried food. For example, steamed shrimp dumplings instead of deep fried shrimp. The chicken on skewers in curry sauce was our favorite!
Thanks, I will definitely recommend this to others! |
|
|
Did not deliver.
|
| Mon, Oct 17, 05 10:00 AM |
DianaG |
Female |
60-69 |
Domestic Tourist(s) |
Group of Friends |
| The tour guide was a charming woman. However, she talked primarily about her own experiences growing up in Chinatown. We did a lot of standing in one spot listening to her reminiscences. She did not go into the temple so there was no explanation, there was no tea ceremony, we did not visit an herb store except to have it pointed out from outside. Lunch was good.
All in all disappointing. |
|
|
We thoroughly enjoyed our tour.
|
| Sat, Oct 15, 05 10:00 AM |
david777 |
Unspecified |
Unspecified |
Domestic Tourist(s) |
Family Without Children |
| We have recommended this tour to all of our friends and look forwrard to returning to San Francisco and going on another of these tours. |
|
|
Fun, Educational and Entertaining!
|
| Sat, Oct 15, 05 10:00 AM |
phyllisevans |
Female |
50-59 |
Local |
Family Without Children |
| Shirley made this tour fun, educational and entertaining. Even though I'd lived in SF for nearly 20 years, and have been to Chinatown numerous times, I learned quite a bit - and all of it fascinating: about Chinatwn's history as well as Shirley's family history, about food, art, religious beliefs, historic buildings, etc. Shirley's bubbly personality and high energy level make this tour something to write home about - you are privileged to see and hear special "behind the scenes" information, all jam-packed in a few blocks! |
|
|
Informative & Fun
|
| Thu, Oct 13, 05 10:00 AM |
Michigal |
Female |
40-49 |
Domestic Tourist(s) |
Group of Friends |
| All three of us really enjoyed our "Walk Wiz" tour. Russell was very inlightening, humorous and informative. It's so important to have a guide who really knows the area and the people.
We'll be looking for that new Will Smith movie 'cause now we know where it was filmed...Thanks, Russell!
|
|
entertaining but a bit formulaic
|
| Tue, Oct 11, 05 10:00 AM |
AliciaC |
Female |
30-39 |
Local |
Family With Children |
| we (2 adults and 2 kids) had a good time and really appreciated the opportunity to explore chinatown in a bit more depth. we were exposed to interesting sights and information that was new to us - and we are locals who had all been through chinatown previously. the guide was knowledgeable and familiar with the subject, but the patter was a bit formulaic and just skimmed the surface without going deeper into rich subjects (immigration, language and culture issues...). in an effort to appeal to a wide range of generic tour participants, there was a loss of depth. sort of a disney-ification of chinatown, which was disappointing. and the end-of-tour meal was in a similar vein (basic, not too deep, not too challenging - none of the excitement of choosing from roaming carts and trying something strange). BUT, the tour is still recommended as a nice diversion for those who want a guide to the unknown but don't need lots of adventure. |
|
|
GREAT!!!!
|
| Tue, Oct 11, 05 10:00 AM |
maryjane |
Female |
40-49 |
Domestic Tourist(s) |
Other |
| My son (age 17) and I loved it. Very interesting, food was great, and our tour guide, Russell,was very funny and entertaining!!!! Loved it!!! I was glad I found the tour. Chinatown was the only place we spent money buying things in our four days in San Fran. |
