Ghost Tours San Francisco

Julia Morgan,Architecture Tour-Elmwood&Claremont Ct.+add*Berkeley City Club Tour

**\*\*Don't be a no-show or a last minute canceller. *See the Group's no-show policy below.*** Do the Meetup tour in the morning, stop for the pizza and then: ***\*On*** *the 4th Sunday of the month there are **45 min**. docent led tours of*[ Julia Morgan's Berkeley City Club](https://berkeleycityclubconservancy.org/docent-tours/), *2315 Durant St., starting at 1:00pm-3:30pm.* (Photo above JM in Paris, 1900, Cathedral Notre Dame in the background. For more information about JM, read here and see the photos below.) We're meeting outside the, Berkeley Playhouse/[Julia Morgan Theater on College Ave. at Derby St.,](https://berkeleyplayhouse.org/) our first stop on the tour. (Optional stop after the tour, at nearby, Nabolom Bakery & Pizzeria.) If you're not going for the City Club Tour, consider a matinee performance at the Julia Morgan Theater and a chance to really take in the interior of a classic JM design. Public places like Asilamar and Hearst Castle offer a chance to see a JM interior, a must to fully appreciate her work. (Along the way we'll see Bernard Maybeck's, First Church of Christ Scientist, a Nat'l Landmark site, where free tours are offered on the first Sunday of every month at 12:15 PM. [One of the best ways to experience these buildings is to attend an event there.](https://www.friendsoffirstchurch.org/tours-and-events) Across the street is Julia Morgan's 1918 Baptist Theological Seminary. (Bowditch & Dwight Way). Built having a brick facade to resemble the Ashmolean Library of Oxford. Britain's first public museum and the world's first university museum. *note.* The Seminary's windows and Tudor details recall the period when the Baptist Church was founded. (We'll pass 2727 Dwight Way, one of the oldest, non-JM houses on the tour, 1891, remodeled in 1917 by Willis Polk.) Morgan graduated UC in 1894 with a degree in Civil Engineering, one of her specializations was structural engineering. (This benefited her clients greatly, as was seen after the 06' earthquake in her still standing buildings.) She arrived in Paris in 1896. A few years later it was reported in the San Francisco Call: **Paris, Oct.30,1902** - *Julia Morgan of San Francisco passed the examination with honors at the Architectural section of the School of Fine Arts, Ecole de Beaux Arts, Paris France.* The first woman to do so. Ironically one of the greatest architects in history, was made to wait two years, taking entrance exams before admission. By the end of her 45 yr. career she had received over 700 commissions. It was said, "Her rational approach to home design and the public success of her large commissions gave Julia Morgan a solid reputation. It also won her the confidence of her clients. With the hard work, genius, inspiration and true artistic and historic perception to create memorable works. Over the course of her career, Morgan designed nearly one hundred buildings across California and the nation for women’s organizations. Her commissions included social and civic clubs for women; academic, residential, and recreational buildings; primary schools; orphanages; hospitals, sanitariums,and nursing residences. She also designed more than thirty YWCA buildings, including those in San Francisco and Berkeley. We'll concentrate on the many Julia Morgan designed houses, churches and buildings in the Claremont Ct. and Elmwood neighborhoods. Unique here are the Julia Morgan ensemble houses, where she creatively and economically placed two houses on one large lot. We'll see several of these ensembles. In fact when JM bought her own house at Washington & Divisadero in SF in 1925, she bought a pair of houses there. To read more about the many Julia Morgan public buildings, such as the Hearst Castle etc. go to wikipedia. She was one of California's most prolific architects. The first woman to receive the American Institute of Architects highest award, the AIA Gold Medal, awarded posthumously in 2014. The three projects that immediately solidified her future career as a great architect, engineer and fully capable project/construction manager were the rebuilding of the new Fairmount Hotel after its semi-destruction following the earthquake. The design, engineering and building of the beautiful Bell Tower at Mills College and Carnegie Library there, both of which survived the earthquake without a crack. And the completion on time and within budget of the construction of the Greek Theater at UC for John Gayland Howard, campus architect. **\*\*Don't be a no-show.** Don't be a no-show and lose your membership in the Group. *Attendance is always taken per name tags that are not picked up.* After the last Julia Morgan home we'll find our way back through what I call the "Pacific Heights" of Berkeley. Look for parking on the smaller side streets or College Ave. Option for lunch afterward. (In my opinion the best slice of organic flour pizza or best overall, in the Bay Area.) Here are some links if you would like to help with Meetup expenses. [Here is a Venmo link.](https://venmo.com/code?user_id=3262702482882560580&created=1757371525), for my account. Here is my Paypal account. '[herrmann48@comcast.net'](http://herrmann48@comcast.net'/) *\*Docent-led, 45-minute tours of Julia Morgan's Berkeley City Club on Durant, are offered on the fourth Sunday of every month (except December) from 1:00 PM to 3:30 PM. These are drop-in, public tours that cost $10 per person.*

Historic Architecture Tour of the Financial District(get your ticket first)

Here's a chance to learn about the history of the financial business development of San Francisco through the architecture of the Financial District. [Get your ticket here](https://givebutter.com/epicentersftour2026) ,first, let me know you have your ticket to RSVP to tour with our Meetup group. Join the wait-list, get your ticket, send me a Meetup message that you have a ticket and I'll move you from the wait-list to the attend list.

“Ghosts of Transit Past bicycle tour with Shaping San Francisco”

***“Ghosts of Transit Past bicycle tour with Shaping San Francisco”*** Join us for the Group Kick Off Bicycle Tour - Shaping San Francisco, in collaboration with the SFBC and The New Wheel. We are excited to offer a Transit History bicycle tour that will take you on a journey through the city’s rich transportation heritage. Stage 1: Mission and Valencia—Streetcars, Rail Rights-of-Way, and Bike Advocacy **Meetup Start at:** Old Valencia Car Barn - Today’s Present Location of Duncan Street, Tiffany & Valencia Street Introduce the route with Valencia Street’s Irish carmen, early streetcar operations, and the later emergence of Valencia bike-lane advocacy. Juri Commons between Guerrero and San Jose: Connect the corridor’s rail legacy to the visible remains and reused spaces along the former right-of-way. · Mini-Stop: Rosamunde Sausage on the railroad right-of-way. BART Plaza Mural at 24th Street: Use the mural as a visual anchor for discussing neighborhood identity, transit access, and the Mission’s layered transportation history. · Mini-Stop: The New Wheel on Valencia. Transition: From the Mission, the route moves north toward Market Street, shifting from neighborhood rail traces to citywide streetcar, bike, and advocacy networks. Stage 2: Market and Duboce—Streetcar Heritage, Bikeways, and Advocacy **Market Street Railway Mural:** Discuss “Roar of the Four,” historic streetcars, and Market Street’s role as a transportation spine. Duboce Bikeway Mural: Highlight how bicycle infrastructure became part of the city’s transportation story alongside rail and streetcar systems. Hub Neighborhood at Valencia and Market: Frame the intersection as a transfer point where streetcar history, bicycle advocacy, and urban redevelopment overlap. · Mini-Stop: San Francisco Bicycle Coalition. Transition: The route then turns toward Hayes Valley, where the story shifts from transit corridors to freeway removal and public-space transformation. Stage 3: Hayes Valley and Civic Center & **Freeway Revolt and Reclaimed Public Space** Octavia and Hayes / Patricia’s Green: Explain the freeway on/off-ramp removal, the Freeway Revolt, and how transportation decisions reshaped the neighborhood fabric. · Mini-Stop: Mention the Moving SF exhibition at City Hall while riding along Grove Street. Transition: Approaching downtown, the route connects older rail systems to today’s regional funding debates and major transit hubs. Stage 4: Downtown and Union Square—Regional **Transit, Cable Cars, and North–South Renewal** Powell Street Turnaround: Discuss the convergence of BART, Muni, and cable cars, including the November ballot measure to fund Muni and BART. Union Square T Station: Close with the first Muni streetcar B-line that went out Geary, the east–west transformation created by the Bay Bridge and automotive traffic and tries to rejuvenate a north–south axis through the T-line to Chinatown. This tour is a wonderful opportunity for bicyclists and history lovers to come together in discovering more about San Francisco’s transit history, from its streetcar and rail legacies to the transportation choices shaping the city today. RSVP to LisaRuth at Shaping SF: [shaping@foundsf.org](mailto:shaping@foundsf.org) To take part in this ride and secure your spot today! **Location Meetup is the Intersection of Duncan, Tiffany and Valencia Street**

WE WALK THE PRESIDIO FROM THE NORTH TO THE SOUTH & BACK

We will visit next a part of the Presidio that we may have only visited once. This walk is very special because we will start at the Northern part of the Presidio as we usually do, but we will head South to see special things such as Redwood trees, great views at Inspiration Point and wild animals such as cyotes. Also, we will visit the historic Presidio Officers' Club, which is one of the 2 largest free museums in the Presidio. We will gather at 11:00 AM in front of the Presidio's Transit Center at 215 Graham Street. We will end back at our starting point a little before 4:00 PM. The only cost is $5 cash per adult, kids always free. The $5 is collected at the middle of the walk. Attendance Max = 60. One guest is allowed per member if put on the RSVP. For most attendees the best way to get there is to take the free PresidiGo bus. It will leave the bus stop on Drumm Street in front of the Hyatt Regency near Market Street at 10:32 AM and arrive at our starting point, a little before 11:00 AM. The bus will stop to pick up passengers at other stops along the way. Below is Saturday's schedule of the PresidiGo bus going from downtown SF to the Presidio, and be sure that you look at the Weekend schedule: [PresidiGo Downtown Shuttle Schedule | Presidio – San Francisco, CA](https://www.presidio.gov/transportation/presidigo/downtown-shuttle-schedule) Also, there are other ways to get there and return such as the SF Muni bus 43 Masonic, which also stops at our starting point. Here is a link: [43 Masonic | SFMTA](https://www.sfmta.com/routes/43-masonic) At 11:10 AM we will start walking around to look at nearby sites. Then at Noon we will eat our lunches outside, not far from our starting point. Attendees have the choice of either bringing a sack lunch or buying one at the many food trucks and booths there. We may have to sit on the grass for lunch because we don't know how crowded the area will be Saturday. After lunch we will explore other parts of the Presidio such as Inspiration Point. We will be sure to get back to the Presidio's Transit Center before 4:00 PM because the PresidiGo bus going back to downtown SF will be leaving at 4:00 PM. These buses leave exactly one hour apart on the hour. See the schedule below: [PresidiGo Downtown Shuttle Schedule | Presidio – San Francisco, CA](https://www.presidio.gov/transportation/presidigo/downtown-shuttle-schedule) This will be a relatively easy walk: we will be taking in the sights and not walking fast or far. This walking group is for humans only. No dogs or other animals allowed. Below are photos taken at the last time we walked there: [THE SF PRESIDIO'S 2 NEW TUNNEL TOPS PARK WALK - VERSION #3 (Sep 24, 2022) Photos](https://www.meetup.com/walking-in-sf/photos/32814071/507299672/)

HAGS Does Macmillan Mysteries' Home Haunt

Where Does SF Most Closely Resemble Manhatten?

In the eighties the worst thing you could say about a proposed downtown building was that it would Manhattanize San Francisco. By 2008 everything changed and Manhattanization of parts of downtown became almost a goal. An area now called the East Cut south of market around 2nd Street where back in the 1860s Rincon Hill was cut through by what was known then as the East Cut to link that part of downtown to the waterfront. It has now become a very hot development area. It contains Salesforce Park and the transit center. As well as the infamous Millienium Tower.

Architectural Walking Tour with Campus Concert & Lunch at the Faculty Club

*\* Please see the No-show policy at the bottom. Don't be a No-show and lose your membership in the Group. Canceling within 24hr of meeting time for the Event, counts as a No-show.* (Event ending time includes staying for the three parts of the Meetup Event.) *There are essentially three parts today, a diagonal walk to the Campus of just over two miles up the hill* *After the walking tour we'll have lunch, finishing by 12:10, just in time for the Concert.* *Immediately after the Concert we'll head back to the cars and BART arriving at the cars by 1:35pm.* *\*The concert is 45 minutes long and will end at 1:00pm.* *The salad bar, sandwiches, hamburgers or the Kerr Bar located in the Faculty Club which is next door to the Music Dept. is very good. **We need to finish lunch by 12:10 sharp.*** \*The Chamber Music concert will feature students from the UC Berkeley Symphony Orchestra performing small ensemble works under the direction of Leighton Fong. Berryman Station was originally between Rose and Vine Sts. After the RR extended its line from Downtown in 1878, the nearby blocks developed into a commercial and residential district. The eight blocks located between Rose and Cedar from Arch to Shattuck were subdivided in 1873 and sold for $300 to $400 each for a 60' by 134' lot. Our architectural heritage walk will focus on the heritage architecture as we make our way up to the Campus. Distance will be about four miles round trip up the hill. Photo above looking west on Shattuck at Vine in 1898. \*There is limited attendance for this event. Don't RSVP unless you are sure you can make it, if you No-show you'll be needlessly taking someone's spot who is on the Waitlist. **(Don't be a no-show.)** It's good to give out name tags. I fill out the name 24 hrs. before the meeting time. This also gives me a way to take attendance. Name tags that are not picked up, are recorded as no-shows. If you get too many no-shows recorded in your personal Meet-up profile you'll be cancelled from this Meetup. (To cancel your RSVP [must be at least 24hrs in advance or it is a no-show] look for the, **"Edit Attendance"** tab at the bottom right hand corner of a notebook screen screen, left bottom for a phone.) Meet on the sidewalk at the intersection of Yolo Ave. & Sutter St. Berkeley, opposite 2019 Yolo Ave. 2019 Yolo Ave. · Berkeley, CA Students from the UC Berkeley Symphony Orchestra perform small ensemble works under the direction of Leighton Fong. 12:15pm concert at Hertz Hall. The neighborhood north of University Ave. between Shattuck and MLK began as farmland. Sub-divided after steam train service arrived in 1876. With the advent of electric streetcars, reaching Cedar Ave. in 1902 residential development accelerated. The dominant style is Colonial Revival popular between 1895 and 1905. Distance will be about four miles round trip up the hill. Architectural Walking Tour with Campus Concert & Lunch at the Faculty Club

Meetup on Orient Express - Visit Paris Venice Prague Vienna Budapest Istanbul ..

San Rafael History Walk and Porchfest!

Let's take a bus trip to San Rafael or meet us there. We will do a walk in the historical downtown and then head to Porchfest in the Gerstle Park Neighborhood. We will also do the history and architecture of the Gerstle Park neighborhood and visit the redwood grove there. [Gerstle Park](https://marinmagazine.com/community/history/gerstle-park-san-rafaels-oldest-historic-district/) **Info on the History Walk:** Walking along San Rafael’s Fourth Street, visitors often remark that the city looks like a classic “old California” town from a 1940s-era movie. That’s not a coincidence. Unlike so many other cities in California, San Rafael has retained much of the charm of a pre-World War II town, with hundreds of Victorian-era and early 20th-century commercial buildings lining Fourth Street in its historic business district. Dozens of these older buildings have retained their original facades, and many still have some of their original interior features as well. More info here: [History](https://marinmagazine.com/explore/hiking-biking/take-a-walk-through-history-along-san-rafaels-fourth-street-6-historic-buildings-to-visit/) **Info on Porchfest**: Welcome to the 6th annual San Rafael PorchFest! This beloved free community music event presented by the Gerstle Park Neighborhood Association. 65-75 bands play for free on 20+ porches in "the porch zone".Genres range from jazz, rock, opera, folk to many more! Music, food trucks, and family friendly fun. [Porchfest](https://www.sanrafaelporchfest.com/) We will catch the 101 bus scheduled for 12:47 and arrive in San Rafael at 1:25. The after gathering will hopefully be at a commercial establishment in downtown San Rafael not far from the bus stop back to the city. I am limiting the number of attendees so the bus does not get too crowded, but if you are not coming on this bus let me know and I will work out adding you to the RSVP yes list. If you are late it is very hard to catch up with us. We walk at a medium pace. Escorts or sweeps are not provided, so slower walkers should be completely prepared to finish the hike on their own if they become separated from the group, and they may want to consider bringing a friend to walk with them. I reserve the right to make small changes to the route as needed. I am only limiting attendance to assure that I get on the bus, but if you end up on wait list and don't plan to take the bus, and will meet us there let me know that on comments I will let you in. Liability Disclaimer: The organizers of this meet-up are unpaid volunteers and not expert hiking guides. All participants agree to assume 100% responsibility for their own safety, conduct, and well-being and recognize that possible hazards exist while participating in outdoor (or any other) activities, and agree to participate solely at their own risk. If you RSVP “Yes” and/or attend any of our events, it shall be conclusively presumed that you understand and agree to this policy.

Excelsior–Sunnyside Hidden Stairways & Gardens Loop.

Join me for a roughly 4.5-mile urban adventure through two of San Francisco’s wonderfully overlooked neighborhoods—the Excelsior and Sunnyside. We’ll start and finish at Excelsior Coffee on Mission Street, then head into the hills to discover hidden stairways, colorful community projects, pocket gardens, unexpected views, and some fascinating pieces of neighborhood history. Along the way we’ll explore the Peru Avenue Steps, Athens-Avalon Green Space, Kenny Alley and its mosaic staircase, Upper Detroit Steps, Melrose/Detroit Botanical Garden, and the historic Sunnyside Conservatory. This is the kind of San Francisco walk I love: places you can pass a hundred times without realizing what’s hiding just a few blocks uphill. Distance: Approximately 4.5 miles Time: Allow about 2½–3 hours with stops Terrain: Hills, stairways and uneven surfaces Start/Finish: Excelsior Coffee, 4495 Mission Street Transit: Glen Park BART provides a convenient bailout point along the route Bring water, layers, comfortable walking shoes, and your curiosity. This isn’t a race—we’ll keep a steady, social pace while making time to enjoy the hidden corners along the way. Come discover another side of San Francisco—one staircase, garden and neighborhood story at a time.

Upper Rockridge Stair & History Hike, ~4.4 Miles, ~588 FT, MODERATE+

Normandy Chateau, France Slowcation! - Sept 2026

**[NORMANDY CHATEAU, FRANCE SLOWCATION!](https://globe-drifters.com/trip/france-normandy-slowcation/)** **• Dates:** September 22 - October 1, 2026 *(10 days / 9 nights)* **• Cost:** $6600 *(per person, excluding flights)* **• Single supplement:** None! **• Detailed itinerary, chateau info, what's included, etc:** https://globe-drifters.com/trip/france-normandy-slowcation/[https://globe-drifters.com/trip/france-normandy-slowcation/](https://globe-drifters.com/trip/france-normandy-slowcation/) Click the link above for all the trip details. You can email [info@globe-drifters.com](info@globe-drifters.com) if you have questions! This is a slowcation where we'll rent out an entire chateau just for us, bring in a private chef to prepare dinner for us each night, and have a full-time guide throughout the entire trip. Plus, everyone gets their own room at no extra cost! Read more about a slowcation here: **[What is a slowcation?](https://globe-drifters.com/slowcations/)** \*\*\*A château in the heart of Normandy — your home away from home… \*\*\*Explore Normandy’s villages and landscapes that inspired great impressionist paintings as you sip and savor your way along the cheese and cider trail, retreating to a château at the end of the day to eat, drink, and be merry like French royalty. **Don’t just see history, sleep in history:** Stay in a château and feast on grand dinners fit for kings and queens, stroll through pristine gardens at sunset, and try a game of *pétanque* — a French favorite! **Cheese & Cider Trail:** Follow the trail through picturesque towns to taste Normandy’s world-renowned cheeses and hard ciders. **Private room:** Enjoy your own room in the château at no extra cost, providing a quiet retreat to relax after a day of exploring.