Court of Appeals and Old Main Post Office Building
Penny Bradshaw had the wonderful idea for the Class of 2008 to keep in touch on a regular basis by meeting for lunch once a month to discuss and share experiences, and Tuesday, October 7th, was scheduled for our “first date.” When I discovered that the United States Court of Appeals and Old Main Post Office were offering a docent tour that day (and had a café on site!), seven of us met on the steps of this most beautiful example of an American Renaissance / Beaux Arts classical style building and took the tour given by Ms. Ellie Foster, docent since ’97, who had previously volunteered at various museums in Washington, D.C. This building has a special meaning for me since it was here, .....

GGIE: SFs Final World’s Fair - Part II
The world found itself at war on February 18, 1939, just as it had been on that very date for the opening of the Panama Pacific International Exposition in 1915. The United States claimed neutrality both times. Accompanied by a light breeze, the sun shone brightly on San Francisco Bay. Automobiles jammed the causeway exiting the new San Francisco–Oakland Bay Bridge, and loaded Key System ferries steamed across the Bay that Saturday morning, all awaiting the grand opening of the Golden Gate International Exposition, San Francisco’s third world’s fair. San Francisco was again in celebration mode, and the fair openly supported peace with all nations. The fair charged an entrance fee of fif.....

City Guides: the Beginning
Scurrying from Muni to the Civic Center in late January 1978, I was a bit nervous about presiding over the first City Guides training session in the Lurie Room of the Main Library. I had interviewed sixty-seven volunteers for the first training class and convinced eminent authors and historians to provide free lectures, as we had no budget. Near the Plaza the rain stopped, and over the glistening dome of City Hall a fully fledged rainbow appeared. It was a heartening symbol of the next five years, when I was privileged to direct an energetic group who poured forth creativity, delight, curiosity, and love of San Francisco. During those years we introduced dozens of walks, staffed two museums,.....

Guide Profile - Ernie Ng
What tours do you lead? I am on the regular tour schedule for Chinatown. I am also on the roster for doing Chinatown tours for school children, a program managed by Sue Krumbein. In May and October, I do a tour called Sacred Places in San Francisco. How are your kids' tours different from your regular tours? That is, what do you do differently for the kids' tours? I have to remember to simplify my sentences and vocabulary depending on the age group. I don't cover immigration or discrimination with the younger kids. I can't go into too much detail or stay on one subject too long. I find that 3rd and 4th graders are more interested in the tour than middle school and .....

Report from the Field
Moira originally sent this note to her fellow Fisherman’s Wharf guides, who suggested she share it with all of us: I had three walkers–a man, a woman (not together), and a young man (a student). First of all, the Bay was fogged in, which rather hindered any discussion of what was out there. However, I discovered it didn't really matter because...just as I started to talk, there was a loud roar, and sure enough it was the City deciding to cut all of that grass right behind me with a very large, and loud, lawn mower. I moved my tour to the other side of the park (near the cable cars). Just as I started to talk, a truck parked on the street nearby started to rev its engine – a.....