I have a lot of feelings about this museum, having stayed in the Tenderloin in 1986. The punk band…read moreI was traveling with went onward to Japan for the rest of their tour, so I stayed behind before going back to NY state after a month or so. Oh my. What I remember from the 80s: tents full of AIDS patients at the Civic Center, protesting lack of services. I met an AIDS patient, which in those days was scary because there was little information on it. He looked so ill, with a withered face and sunken eyes, since the first medicines were very hard on the body. I had heard nothing about the disease in high school and had a vague idea that it was spread through the air like TB. The man was so kind and he explained everything about the disease to me, and what they were doing there. It was my first introduction to that good old SF protest energy. Grassroots organizing at its best and very effective. Next, I observed those blessed old hippies in action. They held free needle exchanges in a park in the Tloin, to try to stop the spread of HIV and hepatitis. SFPD arrested them, and more filled their place. They kept getting arrested and reappearing, over and over and over, until the city made these places legal. NYC was years behind on this, and as a consequence, many got sick here. The Tloin was a frightening place to a middle class teen like me with no life experience. I met a few kindly elders, and a group of kids called the Powell Street Punks, who were skins (only on the outside afaik, not racist skins). They would skateboard around the BART station entrance and regularly get rousted by the cops. One thing that still p***es me off was the fact that SFPD would regularly take our beer and pour it out or drink one. I used to vacation in SF every year until 2001, and remember passing through this area and seeing how it changed and how it stayed the same. Now that I'm back to regularly visiting, I can see the city evolving and de-evolving in front of my eyes, perhaps better than those who live here year round. I see a lot of ugliness here in the Tloin, but I also see kindness, which I chose to put at the forefront. I see that same quintessentially San Francisco helper energy, and that same grassroots organizing, protesting, and innovation. That will never change, even when the city changes. Goodness never dies out.

I'm very sorry to say that I was very underwhelmed by this museum. One room with some pictures and…read morea few interpretive notes. I really was expecting more given what I'd heard. I totally understand that it is hard to run a small museum like this, rent is high (it is SF!), and without much space to work with I realize it's hard to do much. I guess I was expecting something akin to the Tenement Museum in New York with perhaps that would take one back in time and show how people really lived. I also understand that the Tenderloin Museum is not JUST a history museum and has a greater mission and advocacy to share the stories that are still unfolding there. Nonetheless, having last year visited an amazing historically living history museum at the Black Country in Birmingham, UK, well...I only wish there were more support for places like these via non-profits and government grants or subsidies. And frankly, to get there was heartbreaking as well as scary as F. I had to wade through blocks of people doing drugs (I assume fentynal) obliterated out of their minds. And that is what is insane about the Tenderloin. It never seems to get better. It is worse now than I have ever seen! (Thanks, Breed and co.) I'd say Good Luck Tenderloin, but what you really need is good policy. Maybe someday when people go to the Tenderloin Museum, they will go to a history museum that will give an account of what it was like with the horrors of addiction and poverty and violence but they will walk through a healthy city-scape of loved, creative, and vibrant (if slightly offbeat) residents. That being said, it is still a place of immigrants and artists, and glorious misfits . But they get lost among the addicts and (yes) criminals, at first look. Peace.

Our guide Michael, wound us through the history of San Francisco's Civic Center, the surrounding…read morebuildings and plaza, and then took us through City Hall where there were several weddings (always!) happening as well as some quinceanearas with gals in their big wide dresses. The view from the 4th floor looking down toward the center was fun to see. It was also great to see pictures of Marilyn Monroe and Joe DiMaggio's marriage, as well as bronze busts of slain supervisor Harvey Milk, and former Mayor Dianne Feinstein. Michael does this tour every Tuesday @1:30pm so make sure to catch the next one!

Second review for City Guides - still love these tours after 20+…read more City Hall with Michael was great.

We had a great time during our tour of Chinatown and Little Italy/North Beach even during a rare…read morehot day in the city! It was fun being tourists for the day even though we are Bay Area natives. Our tour guide was Andre and he was very knowledgeable and kept our group of 10 engaged. Not only did he explain the history behind the places we stopped by, he showed us the beauty of San Francisco. The food was great and I was stuffed by the end of the tour. From what I recall, we sampled sesame balls, dim sum, roasted duck and sautéed green beans, fortune cookies, lots of tea from a local tea shop, Italian sandwiches, cannolis, gelato, and pizza. I forgot to take pics of the food but I'll have to say my favorite was the salami sandwich from Molinari.

Had a wonderful experience with this tour! Even though I have lived in the neighborhood of North…read moreBeach/Little Italy for 14 years, I learned so much about the history and local food. Brian, our guide was a wealth of information, very funny and kept our attention the whole time. The food was incredible, especially the pizza and fudge at the end. It was a pleasant surprise to be able to swing by some artistic local businesses, learn more about them and also be offered discounts. I highly recommend this tour and Brian made the time super entertaining and fun!

What an amazing evening we had last night with Chef Carlos! He is a hidden treasure in your…read moreCozymeal Team. We enjoyed our program very much and he far exceeded our expectations! He's a great teacher, a fun person and was full of energy and kept the program moving. I've already been receiving multiple comments from the participants, all who enjoyed their time at the event VERY MUCH! Chef Carlos was AMAZING! It was 1AM in Madrid and you would never know it from his abundant energy, fun personality and professional teaching skills. His camera angles showed us each step and he kept the show at a high, entertaining level. We were all VERY impressed. Our Cooking Event was a complete success! Thank you, Debbie, Chef Carlos and everyone at Cozymeal!!! I'm so glad I found YOU, Chef Carlos and Cozymeal and we were able to share this experience with my colleagues. I couldn't be happier with how everything turned out. Very professional, very personal and very kind. The world needs more Debbies and Carloses!!!

booked Cozymeal's "Chef Rick / Latin Cuisine Made Easy" experience as a birthday event for my wife…read more It was advertised as a hands-on cooking class where we would create a four-course Latin-inspired meal with instruction. That is not what happened. There was essentially no hands-on cooking. My wife and I repeatedly asked how we could help, and the only participation we were given was washing lettuce and chopping a small amount of pepper. There was no meaningful instruction, no real teaching, and very little engagement. The ingredients were also very disappointing for the price. Store-bought tortilla chips were used despite the menu advertising homemade chips. The carne asada was supposed to include chimichurri, but it was seasoned with store-bought seasoning from a jar and no actual chimichurri was prepared. I contacted Cozymeal immediately with detailed feedback. After delays, they refused to refund the booking and offered only a 15% gift card toward another Cozymeal experience, which is useless because I would never use them again. This was an awful experience and Cozymeal did not stand behind it. I would strongly recommend avoiding this platform.

Swung by the Asian Art Museum to see the fabulous creations of Nymphia Wind. Loved the dresses, but…read moreI just wish there were more of them! There was a lecture at noon, but by the time I found out about it, all the tickets were gone. The artistry of these creations was beyond amazing. I really enjoyed the video showing the process of creation, but it would've been great to have it televised on a bigger screen. If there were more than two people standing in front of the video monitor, it was difficult to see the video. I think because this is a very short lived exhibit (only Friday, June 12th, through Sunday, June 14th), they couldn't put a lot of effort into it. Regardless, it was worth the time and effort to see these beautiful dresses.

I went to see their temporary exhibit Chiharu Shiota exhibit and it was amazing. This alone makes…read morethe visit worth. They have several floors of Asian art and history. Everything was beautifully displayed making it easy to follow. The last upper floor was my favorite. Tip or something to keep in mind: I went on a Monday and there were several class students Junior high and elementary. Therefore it was extremely noisy though the guards tried to keep them quite the children were loud and can be disruptive while enjoying the museum.

This was so interesting!! We took my in-laws when they were in town visiting, but us locals learned…read morejust as much. You tell Rick is very passionate about what he does. We were shown buildings we walk by regularly in a whole new light and loved being shown all the privately owned public parks hidden throughout the city!!! He even sends a map of all the parks after the class. Highly recommend for tourists and locals alike!

I highly recommend this to anyone visiting SF, and even locals…read more.. We gifted this tour to our son, who is studying urban development. This tour provides a unique insight on the City. You start with some of the oldest buildings and work your way to the newest. You also learn about international historical trends and their influence on the San Francisco architecture. Low level activity, nice slow pace. Rick Evans is the tour guide. He is informative, friendly and passionate. Excellent at giving perspective about the importance of preserving the past, and the necessity of bringing the new and modern into the fold. A great way to spend three hours.

This place is a hidden gem in Palo Alto, in an industrial area surrounded by factories. It is a…read moremuseum of the work of Tony Foster, an artist from UK who paints beautiful watercolor landscapes. It's free, and a nice place to visit for an hour or so ... highly recommended.

We tried Story Time with Anna on Sunday. It was an hour experience that our grandson enjoyed. We…read moresigned up ahead of time and street parking was easy. There was also a sign that there is additional parking behind the museum. After checking in there was a craft/art activity with stickers and tempera paint sticks. Low mess :). Adjacent was a play area with colored scarves, a pretend campfire, felt board for the children to explore, and books. Before entering the museum area Anna gave an introductory talk describing what to expect. She made it interactive which was very nice. They also did a song to get their wiggles out. She then guided the group through the museum to the carpeted area with cushions for the kiddos. Ana talked about and asked questions about the art on the walls. She read Under the Same Sky to the children and made this an interactive experience also. It was just the right length of time, thirty minutes. This was just right for our 18 month old grandson.

Jerome was fantastic! He shuttled us from Mill Valley to SF and back for a friend's bachelorette…read moreand was extremely communicative, accommodating, friendly, and made the experience smooth and enjoyable. We had some really tricky narrow streets that he navigated with ease, and we were all extremely grateful for his flexibility. He was extremely easy to work with and I would absolutely recommend him in a heartbeat.

We had a great experience with this limo bus service for a group of 10 celebrating a 68th birthday…read morein Napa wine country! Jerome was friendly, accommodating, and made the whole day smooth and stress-free. Everyone felt safe and comfortable, and the driving was excellent. It made our wine tasting trip even more enjoyable. Would definitely book again!