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Usually ships in 1 business days | | | | | | "Like the best of the Baedekers, Historic Walks in San Francisco brings us a new understanding of a fascinating city." -- Dr. Kevin Starr, State Librarian of California
"Like the best of the Baedekers, Historic Walks in San Francisco brings us a new understanding of a fascinating city." --Dr. Kevin Starr, State Librarian of California | | | |
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| | Product Details | | Author: | Rand Richards | | Paperback: | 448 pages | | Publisher: | Heritage House | | Publication Date: | 2001-10 | | Language: | English | | ISBN: | 1879367033 | | Package Length: | 8.48 inches | | Package Width: | 5.58 inches | | Package Height: | 0.95 inches | | Package Weight: | 1.17 pounds | | Average Customer Rating: |  based on 10 reviews |
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| | Customer Reviews | Average Customer Review: ( 10 customer reviews )
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
19 of 19 found the following review helpful:
 Well researched and nicely done, but can be a little dry Mar 20, 2008
By Robert L.
If Adah Bakalinsky's Stairway Walks in San Francisco (see my review) is like touring the city with your eccentric, but lovable aunt, Rand's book is like a walk with her history professor husband.
Rand's book is very well organized and presented. He provides maps and directions, like Adah, but adds in trip length and degree of difficulty, which are welcome information omitted from Adah's Stairway Walks.
There is little of Adah's whimsy here: it is replaced with exhaustive research on the area for each walk and its architecture. This results in a very different walking experience.
The first major difference is that many of these Historic Walks are on flatter ground, meaning they both cover different ground from Stairway Walks and are more accessible to people who have trouble with all of the climbing inherent in Adah's routes.
The second major difference is that, given his focus on history and architecture, not sweeping views, Rand's walks are not as diminished by bad weather as Adah's are.
The last difference is the sheer amount of history. The walks in this book always take me much longer than I think they will because I spend so much time standing around reading. Sometimes this is good, e.g. the Castro walk's extensive information about how Harvey Milk helped shape the area, but sometimes, like when there is an extensive discussion of old maps and how hard it is to trace exactly when a particular nondescript house was converted from a nondescript barn, you just want him to get on with it.
I like this book as a contrast and follow on to Adah's Stairway Walks book but, unless you are a history buff, I'd do Adah's first.
20 of 23 found the following review helpful:
 Provides 18 self-guided walks Jan 08, 2002
By Midwest Book Review
Rand Richards' Historic Walks In San Francisco provides 18 self-guided walks and requires only access to San Francisco streets in order to prove inviting. Pair stories about the suites and buildings and the colorful characters which surround them with anecdotes of San Francisco history and you have a superb travel book which does double duty as both a destination guide and as an excellent San Francisco survey.
10 of 10 found the following review helpful:
Fun Stories and Neat Walks Aug 22, 2006
By Wizkid
This book provides 18 mapped walks through different neighborhoods in San Francisco, focusing on the history of the city, each walk taking about one to two hours, each one accompanied by detailed stories keyed to specific buildings or sites. For instance, the walk through Chinatown takes you to some of the tiny alleyways that used to be entrances to the innumerable bordellos in the region before the 1906 earthquake, along with the still functioning "Tin How" temple up three flights of stairs. This book is not to be confused with a guide to places to eat and so on. Obviously it's only going to be useful to those who are willing and able to spend many hours discovering the city. But if you're interested in seeing and learning about the historical background to this great city, it's hard to imagine how this book could be beat.
1 of 1 found the following review helpful:
18 Historic Walks in San Francisco Aug 06, 2008
By Mike L'Alouette
"Speedicusmaximus"
I got this book a while back and I'm still reading it ! Good points: It creates a really good insight into the history of the place, the way the streets were created by the changing environment, and municipal demands as SF., grew. The writer is careful to note historical significances, both human and material, interweaving them into the dialogue.
Bad points: The book would be improved most considerably by the inclusion of relevant pictures related to the text. Time after time, the author references some point that would be best served by a illustration. In colour would provide even more interest, but this would be optional.
Overall, I still rate that book, but it's not perfect.
Amazing Jul 08, 2010
By shel4637
I purchased this book after moving to San Francisco years ago so I could learn more about my new town. 5 years later I still haven't finished every walk. There are quite a few! The walks I've done have been absolutely amazing. It's great to go at your own pace, or skip stuff you don't find very interesting (compared to a guided tour). Every time my mom comes to visit we do a new walk and she is in hog heaven. The walks are pretty easy (I've taken my small son) and extremely informative. It gives you a whole new perspective of the town. highly, highly, highly recommended.
See all 10 customer reviews on Amazon.com
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