Henry George School          of San Francisco

Saturdays

9:00 am-Noon

            American Youth Hostel

       312 Mason Street

         (corner of O'Farrell St.)

Land, villains,          and   revolutionaries:

a social movement history

So Henry George had a big idea. "What's that got to do with me?" you may ask. Fair enough.

San Francisco is all about real estate. Big buildings, smart penthouses, but also the homeless and gentrification. On this walk we reveal the wicked and wonderful and nasty things people have done (and are still doing) to get land in San Francisco.

We introduce you to art deco buildings and back alleys with filthy rich stories. We tell you about the Mormons, the Gold Rush, Jim Jones, Sun Yat-sen and the woman who led the way to equal pay for women. Then there's Jose Rizal and the Philippine Revolution, the San Francisco Giants (baseball team), and the Gay community. Amongst them are heroes and villains, but always the goal has been land.

By journey's end you'll have the economy in your hand and San Francisco's Big Idea in your head.

And loads of stories . . . about Chinatown, sugar fortunes, Abraham Lincoln, the Emperor of the United States, and school funding in San Francisco.

Whether you live here and are interested in the price of apartments, or have come from far away and wonder at sky-scraper next to empty lot, this walk will astonish and touch you like no other the world over.

Architecture. Literary anecdotes. San Francisco personalities. And plenty more.

Ring us up, 415-948-4265 or e-mail:

info@TheCommonsSF.org

Saturdays

on demand only

(minimum groups of four)

American Youth Hostel

685 Ellis St. 

in San Francisco

Civic Center:

   Tales to Wrest

   your Soul Free

walking tour

When Adam delved and Eve span, who was then the gentleman? --John Ball, in 1381, at the time of the Peasants' Revolt

a performance art walking tour and picnic

What if, when Adam and Eve were turned out of the Garden by God, they had been met at the frontier by a ticket-taker charging them rent to use the earth or go hang? Come along on a one and a half hour performance art walking tour of Civic Center to find out how good minds have attempted to answer that question. David Giesen, San Francisco storyteller, will use fact, historic anecdote, and tall tales to reveal the history and labor significance of United Nations Plaza, Hiram Johnson State Office Building, Earl Warren Federal Office Building, the I.O.O.F. building, Herbst Auditorium, War Memorial Opera House, City Hall, and an almost unknown community park and garden opposite the south side of City Hall. The last half hour of this histrionic program will transpire in that snug, green garden so Eden-like beside the brick and granite monuments of intentions to create cooperative communities.

 Free.