Stairway Walks in San Francisco

There are quite a few guidebooks to walks in San Francisco. I think this is the best one. The routes are longer than in most other books and they take you into the livelier interior of the city, instead of just around the touristy edges like most other books.

I completed maybe 12 of the walks from the earlier edition before I moved away from SF. I reget not completing them all. My advice for anyone living in SF or visiting it, buy this book and spend a few hours taking in one of the walks. You'll see neighborhoods that even long time residents don't know about. And, you'll be away from the crowds who flock to the usual places. Buy it and do it!

I found the first edition of this book while I was attending college, in the college bookstore. At once I said to myself, "Yes! Cheap, er, I mean creative dates!" , as one knows, most college students don't have much money. But this book was a treasure. Each walk is a fascinating adventure through an already fascinating City. The City becomes even more alluring after one traverses these walks. Especially with a friend, loved one, or just someone you wish to impress. The walks are full of discovery, surprises and beautiful scenery. I only completed about 6 of these walks, and partially completed 3 others. (I've repeated some of these walks up to 3 times) But merely reading about the other walks sounds exciting enough to keep me trying more and more. Now that I have a good job and don't need to be quite as frugal on dates, I still enjoy going on these amazing "mini-adventures" with my friends, and now my wife. And you will too. It's a shame this is out of print. You, dear reader, had better try to find a copy so you can enjoy these exciting walks with someone you love to talk with, impress, or simply take a romantic stroll with.

My partner and I stumbled upon this book several years back and haven't stopped using it since! Ms. Bakalinsky takes you on some magical journeys in San Francisco, where stairways seem to appear out of nowhere, full of charm and elegance. We are long-term residents of that fair city, yet this book manages to render afresh neighborhoods with which we thought we were long familiar. Filled with lots of fascinating points of interest and written in an engaging, conversational style, you won't be disappointed in this selection. We've made outings of these walks with friends and family and they continue to rave about them years afterward.

This is a book that has something few city guides have -- heart and charm. It reminds us that in many ways San Francisco is a collection of villages that are best explored on foot.The talky narrative provides interesting tidbits about not just individual neighborhoods but even individual homes. It is egalitarian in its selection of spots, not just the familiar tourist points but the "real" neighborhoods.And it something even jaded locals should find enlightening -- even tips on where to find wild blackberries!The illustrations by the late Trudie Douglas add to the charm of the book, making these walks seem like a treasure hunt from a favorite children's adventure book.It is good to see that Ms. Bakalinsky has written a similar book on LA, leading one to hope this could be the beginning of an ongoing series -- Seattle and Vancouver both beckon for similar guides to be published.