Course Catalog

Urban San Francisco Journeys

Monika Trobits See San Francisco through different eyes, look past the obvious and develop a better understanding of how the City developed. This walking course will consist of five eclectic urban journeys during which students will further explore the streets and neighborhoods of San Francisco. Students will learn about the City's development while viewing a variety of architectural styles, historic landmarks and monuments, film and literary sites, and public art here and there. Vintage photos and maps will round out the instructor's insightful and occasionally witty commentary. Note: Meeting points (and ending points) for each walk will be provided to enrolled students a few days prior to each respective class session. Week 1 Walking Tour: Embarking along The Embarcadero - 2 hours Perhaps no other area of San Francisco has undergone as much of a sea change since the mid-19th century as has the City's eastern waterfront and roadway along San Francisco Bay. Constructed on reclaimed land along a three-mile-long engineered seawall from which piers extend into the bay, The Embarcadero tells a large part of the story of San Francisco's history and development. Week 2. Walking Tour: Civic Center's Grand Design - 2¼ hours Long more than just a center for government-oriented business, the Civic Center also includes performing arts venues. The westward growth of the City and the "City Beautiful" movement led to the development of the Civic Center which features lasting monuments to prominent 19th- and 20th-century architects and sculptors. Week 3. Walking Tour: High on the Haight - 2¾ hours This journey will explore the Upper Haight's transitions, beginning in the late 19th-century, and how it became the backdrop for the "Summer of Love." Along the way, the class will view an array of Victorian-era architecture and learn about the various characters, infamous and notorious, that once populated this neighborhood. Week 4 Walking tour: From the Fillmore to the Lower Haight - 2½ hours Our exploration of the Haight District will continue with a walk around the Lower Haight. This changing neighborhood features an array of pre-1906 architecture plus several San Francisco landmarks, one of which is the oldest unaltered residence in the City. Week 5: Walking tour: Where are the Russians? - 2½ hours Our final journey will take us to one of San Francisco "Seven Hills." Both historically and architecturally, Russian Hill is one of the City's richest areas whose origins reputedly date back to the 18th century. This neighborhood features survivors of the 1906 earthquake and fire along with parks, gardens and splendid views. Monika Trobits is a New Yorker by birth and a San Franciscan by choice. She has been studying San Francisco and California history since the mid-1980s and is a local historian, a long-time walking tour docent/guide (since 1989) and a published writer of non-fiction works about San Francisco. Monika earned a B.A. in political science/history from San Francisco State University. IF YOU SIGN UP FOR THIS COURSE AFTER MONDAY 8/21, EMAIL olli@sfsu.edu TO BE SURE YOU RECEIVE EMAILS WITH COURSE DETAILS.

This class is not available at this time.

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