San Francisco & 20th Century Design
April 19-25th, 2010

The next destination of our award-winning travel program is San Francisco. We hope you can join us for a cultural adventure of art, architecture, design, and food!

In addition to San Francisco, we’ll also travel to the East Bay cities of Berkeley and Oakland. Plans include viewing the works of Bernard Maybeck, a prominent architect in the Arts & Crafts style, although his works often include Gothic, Asian, and Beaux-Arts elements. We’ll see some of the marvelous Art Deco buildings of Timothy Pfleuger, and works by one of America’s first female architects, Julia Morgan. Although she is most famous for her work on the Hearst Castle, Morgan designed over 700 other structures during her distinguished career. Finally, we hope to include murals by Diego Rivera and other WPA-era artists.

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This is a preliminary itinerary.  Expect many changes as we approach April.  Please check back frequently for updates.

Sunday, April 18, 2010

(optional pre-tour evening gathering) Meet for cocktails at a yet-to-be-determined location.

Monday April 19, 2010

8:30am  Registration at the Galleria Park Hotel.
9:00am  Opening Day breakfast at the Galleria Park Hotel, catered by MIDI,  the hotel restaurant.  We are hoping that Therese Poletti will be able to join us and provide a brief introduction about Timothy Pflueger.  She is author of the book: Art Deco San Francisco: The Architecture of Timothy Pfleuger.  She will also be one of the tour guides on Saturday for the Downtown Deco Tour.
10:30am  Leave Hotel Galleria Park for an introductory tour (via minibus) of San Francisco.
11:00am  First stop will be Coit Tower (Brown & Howard, 1933) This 210 foot Art Deco Landmark has PWA murals by 26 different artists.  Our private tour by San Francisco City Guides will include some areas not typically open to the public.
1:00pm  Ferry Building Marketplace for lunch.  (www.ferrybuildingmarketplace.com)
2:00pm  Leave the Ferry Building and continue to tour the city via minibus.  Sights should include the Golden Gate Bridge, Lombard Street (the crookedest street in the world,) Fisherman's Wharf, some "Painted Ladies" (Vicotorian Homes) and Golden Gate Park.  We'll be able to get out of the minibus at some locations. 
6:00pm We'll conclude the day at the Beach Chalet, to see some historic murals, and have a drink.  Drinks on your own, but we'll provide some light appetizers.  (www.beachchalet.com)

Tuesday, April 20, 2010

Our day in The Mission.
9:00am  Leave Galleria Park Hotel and walk to Montgomery St MUNI station.  The outbound "J" MUNI train is scheduled to arrive at 9:18am.
9:30am  Arrive at Church & 16th Streets.  Walk to Mission Dolores.
9:45am  Arrive Mission Dolores, the birthplace of San Francisco.  The Old Mission dates from 1776, and is the oldest intact mission in California and the oldest building in San Franciso.  The adjacent Basilica was built in 1912, but we'll only have time for a short visit at the Old Mission and Gardens. (www.missiondolores.org)  
10:15am  Leave Mission Dolores and walk to the 16th St BART station.  We'll ride BART to the next station outbound.  Mick will also demonstrate how to add money to your BART pass.
10:30am  Arrive at 24th St BART station.  Walk to the starting point for our Mission Mural tour (corner of Harrison St and Precita Ave.)
11:00am  Mission Mural Tour by San Francisco City Guides.  The Mission District, usually called "The Mission" is a historically Latino neighborhood, rich in art, music, and culture.  Some of the most beautiful murals in the city--and San Francisco is well known for murals--are located here. 
1:00pm  Lunch on your own in The Mission.  We'll provide a short list of suggested places in the neighborhood, or you could explore on your own.
3:30pm  Depart 24th St BART station to Downtown.
3:45pm  Arrive Montgomery St BART station.  Walk to the City Club.
4:00pm  Private tour of the City Club of San Francisco, located on the upper floors of the former Stock Exchange Tower (Miller & Pflueger, 1930.)  The highlight will be Diego Rivera's Allegory of California mural, his first in the US.  The City Club--normally closed to the public--also has one of San Francisco's best Art Deco interiors! (www.cityclubsf.com)
5:00pm  Walk to the Galleria Park Hotel.

(optional evening activity) Late night run to Ghirardelli's--via cable car--for a hot fudge sundae.

Registration Details

The registration fee is $775 per person.

REGISTRATION CLOSES MARCH 15, 2010

Registration is first-come, first-served. Space is limited to 50 participants so early registration is encouraged to avoid disappointment.

There are no refunds available after February 1, 2010. Please understand we have to commit considerable investment, many months in advance, for deposits, fees, and other expenses.

The Galleria Park Hotel is an 8-story boutique hotel located between Union Square and the Financial District. It was selected as our host hotel because it offers excellent customer service, a wonderful location, and an fine value. The building dates from 1911, so the rooms are "cozy" (travel euphemism for "on the small side") but feature some sylish touches like Italian sheets and in-room minibars. The bathrooms are simple, with plain white tile and a pedestal sink. Various travel guides rate the hotel between 3 and 3.5 stars. Think of it as a three star hotel with four star service.