experiences
overview
Tour

Returning to the Harlem of the West

This self-guided walking tour begins outside Stuart Hall High School at 1715 Octavia Street in San Francisco. Use the map, tour stops and accessibility information below. When you are ready to begin, tap [Start Tour] below.

SF Japantown
8
Stops
40
Mins

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The Castro: No Place Like Home?

1950s Eureka Valley was a sleepy Irish Catholic enclave. Then an era of gay migration transformed the neighborhood into a homeland: a place with a global queer identity. Take a walk with one of the Castro’s pioneers, and discover how drag got political.

SF Castro
7
stops

Melting Spots

From Gold Rush saloons to Instagram popups, and Rice-a-Roni to Mission burritos, this interactive food map and podcast explore how immigrants have shaped the city and fed its residents since 1849.

San Francisco
38
stops

Returning to the Harlem of the West

It’s 1945. Japanese Americans like Daisy Uyeda have just endured 3 years of incarceration in the desert and are returning to San Francisco. In their absence, newly arrived Black families transform the old Japantown into the “Harlem of the West.” Can this neighborhood feel like home again?

SF Japantown
8
stops

Ni de Aquí, Ni de Allá

Take a walk down bustling Olvera Street with LA local and immigrant justice activist Karla Estrada. Uncover the story of how millions of Mexican Americans were coerced into leaving Los Angeles in the 1930s – and discover how this story still resonates today.

Downtown LA
7
stops

Look Up

When the devastating 1906 earthquake and fire leaves Chinatown in ruins, the City seizes its chance to erase the neighborhood altogether. Can the Chinese American community reimagine the neighborhood and ensure its survival? Musician Alex Wong explores this history and Asian American identity today.

SF Chinatown
7
stops

Coffee Country

There’s a story behind your cup of coffee. Discover how a century-long coffee trade between San Francisco and El Salvador helped bring tens of thousands of refugees to the Mission in the 1980s — sparking a nationwide Sanctuary City Movement.

SF Mission
6
stops

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