"That's So Raven's" House

My last post told where visitors can see houses depicted on the television show "Full House." Young visitors are frequently fans of the Disney Channel's "That's So Raven" show. Like "Full House," most of the scenes in the program were taped in a studio. (The series is no longer in production.) However, the opening scenes show that Raven's home is at the corner of Page and Ashbury. The house is on the northwest corner of the intersection. It's address is 461 Ashbury Street. The high school that is frequently shown is not in San Francisco.

Two more San Francisco landmarks are just down the street from Raven's home. The intersection of Haight and Ashbury Streets is one block away. This is the corner that gave the neighborhood its name. It became synonymous with the Hippies, when thousands of young people flocked to the neighborhood during the Summer of Love in 1967. Further south on Ashbury is the Victorian house, number 710, where the Grateful Dead lived during this time.

If you would like to take a private San Francisco tour that includes a visit to Haight Ashbury, or as it is known today -- the Upper Haight -- please call me at (866) 326-4237 (toll free) or e-mail me by clicking here.

"Full House" House

Many times when I take guests on tours of San Francisco I get asked where certain movies or television shows were filmed. One of the most frequently asked questions is where the house in the television show "Full House" was located.

Most of the show was filmed in a studio. However, the opening scene in many of the episodes pictures the family picnicking in Alamo Square with the Queen Anne Victorians of "Postcard Row" in the background. This location is easy to get to. Alamo Square sits between Hayes, Fulton, Steiner, and Scott Streets. "Postcard Row" is located on Steiner Street between Hayes and Grove Streets."

When I took "Full House" fans to Alamo Square they would frequently ask which house was the Tanner family's home in the show. This was difficult to figure out, but due to some good sleuthing by a fellow tour guide, Craig Smith, we now know that the Tanner home is the house at 1709 Broderick Street, near Bush Street.

If you would like to take a private tour of San Francisco that includes visits to these "Full House" sites, please call me at (866) 326-4237 (toll free) or e-mail me by clicking here.

Visiting Muir Woods

Muir Woods National Monument, a grove of old-growth coastal redwoods, is one of the most popular tourist attractions in the Bay Area. The coastal redwoods are the tallest trees in the world and are found only along the coast of northern California and very southern Oregon. A new "tallest tree" was found last year in a state park in the far northern part of California. It measured 379.1 feet tall. The tallest trees in Muir Woods are about 280 feet tall, but you won't notice the difference.

With the winter rains leaving us and summer just around the corner, more and more visitors are taking the lovely stroll through the Woods. This means that the parking lots are filling up -- particularly on weekends.

Here are a few tips to make your visit more pleasant:

1. Visit the park early or late and avoid the crowds. Many people visit the park by taking a scheduled tour from San Francisco. These tours generally arrive about 10:00 a.m. and 2:00 p.m. Plan your visit so you are in the park before 10:00 a.m. or after 3:30 p.m. and you'll avoid some of the crowds.

2. Visit on a weekday. Locals enjoy visiting the park so weekends are often very busy. Both parking lots can fill up and you may have to walk 3/4 mile along the road just to get from your parking spot to the park entrance.

3. Bring a sweater. San Francisco can be sunny while Muir Woods can be shrouded in fog. Last week I left San Francisco, which was foggy but dry, and arrived in Muir Woods to find pouring rain. Rain is rare in the summer but cold fog is not.

4. Take a private tour with Blue Heron Custom Tours that includes a visit to Muir Woods. You will not have to worry about parking and we can time the visit to avoid the crowds. To schedule your tour, call me at (866) 326-4237 (toll free) or e-mail me by clicking here.

Cable Car Museum

The Cable Car Museum is one of my favorite museums in San Francisco. Located in the powerhouse where the motors turn the four cables that run under the streets, this free museum has much to see. Not only can you see the mechanics of the system, but also historic exhibits.

The cable car traces its heritage back to 1869 when Andre Hallidie witnessed a horse struggling to pull a cart up Nob Hill. According to local legend, the horse collapsed and the cart dragged the horse back down the hill. Four years later, on August 2, 1873, Hallidie demonstrated his new-fangled contraption -- the cable car. They have been going up and down San Francisco's hills ever since, except from 1982-1984 when the system was closed for renovation.

In the 1890s, there were eight cable car lines in the City. Today there are three: Powell-Hyde, Powell-Mason, and California Street.

The Cable Car Museum is a must stop if you have children between the ages of 7 and 13. It is open daily from 10:00 - 6:00, except from October 1 - March 31 when the museum closes at 5:00 p.m. The museum has a gift shop with interesting books and souvenirs.

If you would like to take a San Francisco tour that includes a stop at the Cable Car Museum, please call me at (866) 326-4237 (toll free) or e-mail me by clicking here.