This tour was perfect for our family. Our young teenager loved learning from her peers and we were all incredibly impressed with the level of research, passion and dedication that has gone into the creation of this community grown project. For any parent that wants to inspire your children to get involved and give back to the community, the young people who run the tour company are an inspiration. The additional bonus is that you learn an incredible amount about China town in a fun, interactive, and delightful way. In would highly recommend this experience.

We aren't big fans of "touristy" stuff and certainly not guided tours, but this came highly recommended. I'm so glad we went, we learned a lot from both our wonderful guides and from the students we wound up on the tour with. A highlight of our trip.

The tour was great. I learned a lot from the alleyways and about asians. I look into a history book and the only history about asians are the gold rush. It was great to hear all the history about china town and how it became what it was. The people were really great too! My classmates, and teachers made going to chinatown really fun. And the tourguides made the experience better! They reccommended places to eat...so it was really good!!! I hope everyone else takes this tour and liked it.

Excellent tour! The guides were passionate, articulate, knowledgeable, and fun. This was a great way to learn more about the community's ongoing work for civil rights and social justice. Thank you!

Wohoo, finally back in Munich, after a long long day which started with the superb Chinatown Alleyway Tour. Thanks a lot Anna, Jane and Wendy(?). Anna's restaurant recommendation was also perfect ;-).

A super shout to Amy and Jane! Thank you for providing us with an excellent introduction to Chinatown! We are so excited to recommend this walking to tour to our family and friends!

I would like to thank you on behalf of NJAHS and JACL for being very accommodating and patient with us. I sincerely apologize for our lateness. However, I was very impressed with how Connie and Queena took it in stride and integrated us into the ongoing tour. They were extremely knowledgeable, and I learned a lot about Chinatown from them. They answered all of the group's questions thoroughly and got us thinking with their own questions. I particularly enjoyed the fact that they made the tour very interactive and engaging, and that I wasn't just lectured to the entire time. While the tour was somewhat long (both in time and walking distance) and noise from cars and pedestrians was occasionally distracting, I feel I got a good sense of the essence of Chinatown from them. I definitely learned a lot about what makes a good tour from Connie and Queena! If you're ever in Japantown, I would love to give you a tour!

The tour was AWESOME. I'm glad i had the opportunity to learn about the history of Chinatown. The tour guides did a fantastics job, they kept everybody entertained by have a very interactive tour.

Thank You.

I really enjoyed attending the Chinatown Alleyway Tours, especially since it was my first time. There is so much history in our city and I'm glad that I finally got around to learn more about the streets and alleys of Chinatown. It's very beautiful and our tour guides were really great! I'm glad they went in detail to give us the stories of history. I love the Alphabet alleyway! Very clever nicknames!

The history of San Francisco Chinatown is certainly a unique one in which it should not be forgotten. From the violent displacement of the I-Hotel residents, to the living conditions of the SRO's and to the community's resistance of neighborhood gentrification.

Kudos to Angelina, Jane and Jason for doing wonderful job.

I never get tired of listening to these stories despite having done the tour 4-5 times. Keep up the good work..

I've been living here for over a year and I learned more in one tour than in all 14 months. The tour guides were not only knowledgeable about the history and current issues related to he community, they were great at facilitating the group - making sure that everyone's questions were heard and answered.

I highly recommend this for anyone who is interested in doing something "off the beaten path" or concerned about grassroots/community issues.

Just don't forget to have a big breakfast because all the wonderful smells sure will make you hungry!

I made reservation inquires just a couple days prior to our visit in San Francisco. Luckily for us, our reservation was accepted despite the short notice. As it turned out, the tour was one of the highlights during our family winter vacation. To the causal visitor, Chinatown is filled with little shops selling everything from plastic Buddha’s to dried fish. But beyond the souvenir shops, restaurants and food market, our Chinatown Alley Tour guides: Jeff, Amy and Jessica provided us with a better sense of awareness of the Chinatown’s community, and a deeper appreciation of its history, culture and fun-filled current events. Each of our guides was enthusiastic about their role and presented informative facts and teachings in an enjoyable 2-hour walking tour: Information that can not be found in text books, but stories passed-on from one generation to the next. It was quite entertaining.

We wish the college-led program continued success in 2009 and good fortune in your academic career.

Jan 3rd '09

Aloha

We really enjoyed the tour and Connie was a delight to have as a guide. She said this was her first tour by herself but she did a great job. We learned so much about Chinatown, its history and culture. It was definitely the highlight of our trip to San Francisco. Connie is a great Ambassador for your community. After our tour we had lunch, shopped and continued walking the streets of Chinatown but with a new appreciation of the people and what your organization is doing in Chinatown.

Keep up the great work and when we return to San Francisco we would love to take another tour.

Just a note of thanks for the unique and engaging tour this past weekend. Your blend of historical detail and personal experience was the highlight of my trip!

I feel I now have an inside scoop on Chinatown, and I can hardly wait for my next visit to San Francisco.

-Ethan

Loved the tour with Amy, Amy and Jason on March 30. We really liked that the guides were doing the job because they wanted to give back to Chinatown. Their personal connection to community was the best part of tour -- although we also liked that they tried to answer all questions and provided both historical and current information about Chinatown. One note -- Lichee Gardens no longer serves Dim Sum.

Thank you

We loved the tour last Saturday! Connie and Jason were so impressive, and we really appreciate the new insight, which so enriches our knowledge of San Francisco.

Thanks so much!

Connie,

thank you for a great experience of Chinatown today. Your tour was very informative and entertaining at the same time. We could feel your passion for Chinatown and you have certainly managed to transfer some of that enthusiasm to us. Thank you for your patience during my translations to German. I can certainly confirm, that the message came across and you made this tour a true experience for us, that will be in our memories for a long time.

Again, thank you for everything and good luck with your studies.

Kind Regards

The Gruetens-family from Duesseldorf, Germany

Greetings to Jason

Hey I really enjoyed the tour that my friend's family and I went on over Thanksgiving break. I've been to chinatown many times and heard a lot of those stories before, but I learned a lot too. My dad grew up in chinatown, adopted by a little Chinese lady (she had no sons) and only found out later on in life that his real father (Willman Tsang) and his uncles and aunts (Mai Tai, Wilfred, and Wilson) ran the Rickshaw club in Ross Alley where he passed by on his daily route returning from school. We had walked down that alley many times wondering where exactly it was, so I was thrilled when you guys mentioned it and pointed out the martial arts studio building where it once was.

I just wanted to let you know how much we enjoyed our tour of Chinatown. Benny and Jennifer were great guides. They knew the history and asked each guest what they wanted to get out of this tour. They were professional and yet had a sense of humor. The city was beautiful that day, sun was out and such a nice time.

Thanks for letting us be a part of the tour. We will recommend it to our friends and family, and may even do this tour again ourselves.

Thanks again, Bev

I've been to SF Chinatown plenty of times, being a Bay Area kid, but this was by far the best experience I've ever had coming. The tour really does give me a strong appreciation for community-based, issues-conscious presentations of living spaces. Our tour guides were charismatic, deeply knowledgeable, and passionate about the community. Really inspirational... please keep it up!!!

Jason and Connie are two articulate and well informed tour guides who provide a unique perspective to Chinatown. Their pride in their heritage and their roots in Chinatown shines through in their enthusiastic presentation. It was fun and exciting to spend time with such bright and and friendly young people. We wish them both the best.

Recently on September 29th, my family took your tour. Connie and Jason were our tour guides. I just wanted to say how impressed I was by our guides and the tour. We had never been to Chinatown before and didn't know what to expect. Connie's presentation was remarkable and her knowledge was amazing every question that was asked of her she was able to answer. The history of Chinatown was very interesting and I felt like the way we visited it was probably the best way to do so. Your youth group is to be commended on its work, not only helping clean up the allies but providing the youth and visitors with and invaluable history. Thank you so much for sharing with us. I will pass your information onto my friends.

Sincerely,

Beckie Roberts

Thank you to the Alleyway Tour guides and Rev. Norman Fong for the entertaining and educational tour presented to the Council on Foundation members last Monday (9/17/07). Even though I have visited San Francisco's Chinatown many times, your tour provide an insider's perspective to the wonderfully rich culture and treasured heritage still felt within each alleyway. Bless you all for the work you do and best wishes for successful futures!

Jason, you are a very personable and enthusiastic guide. Your love for your community shines through. Touring the alleyways with you was such an education. No other introduction to Chinatown could compare, we're sure.

Good luck in all your future endeavours.

Thank you to Calvin and Jason for a very informative and enjoyable tour of the alleyways of San Francisco Chinatown. What we enjoyed the most besides all the wonderful information was the enthusiasm and dedication of these two young men about their "neighborhood and heritage". Good luck to both of you in your future endeavors and thanks for sharing your "town!"

I wish to thank China Alleyway Tours for a most enjoyable and enlightening

experience! It was fun and interesting; and our tour guides Amy and Angelina

were superb! Thank you again!

Amy and Jason were wonderful guides. Both shared from a very personal and knowledgable perspective. I learned new facts about Chinatown as well as gaining cultural insights. Thanks!

Angelina and Jason were great guides; very informative and interesting. Doing the tour was much better than the alternative of wondering aimlessly through Chinatown not knowing what we're looking at, going up and down steep hills, looking in shop after shop, restaurant after restaurant.....Seeing Chinatown through the eyes of our guides made the trip very enjoyable and interesting. Highly recommended!! Thanks Angelina and Jason - you were great!

Excellent coverage of the Chinese experience in Chinatown...Great historical perspective of the conflicting role of corporate motivations vs. the cultural ideals of Chinatown....Thanks for all the esoteric references by Amy....

We went on your tour on July 24 and thought you did an excellent job. We found the tour very informative. Are you aware that in the August issue of Cooking Light your tour was mentioned as the "best stroll through history" in San Francisco? We certainly think they made a wise choice. Hope you have a good school year.

Jason & Amy gave a wonderful tour for our group, filled with a nice mix of history and lore. This was well worth the time & expense and was one of the highlights of our visit to the Bay area.

Steve and I really enjoyed the Chinatown alleyways tour. Angelina and Eric were fantastic guides, very knowledgeable, friendly and most importantly committed to the social function of their job. We were really impressed!

We took the tour on June 16th, with Amy Lin and Ben Ng as our guides. This is a very interesting look at aspects of Chinatown which would never be seen by an "ordinary" tourist. We learned history and culture from these two knowledgeable, outgoing young people. We highly recommend this tour for an insider's look at Chinatown.

we went on the tour this weekend (June 9, 2007)with our two 10 year olds and one 7 year old. Not only did we enjoy the tour the kids all said that they found it interesting and were able to talk about several things that they learned. Amy and Eric were great!! Thanks so much cant wait to tell everyone we know about you guys!!

Great tour this morning! We really learned a lot about Chinatown's history and were inspired to see the dedication of APA youth in sharing the rich oral history of Chinatown. It was also terrific to see a community take so much pride in caring for itself and preserving the treasures of Chinatown. Amy and Jen were terrific; we were especially touched by Amy's genuine passion for the stories of Joyce Alley, as well as the true racial stories that were shared - both the inspiring and the heartbreaking - of this flash point in San Francisco.

Just a note to let you know how much I enjoyed the alleyway tour. What fun. The young people were just great and had lots of info for my many questions.

Rosa,

we just wanted to let you know how much we enjoyed our tour this past Saturday. Our guides Eric, Jennifer, and Amy were great. We really enjoyed learning more of the history of Chinatown and also hearing of the experiences that our guides had had growing up in and around Chinatown.

Thank you so much for what you and your group are doing to preserve the history of Chinatown and the history of our state.

This Chinatown Tour is one of the best in life.

You may post this if you'd like:

This was a very special opportunity that we highly recommend. We got an insider’s view of the history, lifestyles and culture of Chinatown, not a commercial view. Our knowledgeable, friendly tour guides shared personal connections and aspirations. They were eager to answer any questions. If you are looking for a exceptional way to learn a lot and avoid the touristy side then this is the tour for you.

Nadine, Lynn and Bob

I grew up in Marin County (San Anselmo) back in the 40's and have visited San Francisco and Chinatown on many occasions over the years. Your tour points out many interesting and historical sites as well as explanation

about the culture and stories of the early days and how Chinatown has changed since it's beginning. I now have a better understanding of the usefullness of the alleys then and now. Unfortunately for me my favorite

restaurant while I worked in San Francisco between 1963 and 1969, Sun Hun Heung, on Washington Street across from the Portsmouth park is no longer there but I have fond memories of many lunches and dinners there and a wonderful and friendly proprietor named Wiley. My wife and I can heartily recommend a tour with your group and encourage the preservation of Chinatown for enjoyment by future residents and guests from far away.

Dick Kay

took the tour and loved it.

i do a san francisco history podcast, and was inspired by my excellent tourguides to record the first of a series of chinatown-related shows, free and up now at http://www.sparkletack.com.

the first subject is the "birth of the fortune cookie"!

thanks so much for the tour, and i hope you enjoy the show...

Thank you so much for everything. I'll be sure to tell everyone about it when I get back to Singapore. They have to come to this tour!!! I highly recommmend this to everyone. Thanks again for everything!!

I love Chinatown Alleyway Tours. I recommend this to very one...

Today I went on one of your amazing Chinatown tour. It was an amazing experience because the tour guides (Alan, Calvin, and Diana)were really enthusiastic throughout the whole tour. They just blew me away with all their fascinating facts about Chinese American history, like the fortune cookies history, the different last names support groups, the I-Hotel, the secret hidouts, and many more. So, here's a special shout out to all three of you guys: "Way A-Go Alan, Calvin, and Diana!"

Keep up your excellent work and the enthusiasm for our community. In case I don't see you guys again, have a great life and remember, keeping on smiling! ^-^

one of those really touristy tour groups passed us during our authentic youth-led tour. i looked over at them and thought, "what a bunch of suckers."

great job! everyone MUST go on this tour.

Thanks from all of us at HI and TEAM for two fabulous tours this summer!

I enjoy the tour alot, especially the parts when our guides share their personal stories on the alleyway. It really let you into the insider scoop of SF Chinatown.

For anyone who is into off-the-beaten path experiences, this is a must. The tour guides are passionate, informative, funny and fun. A great way to spend 2 interesting hours in the city.

Wendel and Tim were terrific tour leaders. They tackled our tough questions with great humor, and the tour was very informative. I'm going to make all of my guests in the Bay Area take this tour.

THANKS!

Wendell, Tim, (w/ supporting help from Jane and Eric) lead a great tour. Thanks for pointing out the fabulous stories and history of your neighborhood, enlivening the city's "living room," and remaining calm in the face of our onslaught of questions. Cheers!

Wendell and Tim provided an informative tour of the alleyways in a way that made the history come alive. It is key to have tour guides with a personal connection to the place - it comes across step of the way.

I went on the tour with a group of graduate students from the Dept of City and Regional Planning at Berkeley, and we grilled tour guides Tim and Wendell with really tough questions. They either new the answers right away, or directed us to where we could find them. Great tour! Great tour guides!

We went on the CAT with our friends and family. Jane Kim was WONDERFUL at scheduling a time that worked for us. The tour was AMAZING! Interesting to all ages and backgrounds. How terrific to get personal information and input. How impressive what the youth of the area have done to increase community pride and visitor awareness. Thanks to all!

San Francisco Chinatown is cool!!!

we were lucky enough to have alan, jennifer, wendell, and jane come out and lead our alleyway tour. it was so great to meet all of you - it just never ceases to amaze me how much change a few people (especially youth) can have in a neighborhood when they both know and care about where they come from. everyone who went on the tour was really taken in by your knowledge and charisma! keep up the great work, and i know i will see you guys on future tours!

Hi there!

I was on one of your yours just this past weekend, and I really want to say how much I'd enjoyed it.

Thanks for introducing us to the history and character of the area, and providing a non-touristy/behind-the-scenes perspective.

Keep up the great work!

I learned so much from the tour guides it is difficult to express my graditude. I am 1/4 Chinese and proud to tell everyone. After the tour I realized why Chinatown was so important to me. I have good memories from my childhood going to Chinatown with my father; he would explain some of the traditions and we would eat interesting delicious food. I still look foward to my visits. I believe it's San Francisco's best kept secret. I am a big man with bright red hair so how could I be Chinese? My grandmother is Hawaiian-Chinese on my dad's side. I was always told I have bedroom eyes or Chineese eyes and I liked that, but didn't understand I was indeed Chinese until much later. The tour is rich with History and fun facts everyone will enjoy. Bring your friends from out of town or just come alone you won't be disappointed! I also made at least five new friends. See you again soon!

CATs is great! It's the best tour in Chinatown! I can't believe the amount of information that I got from this tour. I've been to 2 other tours of Chinatown and this was by far the best. Keep it up CATs!

P.S. Wendell is SOOOO funny!