My San Francisco: Being a Local Guide for Another Local Guide

[KarenVChin]

@ermest - one of the Local Guides Connect Living Legends

Here in the Local Guides Connect @ErmesT , Italy Local Guide, is the most popular and friendliest Local Guides Connect Moderator in our online community.

Ermes is the most active of the Connect Moderators. He is usually online:

• Welcoming new Local Guides.
• Helping and answering related Local Guides questions.
• Writing posts on Connect about his beloved Treviso and homeland, Italy.
• Sharing his passions for clouds, wild mushrooms, photography, and bringing awareness and the rebuilding efforts of crumbling ancient Italian buildings after the recent devasting Norcia Earthquake.
• And, finally, hunting and getting rid of spam.

I can tell you that Ermes is exactly like this in person. I was very lucky to finally meet him in my hometown last October during the 2nd annual Local Guides Summit - LGSummit17. It was his first time in San Francisco and to be in California.

When Ermes told me he was only able to stay for just the Summit (October 10th - October 13th) because he couldn’t take more time off work, I knew I had to be his Local Guide. I created a highly customized 4-hour tour during our free Tuesday morning / early afternoon so that he can maximize his San Francisco sightseeing time.

Local Guides Connect Moderator @PaulPavlinovich had planned his 1st Annual 36 Photowalk Summit Edition around Fisherman’s Wharf & Pier 39 to happen that late afternoon that many LGSummit17 attendees were looking forward to finally meet-up in person.

My only advice before I met Ermes was to “wear your most comfortable walking shoes” because I planned for us to literally walk across San Francisco and back in a short amount of time.

My plan was to take him on a fast-paced tour through two famous San Francisco neighborhoods - North Beach (Little Italy) and Chinatown, including lunch at my favorite Chinatown dim sum restaurant, City View Restaurant.

Want to see more photos & read what we exactly did for 4 hours last October, click my Google Photos album

My San Francisco: Being a Local Guide to Another Local Guide

Interested in taking my 4-Hour Local Guides San Francisco North Beach & Chinatown Walking Tour yourself?

Click & save my Local Guides Google Maps Trip link.

Interested in seeing what Italian gift Ermes gave me at LGSummit17?

International Wine Exchange: Local Guides Style

Cheers,

Karen

---

#Local Guides

#ongooglemaps

#LGSummit17

[ErmesT]

OMG @KarenVChin

I’m reading your post during my New Year party. I haven’t words right now, your post is so beautiful.

I will be back here in a few hours, but something I can tell you. This is the best “happy new year” ever.

[EDIT]

Discovering San Francisco - a local Local Guide guiding a Local Guide

October 10, I am climbing Powell St., from Union square to Hyatt hotel. Google Maps say “31 minutes” but I probably forgot to set the option “with luggage”
So I have to run, to be in time. My appointment is at 10:00 am.
Being for the first time in San Francisco, Connect Moderator @KarenVChin promise to me a deep, immersive tour of the city.
“Wear your most comfortable walking shoes”, she wrote to me

I have crossed (climbed) the city in 29 minutes, arriving at the hotel in time.
The first wonderful news: my room was already available!
Wow, leave the luggage and down, waiting from others to come.
Minutes later, taking photos with the Indonesian Group.

Fun facts: a few minutes later, one of my myth is passing in front of me. @AnnaDickson came in, and moves downstairs, in the conference room of Hyatt. Door opens and @TraciC is already there. She went out, gave me a kiss and said “you should not be here, so run, run”

A few minutes later Karen was there: a volcano of energy and sympaty, always smiling. Afters a quick check in, we were ready to go

First stop: St. Peter and Paul Church
Known as: “the Italian Cathedral of the West”, is probably the most filmed Church of San Francisco (do you remember “Sister Act 2”?). Karen told me the story of the Curch, included the funny part about Joe di Maggio and Marylin Monroe: After their civil ceremony in 1954, Marilyn and Joe returned for photographs on the steps of this church.
Joe could not be married in the Catholic Church, (where he had the ceremony for his first marriage, in 1939) because he was divorced.
His funeral was held here in 1999
We took a lot of photos, and our first selfie

Next Stop: Molinari.
Molinari, for an Italian, means home. Wine, fresh pasta, salami, cheese, olive oil.
I didn’t take any photos of this wonderful place, my eyes too busy to watch and discover what Italy means in there

After the Italian Paradise of food, we moves to the Chinese food’s Paradise: City View.
Hong Kong food has been a wonderful experience, for me. I spent a couple of years in Central China, and Hong Kong was for me only a transit place, where to stay for a few hours, without any time to enjoy the city.
So “food’s Paradise” is the minimum that i can say, for a so wonderful restaurant.

Chinatown
If you want to discover the traditions of a country, you have to visit Chinatown, or little Italy. If you come to Italy, or to China, you will discover how the country is now.
Visiting an Italian, or a Chinese district, built by the emigrants, is the best way to discover how a country was. Emigrants bring with them a poetics, magical image of their countries, that is replicated in the new place. San Francisco is a beautiful example of this, where crossing the road you can pass from a traditional Italian district to Chinatown.

Before entering Chinatown, we visited onother of the oldest Churches of San Francisco: the Old St. Mary. I have never seen a so huge collection of “ex voto”, all representing the Virgin Mary, (included a reproduction of the statue of the Pietà by Michelangelo)

We had to move back, @PaulPavlinovich was ready to start his 36Walk.
“We need energy”, Karen said, guiding me inside another wonderful place: Victoria Pastry.
If you never tested Sicilian Cannoli, you have to go there. With a Cannolo in my hand, I was able only to take a bad photo of the shop, all my senses concentrated to taste that delicious cannolo. Thanks Karen

Moving back, I took a photo of one of the craziest street of the city: Lombard Street

Here we are, Paul. Thanks Karen
Guided by a local Local Guide, Exploring like a Local, Eating like a Local, are some of the wonderful experience that we can have in being Local Guides.
If your guide is Karen, the value of your experience is multiplied by 10.
Reservation have to be made at least 8 months in advance, so I’m already booking mine

Follow the lonk for the full album

This post is part of the series: LGsummit2017 - A local Local Guide guiding Local Guides

The link to the index is here

Want to have your post to be part of the series? Follow the indications on the here, and tag me in your post

Ermes

[KarenVChin]

You’re most welcome @ErmesT ! I gotta get ready for my NYE party too now. Chat with you in 2018!

Cheers,

Karen

[FaridTDF]

Un gran post @KarenVChin , el privilegio que tuvo @ErmesT en contar con la mejor guía de San Francisco.

[Jagadeesh_Reddy]

Ha ha ha seem like you gona have so much more fun “wear your most comfortable walking shoes” because I planned for us to literally walk across San Francisco and back in a short amount of time." @ErmesT . You are looking so good on these pics @ErmesT . Thanks for this post and pics @KarenVChin wish you a happy new year

[PaulPavlinovich]

Awesome. Well done @KarenVChin

[LucioV]

Great job @KarenVChin ! I was so lucky to visit SF two times during the last year, but I know I want to visit again and be guided by you! I hope 2018 could make me this gift!!!

Happy new year Karen!

[OSAMA]

me too @LucioV :)))

please @KarenVChin

wonderful post :)))

i like your 4 hours tour on map :))))

4-Hour San Francisco Walking Tour

By Karen V Chin · 7 places

this is not an ordinary tour lucio , to meet @ErmesT & @KarenVChin is the reward :)))))

[MdEmranulHoque]

Wow! Nice post @KarenVChin our boss connect moderator @ErmesT and both of you looking awesome selfies.

[ErmesT]

Hi @MdEmranulHoque

You should check it the post now

Ermes

[KarenVChin]

@ErmesT , thanks for my New Year’s gift too. I knew you took a lot more photos during our rush tour of San Francisco. Your city photos are beautiful!

Indeed, you climbed Powell Street. For those who have not been to San Francisco, we have many hills with “vertical” streets.

I am amazed when you told me that you walked up the very steep Powell Street “hill” - going from Union Square to Nob Hill on foot with your huge, heavy suitcase! You are in excellent health condition. @TraciC @Atsukot , here is, yet, another amazing example why Ermes is just being the incredible person that he is.

That Tuesday Ermes clearly walked over 25,000 steps, over some hilly urban terrain, including rolling a very heavy suitcase across San Francisco and back.

Now I would not recommend you walking down that same Powell Street hill with your suitcase. Gravity could easily take over!

I have more “local, local” San Francisco sightseeing ideas running through my head which will just be as much fun and silly as our jam-packed 4-hour walking tour for next time!

Cheers,

Karen

[KarenVChin]

Ah shucks @FaridTDF , thanks for your kind words.

If you ever visit San Francisco, I will make you walk too because The City is a “walking city.” It’s very compact with so many cultures living here at times it can feel like you are taking “mini” vacations here with so many things to see and different kinds of cuisines to try.

Cheers,

Karen

[KarenVChin]

Happy New Year @OSAMA and your family!

@ErmesT and I did cover a lot of ground in those 4 hours, plus time to sit and eat twice! Luckily, the streets did not have too many people walking on the same sidewalks. That would have slowed us down.

Cheers,

Karen

[KarenVChin]

Thanks @MdEmranulHoque ! Glad you enjoy our posts of that day. It was a lot of fun seeing San Francisco through @ErmesT ’s eyes.

Happy New Year!

Cheers,

Karen

[KarenVChin]

Happy New Year @LucioV ! Glad you enjoyed my post.

Cheers,

Karen

[KarenVChin]

@U-royFelixA @StephenAbraham @Justine2807 @DavidTito @BudionoS @MahabubMunna @SoniaK @RobAo @InnocensiaO @SanyaOdare

interested in knowing what Ermes and I did in San Francisco before Paul P’s 36 Photowalk?

Cheers,

Karen

[U-RoyEmeka]

@KarenVChin @ErmesT This is one truck loads of fun. How come I’m just seeing it? Whoa! Cool

[FaridTDF]

Quedó agendada @KarenVChin , veremos de planificar el viaje

Feliz 2018

[ErmesT]

Hi @U-royFelixA

Want to be part of this beautiful story. Just follow the link.

Right now we have 12 episodes already posted. It would be nice to have your view of the story

Ermes

[ErmesT]

haha @KarenVChin

well, Powell street is a wall, in fact is a wall, not a road

What you don’t know is that, after our “cable car raid” on friday, I did the same, running, in 20 minutes.

So funny

Ermes