Explore the weird and wonderful

Discover five of San Francisco’s quirky sights that give character to this amazing city.

Theme
General
Location
Lands End, San Francisco
Duration
4 hours
Designer
Barry Pickard

Experience

Your tour will start at the Wave Organ, a piece of acoustic art which is sure to fascinate you. Listen to the gurgling music created by the waves while you sit and admire Alcatraz and the Golden Gate Bridge off in the distance. Take a short walk along the marina to your robotaxi pick up point and head to Battery Godfrey, which is one of a number of gun emplacements on this part of the coast. The battery may be in ruins now, but there is still plenty of this structure left to imagine the impressive fortifications that guarded the Bay Area. After another robotaxi ride, explore the massive ruins of Sutro Baths, a building that must have been so astounding at the time. A short walk south along the coast will then take you to the Camera Obscura, which will give you a fascinating view of the coastline. Hail your robotaxi and visit the colorful 16th Avenue Tiled Steps, which is probably the most impressive of all the mosiac steps that can be found in the city. Climb those steps, study the beautifully crafted tiles, and delight in the Pacific coast views that you receive from the top.

Route

The Wave Organ

Through a series of pipes, the Wave Organ interacts with the waves of the bay and conveys their sound to listeners at several different stations.

Robotaxi

Hail your taxi and drive to Battery Godfrey.

Battery Godfrey

Battery Godfrey was completed in 1895 and was armed with three 12-inch guns mounted on barbette carriages, and was part of the defenses around the Golden Gate.

Robotaxi

Hail your robotaxi and drive to the Sutro Baths.

Sutro Baths

Sutro Baths covered three acres and boasted impressive engineering and artistic details. The Baths could accommodate 10,000 people at one time and offered 20,000 bathing suits and 40,000 towels for rent.

Camera Obscura

Cameras obscura’s are devices which project an image of the surroundings onto a surface using sunlight. The device was installed on the site in 1946 and has been in continuous operation since then.

Robotaxi

Hail a robotaxi and drive to the steps.

16th Avenue Tiled Steps

A sea to stars themed mosaic flowing up a 163 step stairway.

Practicalities

  • Sturdy footwear is required
  • Designed for Waymo robotaxis (Sign up to their waitlist via Waymo app)
  • We are not affiliated with any taxi booking platforms. Book & pay for your taxis directly (we will tell you when)

About

This route was designed by Barry Pickard in collaboration with Autoura.

Barry Pickard

Specialising in European and North American destinations, as well as a number of other countries around the world, I have designed self-guided tours for city based visits; multi-stop road trips; family, group and couples vacations; as well as themed excursions. Experienced in designing walking tours, driving tours and robotaxi experiences. A history graduate, with a great eye for detail, my passion for travel and research has found its apogee in designing fun, interesting and thoughtful trips

https://www.tailormadeitineraries.com/