"Eric is exceptional. Knowledgeable, witty, and gracious — Japantown tells a terrific story, but Eric makes it memorable."
— Japantown
Walk With Eric
History, stories, and a great excuse to be outside
I lead walking tours of San Francisco, drawing on original research and years of experience with San Francisco City Guides, a non-profit program of the San Francisco Public Library.
Journey with me from looking to seeing with understanding — the moment when a building, a street corner, or a name on a plaque stops being scenery and suddenly has something to say.
I believe history should be engaging — thought-provoking and genuinely rewarding to encounter. That's why I scour the archives: to find the facts, yes, but more importantly to unearth the stories that make those facts land. I've been leading tours with San Francisco City Guides for years, created two of the tours I lead, and have trained dozens of other guides along the way.
Eric F. · San Francisco City Guides
Author, The Ledger and the Mirror
Featured on KALW & CBS Bay Area
Trained dozens of City Guides volunteers
Founding Editor, Japanese Tea Garden Newsletter
Available for speaking engagements
"His knowledge and professionalism made it the highlight of our visit to San Francisco."
— Japanese Tea Garden
"A great guide, great tour, and great scenery — a trifecta."
— Maritime San Francisco
"Our family has enjoyed walking tours all over the globe, and many in San Francisco — this really was one of the best ever. Lots of gasps from our crowd at what we learned."
— 1840s San Francisco
"Eric made it a point to understand our group and tailored the experience accordingly—weaving in insights from his own background that added an extra layer of authenticity. Knowing that he offers these tours for free makes his dedication even more impressive."
— Boom and Bust, private tour
New from Komorebi Press
The Ledger and the Mirror
A historical narrative about William Leidesdorff and the making of San Francisco.
Why had California's most consequential early businessman—a Black man—been nearly erased from history? The 1840s San Francisco tour started with that question. This book is the answer — archival detective work tracing William Alexander Leidesdorff across continents, legends, and contested origins, born from the same deep curiosity that animates every walk I lead.
"A well-researched biography of one of young San Francisco's most enigmatic citizens."
—Gary Kamiya, author of Cool Gray City of Love and Spirits of San Francisco
"Refreshingly urgent twenty-first-century prose."
—John King, author of Portal and Cityscapes
The Tours
All tours run through San Francisco City Guides — a nonprofit program of the San Francisco Public Library. Every walk is free; donations support the program. Private tours are also available — ideal for work groups, family visits, or custom experiences. I lead the tours below, but the full City Guides schedule has outstanding guides across the whole city. Book whatever calls to you.
Tour written by Eric
Maritime San Francisco
A tour of the City by the Bay that finally gives the Bay its due. History and culture woven together with whatever is actually unfolding in front of us — boardsport athletes, racing sailboats, Coast Guard vessels, fishing boats. I spend a fair amount of time on the water myself, and walkers say it shows.
Featured by Latitude 38
Upcoming
Sat, Jun 27 · 3:00 PM
Tour written by Eric
1840s San Francisco & the Legacy of America's First Black Millionaire
I built this tour from scratch, hunting through archives for clues about a remarkable and shockingly undervalued figure in California history. The story is intriguing; what subsequent generations did with it no less so. The research also became my book, The Ledger and the Mirror.
Featured on KALW 91.7 and CBS Bay Area
Upcoming
Thu, Jun 18 · 3:00 PM
Japanese Tea Garden
People who wander in without intending to take a tour often end up staying for the whole experience. The oldest continuously operating public Japanese garden outside of Japan, the Garden was created for the 1894 Midwinter Fair. Over the more than 130 years that followed, the Garden evolved through layers of artistry, revision, and care — while also carrying the scars of one of the darkest chapters in American history. It is transformed when someone shows you how to read it: botany, history, horticulture, spiritual depth, and the iconic structures that will earn their place in your memory and photo stream.
Upcoming
Sun, Jun 7 · 11:00 AM
Thu, Jun 18 · 1:00 PM
Fri, Jun 19 · 9:30 AM
Fri, Jun 19 · 1:00 PM
Fri, Jun 26 · 9:30 AM
Fri, Jun 26 · 1:00 PM
Boom and Bust
Gold Rush. Silver Rush. Dot Com. Today's AI boom. The plummets into panic, racial violence, and displacement. A sweeping yet focused look at the city's economic rhythms from the 1840s to today — history that rhymes loudly with the present. As a veteran of the tech industry, I bring particular insight into how that sector has shaped and continues to shape the region. Especially compelling as a private tour for work groups.
Upcoming
Thu, Jun 11 · 11:00 AM
Thu, Jul 16 · 11:00 AM
Japantown
San Francisco's Japantown — one of only three remaining in the US, and the largest and oldest — is also the city's most layered neighborhood, once called "the Little United Nations." Jewish, Japanese, and Black American communities each made a home here, in a neighborhood always already in flux. Food culture, public art, comparative religions, and surprising cultural crossovers. Lots of good places to eat nearby too.
Upcoming
Thu, Jun 4 · 2:00 PM
Find a time to walk with Eric
My personal tour calendar shows exactly when I'm leading — but you'll need to head to the San Francisco City Guides website to book. Once there, look for Eric F. on the schedule.
Thu, Jun 4 · 2:00 PM — Japantown
Sun, Jun 7 · 11:00 AM — Japanese Tea Garden
Thu, Jun 11 · 11:00 AM — Boom and Bust
Thu, Jun 18 · 1:00 PM — Japanese Tea Garden
Thu, Jun 18 · 3:00 PM — 1840s San Francisco
Fri, Jun 19 · 9:30 AM — Japanese Tea Garden
Fri, Jun 19 · 1:00 PM — Japanese Tea Garden
Fri, Jun 26 · 9:30 AM — Japanese Tea Garden
Fri, Jun 26 · 1:00 PM — Japanese Tea Garden
Sat, Jun 27 · 3:00 PM — Maritime SF
Thu, Jul 16 · 11:00 AM — Boom and Bust
Don't see a time that works? I may add dates soon — check back. In the meantime, you can join another excellent guide through San Francisco City Guides.
Beyond the Tour
When I'm not walking
I'm a Berkeley-based artist, craftsman, and writer. I design and build furniture, lighting, and sculptural objects, with a focus on precision joinery and material integrity. My work lives at justwood.design. I enjoy drawing and painting in various media. I spend as much time as possible in, on, and under the water.
The same impulse drives all of it: curiosity about how things come together, and why they matter.