OPTIONAL TOURS

Guided Touring in San Francisco on Saturday October 2

Pricing for optional tours, indicated below, is based on a small group of four guests with a professional guide/driver in luxury SUV.  If minimum of four guests is not met for each tour, pricing will be adjusted accordingly.

The Rock: Alcatraz
1:30 PM – 5PM; $216 per person, does not include gratuities

Depart the Palace Hotel with professional guide and driver at approximately 1:30 PM to make the 2:20PM ferry. Arrival at Pier 33 to meet the ferry for the trip to Alcatraz.

Sitting in the middle of the beautiful bay like a dark tower from a fairy tale is the notorious former prison known as the Rock. From 1934 to 1963, being here was far from child's play for inmates who were jailed in the federal pen -- among them felons Al Capone and "Machine Gun" Kelly. Alcatraz was famous for making escape impossible, and the Rock housed criminals for whom there was no hope of rehabilitation. Though three inmates escaped from the prison, they were presumed to have drowned in the surrounding bay.

Your visit will be vastly more pleasant, exploring the prison with the riveting self-guided English audio tour. Intriguing stories of prisoners like the infamous Birdman of Alcatraz compete for your attention with the history of American Indian occupation: After the prison was closed, Indian activists selected the island as a site for protest, as many American Indians were jailed here in violation of their civil rights. The short-term protests led to a long-term occupation -- from 1969 to 1971 -- which raised worldwide political awareness of the American Indian movement.

You will catch the 4:20PM ferry to San Francisco for a 5PM return to the hotel.

A Taste of San Francisco: The Ferry Building Marketplace
10:45 AM – 12:30 PM; $250 per person with tastings – does not include gratuities or alcoholic beverages

San Francisco is most visited for its ambiance, atmosphere and food.  With attention and knowledge from our local expert, your party will have its very own Epicurean Concierge, Lisa Rogovin, to guide you through the place everyone is talking about -The Ferry Building Marketplace.

Your driver and guide will pick you up at the Palace for a quick drive to the Ferry Building to enjoy a taste of San Francisco.  In just one and a half hours, you will receive a stunning overview of the city’s food culture and an insider’s perspective on local gourmet producers.  Taste and learn about chocolate, cheese, olive oil, bread and organically grown, seasonal and local fruits, vegetables and meats. Some of the highlights: taste olive oil at McEvoy Ranch Olive Oil from Petaluma; indulge your sweet tooth at Recchiuti Confections and Scharffenberger Chocolates; discover award-winning organic cheese at Cowgirl Creamery; taste the best of the Bay Area’s bread at ACME Bread Company and Savor Sweets from the organic bakery Miette Patisserie.  At 12:30, your tour ends with the option to stay and enjoy lunch followed by a leisurely ten-minute walk to the hotel or taxi to your next destination.

Little Italy: Historical Roots of the City By the Bay
11:30 AM – 5PM; $216 per person with lunch – does not include gratuities or alcoholic beverages
 
Depart The Palace at 11:30AM with your professional driver/guide for lunch at the historic North Beach restaurant, Fior d’ Italia, which also has the distinction of being the oldest Italian restaurant in America.  Here, patrons dine on fresh pastas, seafood, and Northern Italian cuisine by award-winning Chef Gianni Audieri.  After lunch, embark on a driving and walking tour to explore, Little Italy, home to the ‘beat’ generation and a destination for European and Asian immigrants.  Your guide will elaborate on the Gold Rush, the earthquake and other historic events that have shaped San Francisco into a financial and social capital of the Western United States.

The 49 Mile Scenic Drive  & Lunch at the Cliff House
10AM – 5PM; $260 per person with lunch – does not include gratuities or alcoholic beverages
 
Depart with your professional driver/guide to experience The 49 Mile Scenic Drive.  Created in 1938 by the Downtown Association to highlight the city’s beauty and to promote it as a tourist destination, the route was also created as a way for visitors to see The City while they were here for the Golden Gate International Exposition from 1939-1940.

Over the years, the route has changed many times. Today, the route starts at City Hall and takes you along many of San Francisco’s historic and iconic landmarks.  Your tour will include an overview of San Francisco’s neighborhoods, including China Town, North Beach, Presidio & Fort Point, Lincoln Park, Ocean Beach & Cliff House and Golden Gate Park.  You will have the opportunity to stroll about at various stops along the way before arriving to the Cliff House for lunch at 1 PM. 

The world-famous Cliff House is part of the Sutro Historic Landscape District and is also the crown jewel of the largest urban national park in the United States. Since 1863 the Cliff House has been famous for fine food, excellent service, and unparalleled ocean views. There are very few meeting or special event venues that can offer historic charm and ambiance dating back to the turn of the century. 

At 3PM, continue your adventure in San Francisco, returning to your hotel by 5PM.

San Francisco’s Arts and Culture
9 AM – 5PM; $295 per person with lunch – does not include gratuities or alcoholic beverages

Depart the hotel with your professional driver/guide to arrive at de Young Museum at 9:30AM for a tour and time to explore.   Founded in 1895 in San Francisco’s Golden Gate Park, the de Young Museum has been an integral part of the cultural fabric of the city and a cherished destination for millions of residents and visitors to the region for over 100 years.

On October 15, 2005, the de Young Museum re-opened in a state-of-the-art new facility that integrates art, architecture and the natural landscape.  The new de Young provides San Francisco with a landmark art museum to showcase the museum’s priceless collections of American art from the 17th through the 20th centuries, and art of the native Americas, Africa, and the Pacific.

The featured exhibition, Van Gogh, Gauguin, Cézanne and Beyond: Post-Impressionist Masterpieces from the Musée d’Orsay, presents 120 of the Musée d’Orsay’s most famous late Impressionist paintings including those by Monet and Renoir, followed by the more individualistic styles of the early modern masters including Cézanne, Gauguin, Lautrec and van Gogh, and the Nabis painters, Bonnard and Vuillard. The exhibition will also provide a unique look at the Orsay’s spectacular collection of Pointillist painters including work by Seurat and Signac.

Choose to take a 10 minute stroll across the mall or ride with the car and driver to the California Academy of Sciences to browse before a light luncheon in the Academy Café at 11:45AM. The Academy Cafe serves a wide variety of multi-cultural cuisine, made fresh, with healthy, seasonal and organic ingredients. In redefining museum dining, the cafe offers delicious and healthy foods using sustainable ingredients. From the raw organic sugar used in our baked goods, to the sustainably farmed local vegetables prepared daily, to the organic, fair trade coffee, every effort is made to support local producers and promote environmentally responsible farming.  

The California Academy of Sciences is a multifaceted scientific institution committed to leading-edge research, to educational outreach, and to finding new and innovative ways to engage and inspire the public. The Academy's mission - to explore, explain and protect the natural world - extends to all corners of the institution; from a research expedition in the highlands of Papua New Guinea, to a teacher training program in a California classroom, to an interactive game on the museum exhibit floor.

Continue onward to explore the Asian Art Museum at 3PM.   The Asian Art Museum of San Francisco is one of the largest museums in the Western world devoted exclusively to Asian art. But we are more than just an art museum—we are your ticket to Asia. Here, you can travel through 6,000 years of history, trek across seven major regions, and sample the cultures of numerous countries. Here you will enjoy a 1.5 hour walking tour of the main galleries and introduction to the Asian Art Museum Buddhist Art, Jade and the Silk Road. 

Return to your hotel at 5PM.