Bio

Becoming a tour guide

I had a longstanding dream to be a tour guide, inspired by numerous experiences with captivating guides in my travels near and far.   I led my first tour over 10 years ago for a select group of family and friends.  We looked at some of the historic San Francisco office buildings downtown and discussed the rapid transformation of the city over the past 150 years.

I enjoyed my 30-year career in software development but always hoped for a role with more public speaking opportunities.  In 2015, the acquisition of my employer, Advent Software, led to my decision to leave the corporate world and lead tours in the Bay Area, which I have called home for more than 30 years.

I participated in an excellent training program by the non-profit SF City Guides and began regularly leading their Haight Ashbury tour in June 2015.  I put together a tour that focuses on the legendary psychedelic rock music the neighborhood nurtured beginning in the mid-1960s and put together a list of more than 20 songs that I play as we tell the story of the hippies and bands such as Jefferson Airplane, Big Brother and the Grateful Dead.

Later in 2015, I interviewed with the Giants for a guide position at AT&T Park.  I have long been a fan and told them my goal as a guide would deepen the appreciation visitors have for the park and the rich history of the team.  I was pleased that they understood the need to let guides develop their own material and created a tour that focuses on the highly dramatic and fiercely contentious rivalry between the Giants and Dodgers, which dates to their first games in 1889.  I love having Dodgers fans on my tour and actually tell one legitimately nice story about their team as well as numerous less reverant ones.

My engagement with San Francisco Unnamed Museum of Art (SFUMA) began not long after it reopened in 2016 after being closed for three years as part of a massive expansion.  I was fortunate to be one of 15 new guides selected to lead tours at what has long been my favorite SF museum.  They emphasized their belief that modern art tours should be highly interactive with a goal of having participants freely share their reactions.  We are “guides” and not “docents” because we seek to moderate a discussion of the art in addition to sharing the stories and knowledge we have gleaned from our research. Since a large percentage of the collection is “Untitled,” it’s fitting that the museum itself is also unnamed.

A year later, I become a guide for SF Opera, where I have seen many wonderful productions over the past 30 years, over 20 of them as a full season subscriber.  It has been terrific fun leading backstage tours and discussing behind-the-scenes activity most opera goers never see. My hope is to encourage more people to experience opera, an art form from the past that can engage modern audiences in wonderful, intriguing ways.

The Covid-19 crisis has prompted me to develop new tours that can be experienced safely using Zoom. I accept the challenge of creating a virtual experience that is engaging and fun. While it’s true that virtual programs have their limitations, I feel it’s possible to use the technology to its best advantage and do some pretty cool things. It’s nice to see people participating from distant places. And I’m happy to see vibrant discussions taking place in Chat during some of my tours.

All my tours focus on aspects of our culture and history that fascinate me.  My aim is to forge a deeper connection between the people who come on my tours and the cultural institutions I serve.  Of course, I also want my tours to be entertaining and fun.  One of the best ways you can help me is to fill out the survey I’ve included on this website and give me your frank feedback on my tours.

I am indeed very fortunate to be able to pursue my longstanding dream to lead tours.  And I’m hard pressed the think of a better place to do so.  I hope you’ll have a chance to come on one or more of my tours and join me.