Our hostess for the evening took on the persona of Mina Harker, using the familiar story as a base to connect with her audience. From there, however, the related histories take a turn for the unknown. Those who are familiar with the World of Darkness might notice a familiar refrain here and there as she relates the stories of vampires and their peccadillos throughout the history of San Francisco, but she keeps from diving straight into the World of Darkness and manages to carve out her own niche with the related lore, largely due to the very interesting stories she relates during her tour.
I’m personally a history buff, so I’d have been excited about the tour even without the vampire hook. As it was, I kept wishing for an additional bibliography telling me where I could look up more about the stories I was hearing. Alas, no such item was to be found in the pamphlet, so I was on my own to sort out the fact from the fiction. Many of my tourmates, however, seemed to have no such worries. I suspect that for most people, the information they were hearing was sufficient for their needs. As the website says, 85% of the information given is documented history, while the other 15%... well, the “vampire tour” portion of the program says it all.
My biggest regret on the tour was that most of the buildings were off limits. We could stand outside and look and listen, but we weren’t allowed in. This is especially true for Grace Cathedral and the Pacific-Union Club. The Nob Hill Cafe doesn’t allow the tour inside, but it’s a handy (and quite tasty) stop for a light supper beforehand. You do get to go into the lobby of the Fairmont Hotel, which is gorgeous and a nice place to warm up for a moment before moving on. While there are the odd tales of ghosts or hauntings, this isn’t a ghost tour (though there are at least a couple of those in the city as well). They don’t take you to haunted rooms or try to manufacture spirits --the closest you’ll get to that is your hostess. It’s far more about the history of the city itself; the vampiric aspect is simply a pleasantly spooky way to frame the stories and segue from one to the next.
While I thought it was a bit slow at the beginning, I had a great time. It was entertaining enough that I would have willingly gone on for another hour despite the chill evening air. Given how expensive a night on the town can be in San Francisco, I found the experience to give a lot of bang for the buck. The scenery was beautiful, the stories were entertaining, and the company was a lot of fun -- and this was while taking the tour in the spring. I can only imagine that a Halloween tour would be even more enjoyable. In short, I had a great time. If you like juicy history, architecture, Nob Hill, or vampires, you should give it a try. Two fangs way up. :)
The San Francisco Vampire Tour is a two-hour walking tour of the Nob Hill area of San Francisco. Thankfully most of it is around the top of a hill, so you don’t have to surmount one of San Francisco’s famous slopes during the course of it. There is a decent amount of walking, but more standing as it happens, listening to the stories of the tour guide. Comfortable shoes and jackets are highly recommended, as there’s only one good opportunity to sit down (outside) and it can get chilly in the evening, even in summer. Costumes are encouraged, should you feel so inspired. The cost is $20.00 per person with group discounts available. You can even rent out the tour entirely for small groups, or arrange special occasion tours. It’s available Fridays and Saturdays year round.
