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By Root 824 0

’s-eye experience that trumps all other air tours in (and of) the Bay Area is a trip with Airship Ventures, which rolled out its operation starting in November 2008. Airship Ventures’ massive white zeppelin floats low and slow enough for passengers to truly absorb Northern California’s natural beauty, like the intricate system of veinlike channels and mud flats that fringe the Bay. In fact, prior to your ride, you’ll likely see it from the ground as you comb the city streets; the airship hovers so low it appears to just graze the tops of the skyscrapers. The 246-foot zeppelin is the world’s largest airship and stretches 15 feet longer than a 747. It holds 12 passengers and offers tours from its base at Moffett Field, near Mountain View, as well as from Oakland. Tour options range from 45-minute experiences to a full 2-hour loop around the Bay. On this grand adventure, expect to see Coit Tower, Golden Gate Park, the Transamerica Pyramid, Alcatraz, the Pacific Coastline, the Richmond–San Rafael Bridge, Mount Diablo, the Marin Headlands, and, of course, the Golden Gate Bridge. South Bay routes showcasing Silicon Valley are also offered. Tickets start at $375 for a 45-minute flight. One-hour tours are $495 per person and 2-hour flights run $950 per person. In addition to individual tours, custom charters, daylong airship cruises along the California coastline, and a 2-day pilot experience are also available. For more information or for tour times and reservations, log onto www.airshipventures.com or call 650/969-8100 weekdays from 9am to 5pm or weekends from 9am to 3pm.

Walking Tours

Cruisin’ the Castro ( 415/255-1821; www.cruisinthecastro.com) is an informative historical tour of San Francisco’s most famous gay quarter, which will give you new insight into the contribution of the gay community to the city’s political maturity, growth, and beauty. This fun and easy walking tour is for all ages, highlighting gay and lesbian history from 1849 to present. Stops include America’s only Pink Triangle Park and Memorial, the original site of the AIDS Quilt Name Project, Harvey Milk’s residence and photo shop, the Castro Theatre, and the Human Rights Campaign and Action Center. Tours run Tuesday through Saturday from 10am to noon and meet at the Rainbow Flag at the Harvey Milk Plaza on the corner of Castro and Market streets above the Castro Muni station. Reservations are required. The tour, with lunch, costs $35 per adult, $25 for children 3 to 12. A Harvey Milk Tour is offered Wednesday, at the same cost.

On the Haight-Ashbury Flower Power Walking Tour ( 415/863-1621), you explore hippie haunts with Pam and Bruce Brennan (the “Hippy Gourmet”). You’ll revisit the Grateful Dead’s crash pad, Janis Joplin’s house, and other reminders of the Summer of Love in 21⁄2 short hours. Tours begin at 9:30am on Tuesdays and Saturdays, and Fridays at 11am. The cost is $20 per person (cash only). Reservations are required. You can purchase tickets online at www.hippygourmet.com. (Click on the “Walking Tour” link at the bottom left of the website.)

San Francisco’s Chinatown is always fascinating, but for many visitors with limited time it’s hard to know where to search out the “nontouristy” shops, restaurants, and historical spots in this microcosm of Chinese culture. Wok Wiz Chinatown Walking Tours & Cooking Center, 250 King St., Ste. 268 ( 650/355-9657; www.wokwiz.com), founded over 2 decades ago by the late author and cooking instructor Shirley Fong-Torres, is the answer. The Wok Wiz tours take you into Chinatown’s nooks and crannies. Guides are Chinatown natives, speak fluent Cantonese, and are intimately acquainted with the neighborhood’s alleys and small enterprises, as well as Chinatown’s history, folklore, culture, and food. Tours are conducted daily from 10am to 1pm and include a seven-course dim sum lunch (a Chinese meal made up of many small plates of food). There’s also a less expensive tour that does not include lunch. The walk is easy, as well as fun and fascinating. Groups are generally held to a maximum of 15, and reservations are