Sand Castles: The Remarkable Story of the San Francisco Embarcadero

(38 reviews)

San Francisco, California audio tour: Sand Castles: The Remarkable Story of the San Francisco Embarcadero

This is a 2mi walking tour

It takes an average of 90 mins to complete.

San Francisco, California

The United States

$9.99

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About the Tour

Journey along the San Francisco waterfront, and through time, to hear an amazing tale about the ground beneath your feet on this walking tour.

The Embarcadero is a broad pedestrian walkway at the water’s edge of downtown San Francisco. It hugs the Financial District’s skyscrapers on one side and the glistening Bay on the other. Once part of the Bay, in 1849 this area was filled in to create the city’s downtown area. Now, climate change threatens to reclaim this land.

On this walk from Rincon Park to the Exploratorium, you’ll hear about how rising seas and increasing storm surges are predicted to flood streets, and the infrastructure above and below. Learn what we can do to save this magnificent jewel, and what the future might look like.

With most of the world’s cities built along water, climate change is a challenge for us all.

Tour Producer

Claire Schoen

2 tours

Award-winning producer Claire Schoen creates stories in sound for radio, podcast and audio-tour. She has taught audio production at Stanford, U.C. Berkeley and Duke University.

Preview Location

Location 9

How high is too high?

Directions Guy: There is a building directly in front of you that sits on the first pier beyond the Ferry Building. When you reach it, turn right and go down this pier, around the outside of the building.

Paul: When you're in the water like this, you really get a feel for t... Read More

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Major Landmarks

San Francisco – Oakland Bay Bridge
The Audiffred Building
Ferry Building
Exploratorium

Getting There

Route Overview

VoiceMap tours follow a route from a set starting point. It’s how we give turn-by-turn directions and tell a story greater than the sum of its parts.

Start location
San Francisco, CA 94105, USA
Total distance

3km
Final location
674-698 The Embarcadero N, San Francisco, CA 94111, USA
Distance back to start location

1km

Directions to Starting Point

This walking audio tour begins on the Embarcadero to the south of the Ferry Building. There is a giant sculpture of a bow-and-arrow with red feathers. Stand right beside the water, directly in front of the bow-and-arrow. And push Start.

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Tips

Places to stop along the way

An unofficial skate area:
Just after Pier 7 is a spot where skateboarders show off their talent while others videotape their tricks. It's fun to watch them!

On the Exploritorium Pier:
We'll be walking up one side of the Exploritorium's pier and ending the tour on the other side. Exhibits located on both sides of the pier will challenge you think about the Bay in new ways.

The Exploritorium:
This hands-on science museum for children and adults sparks the imagination and the mind.

Ferries:
After the tour, come back to the Ferry Building for a ride to some other great spots such as Jack London Square and Sausalito.

Bicycle rickshaws and refurbished antique trollies:
These run up and down the Embarcadero providing interesting ways to experience the waterfront.

Water taxi:
Look out for signs for water taxi stops. For $10 you can hop on and off this small boat and check out the shoreline close-up.

Best time of day

The Embarcadero is interesting and beautiful anytime!

Precautions

Make sure that Auto Lock is NOT enabled on your phone. Otherwise, the picture will turn off repeatedly and you will have to put in your password each time to open it back up.
• On an iPhone:
Settings / Display / Auto Lock
• On an Android:
Settings / Screen or Display / Screen timeout

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“This app has become my go-to app for audio tours. I pretty much use it for every trip and it works wonderfully. I highly recommend VoiceMap for travelers to truly experience cities.”

App Store Review

“Great app. walk around at your own pace, stop where you want, move on or speed up when you want. Read the script before you go or during the commentary, speed it up or replay it. Repeat the tour whenever you like.”