San Francisco Excursion Day Trip

Date and Time: Tuesday July 29, 2025 from 8:15 AM (departure) to 5:00 PM (return)
Meeting Location: Cupertino CA 95014
Fee: $140 per person for Premium Members, $150 per person for Basic Members and $160 per person for non–members. Fee includes transportation, lunch, activities, gratuities and two tour leaders.

How to Register: Space is limited so reserve your spot early! Please register using the REGISTER button at the bottom of the page.
If you have any questions, please email us at share@bayareaolderadults.org

ITINERARY

Guided Tour of KQED

Our first stop is to KQED headquarters in San Francisco. KQED is a community-supported alternative to commercial media for residents of Northern California. Their mission is to provide citizens with the knowledge they need to make informed decisions; convene community dialogue; bring the arts to everyone; and engage audiences to share their stories. Started in 1953, it was the sixth public broadcasting station in the United States. KQED was best known in the late '60s and throughout the 1970s, as one of the very few public stations in the country to have its own nightly news show, originally known as "Newsroom" which recently celebrated its 55 year anniversary. For many years, the show was anchored by Belva Davis, a pioneering African American broadcaster. For our KQED walking tour, we will be split into two smaller groups for an in-depth look at production of KQED radio and TV shows, KQED interactive and KQED education network by exploring studios, control rooms and more. We will learn about the new technologies they are using and listen in on a radio show.

Japanese Lunch

We break for lunch at a local Japanese restaurant for a choice of salmon, chicken or vegetarian dishes.

Presidio Tour

Next, we visit the Presidio to take a guided tour of the visitor center which is housed in a refurbished guardhouse (circa 1900). The center offers some of the most state-of-the-art interactive exhibits in the national park system. There is a large-scale Presidio model surrounded by touchscreen panels for viewing all of the different places in the park. There are four different interpretive areas of the center that focus on (1) how the military base transitioned into the national park, (2) conservation efforts for the endangered species protected by the park lands, (3) history of the military base and how we protected the area from external threats and (4) the diverse people who traveled to live in this area and their influence on our culture. Presidio Visitor Center, photo by Golden Gate National Park Conservancy

Next, don your warm jackets and head out to the stunning 1500-acre national park space called the Presidio Tunnel Tops! In 1989, the Loma Prieta earthquake damaged the Doyle Drive Bridge in the north end of San Francisco, which had moved vehicles through the Presidio to the Golden Gate Bridge since the 1930s. As a result, California’s department of transportation (Caltrans) embarked on a planning effort to re-engineer the roadways and interchanges through the Presidio. Landscape architect Michael Painter offered a plan for replacing the viaduct, which had severed the upper areas of the Presidio from Crissy Field, with tunnels. His idea was that with tunnels, the city could then use the space on top for a new park. This vision was completed and opened in July 2022. Aerial view of the tunnel tops with highway underneath (L, image by Dicklyon CC BY-SA 4.0) and Cypress wood "Rolly" benches for taking in the views (R, image by Anne Ferguson)

There are two choices of seats for you at Tunnel Tops that afford you views of the Golden Gate Bridge, Alcatraz, the Crissy Field Marsh and Palace of Fine Arts. Relax and appreciate this national park space. There will be time to take a guided walk if desired. View of the Golden Gate Bridge from Adirondack chairs and Cypress benches, image from Presidio Trust

Please click the registration button below to register for the day trip.