Mar 16, 2026
Where do I begin? Our family — spanning four generations, from my 8 and 10-year-olds to my parents in their 70s — just experienced the most memorable part of our entire San Francisco trip, thanks to Linda Lee of All About Chinatown Tours. We thought we knew Chinatown. We were completely wrong. Linda was born and raised here, and her family ran one of the first travel agencies in the neighborhood for over 60 years. That history lives in every block she walks you through. She knew all our names from the start and kept every single family member engaged — no small feat across four generations. My 8-year-old, who loses interest in anything “educational” within minutes, was riveted. My parents were beaming. The stops — the fortune cookie factory, the herbal pharmacy, the Buddhist temple, the Stockton Street food markets, the private family clubs — sound like a list until Linda brings them to life. What looked like a wall of dusty jars became a window into centuries of Chinese medicine and immigration history. A street we’d have rushed past became a place of wonder. She wove in how Chinatown grew, survived discrimination and the 1906 earthquake, and was rebuilt with intention and pride — and she told it through her own personal stories of growing up here. Her humor is razor-sharp. Her warmth is genuine. And her ability to connect with an 8-year-old and a 70-year-old in the same breath is a rare, rare gift. Book this tour. Book it now. Linda Lee sent us home as people who truly understand a piece of American history we’d been walking past our whole lives without seeing.
