Over the years, its inhabitants have preserved Chinese customs and fended off gentrification – but sometimes it’s difficult to break through the cultural and language barriers to get an inside look at the life of its residents. The insider’s view is the most enjoyable part of Chinatown – being able to step away from the tourist facade of Grant Street and the overwhelming pace of Stockton Street, and slowly dive into a world connected by alleyways where you can let your imagination wander.
As a photographer I’ve always been intrigued by the variety of textures unique to Chinatown. I’ve incorporated them many times as backdrops on photo shoots, both for vibrant fashion spreads and darker subject matters. I’ve often walked past steep, neon-lit staircases, looked up at colorful laundry hanging outside overcrowded SRO hotel windows, and peeked into print shops running their ink on foreign characters.
Recently, I’ve been yearning for more guidance in this neighborhood, and I decided to take the Chinatown Alleyway Tours. These are inexpensive walking tours led by high school and college kids who grew up in Chinatown. The guides are very involved with the community and the Adopt-An-Alleyway project that helps clean and improve Chinatown’s hidden walkways. The two-hour tour reveals a lot of the history of the area as well as the social and political problems the residents have faced. You'll learn about all the different names of the alleys, pass the tiny barber shop where Frank Sinatra once got his hair cut, and sample fresh fortune cookies.
1 Window display at the acupuncturist.
2 Jun Hu's barber shop, where Frank Sinatra got his hair cut.
3 Our very resourceful tour guide Amy Lin.
4 The barber playing violin for passersby.
5 Round wafers are being formed into cookies at Golden Gate Fortune Cookie Factory.
6 Colorful murals are displayed on many Chinatown walls thanks to a public art program that involves local youth.
7 Colorful doorways in Wentworth Alley.
8 The view from an alleyway.
9 A map of Chinatown displays the maze of streets and alleyways.
10 Lanterns hanging off a restaurant on Wentworth Alley, which is also known as "Salty Fish Alley” for the goods that used to be sold there.
11 Laundry hung up to dry while an elderly woman observes life through the window.
12 One of the many art installations to be found in Chinatown.
13 Waverly Alley is known for its specific colors symbolizing health, money, and wealth. At 31 feet, it is the widest – only one foot short from being officially defined as a street.
14 Fortune cookies were originally introduced to America by the Japanese.
15 What used to be a popular dance club in the past now features a multimedia art installation by Robert Minervini, a celebration of local history. Underneath the disco ball you can listen to sounds of the neighborhood and hear interviews with Chinatown residents.
16 Our tour group in Ross Alley, the neighborhood’s oldest alley, which has been nicknamed "Old Spanish Alleyway."
17 Counting the number of doorbells will give you an idea of how many inhabitants live in one building.
18 A look into one of many storefronts lining the alleys.
19 Peeking through a gate into a busy back room.
You can join the
Chinatown Alleyway Tours
every Saturday and Sunday
from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. The cost is $18 for
adults; $12 for 10- to 17-year-olds or students with ID; $5 for 6- to 9-year-olds; kids 5-years-old or younger are free.
To book a tour and for more information
visit http://www.chinatownalleywaytours.org.
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