About Thinkwalks

There was a time when I conducted tours mostly for visitors, but in late 2009, by popular demand, I retooled Thinkwalks as “Nerdy Tours for San Franciscans,” to great effect. There are so many people in SF with deep knowledge or curiosity about the city.

I had been exploring and writing about the history of SF creeks and potable water for years, and occasionally giving a public talk or a tour of a watershed. In December 2009, I attended an Ask-A-Scientist talk given by another educator in this field, Christopher Richard, who’s the Curator of Aquatic Biology at the Oakland Museum of California. He and his colleague, Janet Sowers, produce and constantly update the SF Public Utilities Commission’s Creek and Watershed map using the latest research on historic water and shorelines in San Francisco.

The event, like all the Ask-A-Sci talks, was full-to-bursting. Juliana Gallin, the successful event’s organizer, learning of my work, was interested in having a tour. Some folks from the Exploratorium wanted to come along, so we set one up.

Right about then, Thea Selby of the Lower Haight Merchants and Neighbors Association and Morgan Fitzgibbons of the Wigg Party requested a walking tour of the bike route called the Wiggle. It passes through their neighborhood, the Lower Haight, formerly the Haight Fillmore. I have a long history with the Wiggle and love seeing the expanding interest, so of course I set one up.

That’s when I realized I needed to focus my tours on the needs of locals. It’s been Nerdy Tours for curious locals ever since, with the occasional Social Justice Mural Tour thrown in for conventioneers.

I’m always annoyed by the attitude (and I’m not easily annoyed) that San Francisco’s past is a quaint, colorful tale of eye-rolling stories and weird behaviors to be entertained by. Hollywood would have it that way, and so would most local politicians. But the truth, when you dig it out of it’s commercially arranged grave, looks more like a parade of deeply concerned and idealistic innovators, trying things that help average people live more empowered and creative lives. Of course this causes trouble for the controlling economic interests, so they are elbowed out of “respectable” history and tucked behind the carefully sculpted stories of Emperor Norton (whose real story is that he was a creative capital speculator who went insane from being a loser in SF’s typical boom-bust economic games).

In my world, those idealists people are honored and studied as inspirational examples. And I like to hang out with creative people who feel the same. So I started inviting you to tours, to scrutinize the exhumed info with amazement—as a collaborative, deliberative effort!

Yes, we love living in one of the most dynamic places in the world. Why would we want to dismiss it as a fairy tale?

And now stepping into third person, for comfort in the impending extravagant bumptiousness…

Who is Joel Pomerantz?

Joel has founded, co-founded or instigated various community projects in San Francisco. Some of these projects, like the influential San Francisco Bicycle Coalition, are very active, if a bit mellowed. Some, like EpiCenter DeskTop, faded away when no longer needed. And some had kids of their own: Bike Summer, which Joel played a part in creating, traveled from city to city for half a dozen annual iterations, inspiring Chicago, Portland, Vancouver, Sydney, Pittsburgh and other communities to take a leap forward in bike culture and transportation planning.

Joel’s first career, ever close to his heart, was wilderness education. His community journalism and mural organizing (with brilliant artist, Mona Caron) has always included an element of nature education.

Other passionate pursuits that motivate Joel (and which you might invite him to do) include canoeing, supporting grassroots democracy, meeting new people, cooking without a recipe, editing nonfiction, researching the huge [[LINK to blog posts tagged Flood]] California flood of 1862, camping and participating in random acts of community involving everything from public art to local gift economies.

Does Joel ride Critical Mass? Yes, since the beginning. And he’s been called reasonable by some of the ride’s biggest critics.

Did Joel coin the term ‘the Wiggle’? No one knows for sure.

What people say about Thinkwalks

“I couldn’t stop talking about it.…a Saturday very well spent.” —Shawn Lani 1/9/10 (Water Walking Tour)

“Great tour — fun and really interesting. I feel like I now know what secrets are buried below the streets.” —Dan San Souci 1/25/10 (Walk the Wiggle Tour)

“You give good tour!” —David Parkhurst (Outside Lands Bike Cruise)

“We both enjoyed it a ton. It was especially fun to be there with other city planning/water nerds!” —Mara Baum 1/31/10 (Water Walking Tour)

“Thank you for another great tour. Your knowledge and your ability to express it so well are impressive.” —Barbara Cannella 5/16/10 (Walk the Wiggle Tour)

“Thanks for another great tour. I’m quickly becoming your biggest fan.” —Lara Kucera 3/8/10 (Outside Lands Bike Cruise)

“Joel provided one of the best tours and docent experiences I’ve had in a long time. He was so well-informed and upbeat, that it made the tour even more enjoyable than the art already was. I would definitely take another tour with him. I just wish my tour group had more time to spend with him learning about the art, the artists, and the history of the mural movement in San Francisco. I highly recommend anyone interested in touring the murals of the Mission District to contact Joel and book a tour.” —Rabbi Wendy Spears 6/23/10 (Social Justice Mural Tour)

From Yelp

“The tour had a wonderful narrative that created both a geographical and historical sense of place.…These tours attract the best people, too, so you end up learning a little something from everyone! I highly recommend it.” —S.L. 1/18/10 (Water Walking tour)

“Tour guide Joel Pomerantz did a wonderful job in drawing on his passion.…Pomerantz was also particularly adept at soliciting input from the tour’s participants, providing an opportunity for us to benefit from each others’ contributions as well.” —Drew B. 5/25/2010 (Water Walking tour)

“I was intrigued when I heard through the Bicycle Coalition about a walking tour of the Wiggle. I’m a big fan of walking tours, but I ordinarily wouldn’t think to do one in my own city. The tour guide, Joel, has done a lot of his own research and amassed an impressive amount of information about the natural history of San Francisco. I was blown away by a lot of the stuff I learned and came away with a whole new perspective on San Francisco. Thinkwalks is aptly named, because this tour was definitely very thought provoking. If you want something in depth, smart, and out of the ordinary, this is it.” —Grace O. 1/30/2010 (Walk the Wiggle tour)

“I was thrilled to hear about the natural history of the area and the different incarnations it has taken on over the years. Joel showed us the original route of the Wiggle as it would have been traveled by the Ohlone people, and then on the way back touched on a number of more modern events related to the Wiggle.…Really interesting and fun stuff. Joel definitely knows his history and these historical tours really deepen your relationship with your place.” —Morgan Fitzgibbons 2/1/2010 (Walk the Wiggle tour)

“Not only do you learn about your city in a way that nobody talks about it—Page Street, a 60 foot sand dune?!?—but you are walking with a great group of people. Highly recommend it.” —Thea D. 3/8/2010 (Walk the Wiggle tour)

“You may go into it thinking: really how much is there to learn about the Wiggle? But, soon enough you will see…” — Martina D’Alessandro (who enjoyed the tour so much she volunteered to design a flyer for Thinkwalks) 4/14/2010 (Walk the Wiggle tour)

“This wasn’t just any old walking tour. The guide, Joel, took us back in time to ancient hills and Ohlone pathways over long-gone sand dunes. He’s a kickass bicycle activist and really knew his stuff about the history of the Wiggle. He seems very enthusiastic about sharing his knowledge with other people who love this city. I’m looking forward to more tours!” —Lara K. 1/29/2010 (Walk the Wiggle tour)

“If you thought you knew San Francisco water history you would be mistaken. Pomerantz thoroughly researches the subject and can present all points of view. Joel sent some additional information after the tour. I highly recommend Thinkwalks.” —Beth M. 5/25/2010 (Water Walking tour)

“It was the highlight of the entire year-long fellowship”  —David Cushman, 9/9/09 (Social Justice Mural Tour)

“Thank you…you’re just a great San Francisco show-er off-er! ” —Elizabeth Smith (tour arranger) 3/14/05 (custom tour)