Hi! Thanks for joining me on this walking tour of the Mission Dolores district, which is part of San Francisco’s renowned Mission District. I thought we should begin here, at the city’s oldest structure. We call it Mission Dolores, but technically it’s Mission San Francisco de Asis. It was built in 1776 as part of the chain of missions from San Diego to Sonoma that were founded by Spanish missionary Junipero Serra. This whole area used to be called the mission lands, and the neighborhood still has the Spanish street names that remind us that, a long time before the Gold Rush, California was first Spanish, then Mexican.
Starting here, we’ll walk down two blocks to Valencia and explore that street, taking a detour up to Dolores Park and back. You’ll see how the Mission Dolores district combines the vitality and traditions of Latino culture with some interesting businesses that you might not expect, plus of course great places to eat, drink, and kick back in the sunshine, and even fun places for kids.
