Free beer and wine tastings, Mission walking tours, seasonal events, and more at the SF Downtown Hostel
Posted by admin on Dec 13, 2011
It’s time to party like you’ve got one horcrux left! Or if you’re not a fan of the famous wizarding series, then party like you’re in San Francisco with an awesome local guide! Meet Jesse James: Harry Potter enthusiast, dive bar aficionado, off-beat historian, and public transportation pro. As the activities coordinator at the San Francisco Downtown Hostel, Jesse plans fun and interactive events that leave guests stupefied.
Originally Jesse served as activities coordinator for all three HI-San Francisco hostels (now City Center and Fisherman’s Wharf have their own, dedicated activities coordinators as well). Early in his tenure, Jesse pioneered the Polk Street pub crawl, an event that is still, by far, the most popular among hostellers. Jesse likes the pub crawl too, and any event that gets hostellers to unplug and hang out. "All of the activities are geared at getting people to talk to each other… nothing is sadder than seeing a lobby full of laptops."
Jesse is an advocate for pub crawls as he sees them as vehicles for intercultural exchange, communication, and bonding. The first stop on the pub crawl is a somewhat seedy gay dive bar, something that Jesse chose deliberately. "The Gangway is a great place to start because people can all freak out together, and then they’re best friends for the rest of the night."
Jesse centers all of his events around these pivotal concepts: getting hostellers to mingle, form bonds, and have fun. He hosts a beer tasting event every Tuesday for that express purpose — sure, Bay Area brews are great but the event is really an opportunity to meet other travelers. His cheese and wine event on Fridays has a similar theme — meet up with other like-minded travelers over some light refreshments and then hit the town together. "The events are heavily facilitated… I want to give you (the traveler) the tools to meet new people and then go out!"
In addition to pub crawls and beer and wine tastings, Jesse also plans seasonal events, like December’s ice skating outings in Union Square. Sitting at the Gold Dust Lounge, sipping a mimosa, he regales his ice skating companions with tales of the Great Quake of 1906, the redevelopment of the Marina district, and a brief anthology of San Francisco’s municipal rail. A transplant to San Francisco from New Jersey (though after ten years in the city, he’s earned his street cred), Jesse is a lover of all things historical. "I’m an SF history nerd," he says.
Jesse loves sharing the hidden gems of this town, and has very strong opinions about where to go for the stiffest cocktail or the most pretentious cup of coffee. He’s a knowledgeable and entertaining tour guide, and his latest activity is one of the most authentic tours a visitor could hope to find. Mission District "Mixed Bag" is a walking tour of the Mission that hits all the local hot spots: taquerias, coffee shops, dive bars, murals, thrift stores, and Dolores Park. "It’s a real ‘locals’ afternoon," says Jesse.
When asked what he likes most about his job, Jesse doesn’t hesitate: "I like talking to people and I love the city." Showing this amazing town to hostellers, sharing his insider knowledge and quirky trivia, and captaining a fleet of pub crawlers are what make Jesse’s job so special. "I get people drunk for a living!"