Many cities across the world have a China Town. San Francisco has one of the larger ones, it can be easily explored and is safe, but it is much more instructive with a good guide.
We were lucky to have Linda Lee, a Chinese American who really understands the Chinese community and China Town. She runs a tour called 'All About China Town', meets you at a prominant point and takes you on a walking tour in a small group. She runs trips for tourists and school groups.
Her experience of dealing with silly children was an asset. One of the people in our group had a short attention span and was showing off by trying to make smart comments at Linda's expense. The deftness with which she dealt with him was a joy to behold and almost worth the price of the tour in itself.
On the tour you see where many people in the Chinese community learn, worship, meet, shop and live. You learn about the history of the Chinese people in San Francisco and how they live today. The tour is authentic and gives as good a feel for the 'real China Town', as is realistic to expect on a short trip.
Some may find certain parts of the trip too authentic. The visit to the fresh food store, selling live frogs, fish and poultry was an eye-opener and definately not something for the faint-hearted. But you get plenty of warning and and can of course opt out of this particular option.
A food shop everyone will enjoy seeing is the fortune cookie factory. I'd always wondered how they got the message inside the batter and now I know because I have seen it done. Nimble fingers and manual dexterity are a plus. Not sure about the hygiene standards though.
A delicious way to end the trip is to enjoy some Dim Sum. Follow Linda's recommendation and you won't go wrong.
You can find out more about the trip on http://www.allaboutchinatown.com/
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