50th Anniversary Exploring Trek Sites: San Fran, L.A. & Vegas With Larry Nemecek

Starfleet San Francisco Pre-Tour Extension: Today we will arrive from all around the world to meet in San Francisco, headquarters of Starfleet Command and Academy, of course! Tour members will be arriving throughout the day and will be transported from the San Francisco airport to our hotel right on Fisherman’s Wharf. From there you will have a free day to explore all that Golden Gate City has to offer. Depending on your arrival time, you might want to visit Alcatraz (just don’t get locked in), stroll down the Wharf district (not “Worf,” btw!), head off to Alameda and to see a real live aircraft carrier (Sure, the Hornet is not “the” aircraft carrier that Chekov got captured in, but it is super cool anyway) or just sit in a café or pub and enjoy the awesomeness that is San Francisco. Larry and your Geek Nation Tour representative will be hotel-based and on hand to get things rolling as our crewmates arrive at various points all afternoon.

You will want to return to the hotel by early evening, however, as Geek Nation Tours kicks off our landing party to host our traditional Welcome Dinner.  It will be a great opportunity to meet your fellow tour participants and discuss what we are doing in the coming days.

After dinner we may head off to a Wharf area or just walk the cool streets and find something fun to do.  San Francisco is like that…. Loads to see and do. After dinner many of us will head off to one of the many pubs right on the sea line.

Overnight Location: San Francisco

Today we will voyage through the streets of San Francisco in search of many well-loved Star Trek filming sites.  From Star Trek IV, we will cross the street where Admiral Kirk almost got run over by a car and calls out “Double dumb ass on you!”… We will see where Chekov looked for the “Nuclear wessels”, the pawn shop where Kirk sold his bifocals.  We’ll even see where the yellow “Pacific Bell” billboard moment took place for Sulu, Scotty and McCoy:  where Sulu’s meeting his ancestor as a young boy had to be scrapped when the young actor was out of sorts and the sun ran out—a great disappointment to George Takei.

We will of course visit the Union Square site of Dixon Hill’s office from “The Big Goodbye,” as well— but no visit to San Francisco is complete without a look at the landmarks from DS9’s two-part saga of the 2024 Bell Riots, “Past Tense.” We will head to the corner where Kira and O’Brien beamed down into numerous eras at Polk and California, trying to find their crewmates who were lost in time, and see the Cliff Hotel (where it is said Dax stayed). We will even journey into infamous Sanctuary District A ….But don’t get arrested and lose your job. We will not have years to wait until you get out…!

Free night for dinner.

Overnight Location: San Francisco

Today we will continue on our explorations of Star Trek IV sites further afield, taking the road south to the Monterey Bay Aquarium—or, as Dr. Gillian Taylor would say, the “Sausolito Cetacean Institute.” We will head out early in the morning and start our day by watching the movie as we relax on our motor coach.  We may even have time to watch a couple more San Francisco-based episodes on the voyage home (see what I did there?).

Upon our arrival, Larry will take us from Star Trek scene to Star Trek scene, stopping along the way to enjoy all that the Aquarium has to offer in historic Monterrey. You will then be able to explore the aquarium on your own.  Be sure to have lunch, however, as we will be headed directly to another film site from here….

Namely, back to San Francisco and the old Presidio military base where Starfleet is located….and time for some real-world military and Bay Area history from the 1800s to World War II.  Unless we somehow find Data’s head in the basement from “Time’s Arrow,” we will then walk the Marina Boulevard where Kirk and Spock were picked up by Dr. Gillian Taylor.  We should have some stunning views of the Golden Gate Bridge from here as we make our way to back to the hotel.

Tonight we will head out for Italian, because “I love Italian….and so do you”.  Since it turns out Gillian and Kirk actually ate at a little pizzeria on a Paramount soundstage, we’ll have to find our own local fave on our own.

Overnight Location: San Francisco

Tour members will be arriving throughout the day, but if at all possible please arrive by mid-afternoon as we have something special planned for you this year.  Your Geek Nation Tours representative will meet you at our hotel for at 4:30pm departure to “Lucy’s El Adobe Café” for our Welcome Dinner, right across the street from Paramount Pictures, and special guest.

Our traditional “Welcome Dinner” is a great time to meet, get familiar about details for the rest of the week, and hear from Larry about the best ways to experience our filming sites. Your Geek Nation Tours representative will be happy to give advice on how to get the most of the tour, as well.

This year, the history will come alive at Lucy’s, where Gene Roddenberry himself use to frequent —and I am sure Larry has a story or two. But who better to really give us that vibe than the son himself, Eugene Roddenberry—or just call him “Rod” like all his friends do.  Rod carries on the legacy of Gene and his mother Majel under the Roddenberry banner, and yet is a fixture with fans whenever he can be—including the Vegas convention to come. But this night, he is joining only our group for dinner!

Geek Nation Tours takes great pride in our evening meals and get-togethers. Past participants agree that our meet-ups are an important part of the tour experience – a time where you can get to know other Trek geeks and maybe hear a great suggestion or two on what to do in the following days. You can join us every night… right through the convention days in Las Vegas …. or escape to do your own thing.

After our Welcome Dinner Friday, we will board our private coach and head off to Griffith Observatory—a favorite of space geeks, and not just as the site of Paris and Tuvok’s shootout in Voyager’s “Future’s End”! With a stunning view of Los Angeles by day or night, we will explore the many exhibits old and new—including the huge recent addition with the Leonard Nimoy Theatre and its namesake’s welcome film, which takes on even more poignancy after his passing in 2015. If time permits, we’ll take a look through a telescope or two, of course—and see the Griffith’s famous Tesla Coil close-up in action.  After visiting the Griffith Observatory we will be transferred to our Hollywood hotel…

Attendance of special guests and celebrities is subject to change due to scheduling conflicts and professional obligations. 

Overnight Location: Los Angeles

Today we will depart for Los Angeles and the main LA tour. But not without another great stop: after checking out of the hotel early, we will take the motor coach across the Golden Gate Bridge—to the “real” site of Starfleet Academy!  (Please, do NOT bring your punk-filled ghetto blaster with you….!) We will stop on the far side of the bridge for some final picture ops and then continue around the bay to the Oakland Airport and a short one-hour hop to Hollywood/Burbank, to meet the others coming in for the main tour.

Overnight Location: Los Angeles

Today we will have another long day of Trek goodness as we board our private coach that will “shuttle” us on our journey. Not only will we be free to relax and enjoy the views, but if you want to refresh about a particular filming area or episode we will have on-board screens to view a few clips of the places Larry will lead us to each day—most of them new today on our 2016 edition.  GNT will offer up a boxed lunch today so we are able to fit in all adventures we have planned.

First we will depart Hollywood and head to downtown Los Angeles.  Our motor coach will drop us at historic Union Station, which doubled for the Holodeck Dixon Hill bar in “First Contact”.  We will then take a quick walk past the Metro “Chronowerx” Building from Voyager’s “Future’s End”, be instantly transported to the oldest part of Los Angeles on Olvera Street (or 1893 “San Francisco” to follow Data’s footsteps in “Time’s Arrow”) and finally end at theMusic Center Fountain — possibly to see the EMH’s kidnapping from “Future’s End”.!  Our motor coach will be there to pick us up so we can continue on our journey…

But DO you have the courage to visit Deneva and perhaps run into more Neural Parasites from “Operation Annihilate” ? At our stop near TRW’s Space Park we will see where much of this episode takes place and even have a prop or two to help us with some awesome photo ops! Just be sure to check your backs and change your shirts as we leave Deneva for our next stop… because, if you have one, this would be a perfect time to don your DS9 “Niners” jersey as we head off to the Loyola-Marymount baseball diamond used in “Take Me Out to the Holosuite.”

From here we will be on our way to the Santa Monica Pier where we will revisit the sites where the time-tripping Voyager crew got their bearings in 1996 in “Future’s End”—and where you can enjoy beach, boardwalk, and oceanside sights on your own for photos, souvenirs, carnival rides and lunch. Who knows – you might even see Janeway and Chakotay milling about with you! Paris and Freakazoid’s red Hot Dog On a Stick Stand #1 is even still open!

After our visit in Santa Monica we will leave the crowds behind and sneak off for a special evening meal at Musso & Franks.  This well-know Hollywood hot spot was often frequented by Gene Roddenberry himself, and Larry will help us with some of the memories stored in its walls… We may even have a few other guest joining us – more on that soon!  After that you the evening will be yours to explore Hollywood.  Several of us, however, plan to be off to the American Legion Post Bar for a beverage or two – just down the street from our hotel and the site of punky Kirk’s cadet bar brawl in JJ’s 2009 movie.

Attendance of special guests and celebrities is subject to change due to scheduling conflicts and professional obligations. 

Overnight Location: Los Angeles

Our morning departure takes us to the most iconic of Starfleet Academies: the Tillman Water Plant and Japanese Garden. Bring your uniforms for sure! Here we can explore and pose with what has become the most loved version of Starfleet Academy and HQ, as seen in many TV episodes from The Next Generation to Enterprise. Stroll through the gardens, but watch out for the Edo hedge mazes seen in “Justice” – we wouldn’t want anyone zapped in a Punishment Zone!

That is just the beginning, as we have another full day for you today as we beam into the Klingon prison caves of Rura Penthe… or is it Picard and Dathon’s “Darmok” moment… Ensign Ro’s Bajoran refugee camp … or the Roman planet 892-IV of “Bread and Circuses”? You might be surprised to find all those worlds and more—even the 1960s Batcave entrance!—right in Los Angeles just three miles from Paramount in Griffith Park’s Bronson Canyon. We’ll see them all, and many more, in just one stop! Don’t worry about lunch this day… Geek Nation Tours has you covered with another boxed lunch brought in by our bus driver.

From there we will be heading off to Paramount Studios itself, with Larry and a studio guide. Paramount is a real Star Trek time portal! From the Nazi headquarters of “Patterns of Force” in the 1960s, to the “blue sky” tank where the Bird of Prey crashed in Star Trek IV, to the New York streets of DS9‘s “Far Beyond the Stars” and all the stages that housed the starships … get ready for a front-row, hands-on look at your favorite iconic moments of Star Trek. And we’ll visit and point out as many as we can, amid sound studios, backlot streets and sets where Hollywood magic comes to life. Longtime Star Trek insider/producer Dave Rossi will also join us to share even more stories from the stages and offices of TNG through Enterprise.

From here we head straight to the nearby Hollywood Walk of Fame along Hollywood Boulevard to see as many Star Trek related “stars” as possible.  We will also pass by Grauman’s Chinese Theatre and its famed forecourt to view the concrete autographs of The Original Series cast. See if your handprint will be the same as Spock’s or Scotty’s! Take your time to look at other autographs in the cement – the cast of Star Wars, for instance, or a galaxy of famous stars from the past. Today’s tour will end as we see our last Star Trek related star, but as always you will be able to head off on your own or join us for a beverage and something to eat.  We will most likely be headed off to Buffalo Wild Wings (right on Hollywood Boulevard) to eat and then maybe to Universal City to see a movie.

You will be free to return to our hotel at your leisure as this is our last night in Los Angeles…

Overnight Location: Los Angeles

Today we travel into the American “Undiscovered Country” – well, outside the rarefied cityscape of L.A., anyway. Each day on our travels Larry will have a trivia contest to get you in the mood—can you claim Star Trek expert status by the end of the tour? If time permits we might even watch some Trek on the way to our first destination—perhaps Star Trek’s most famous on-location site of all….and, by now, the biggest exclusive tradition so far of our “LA2Vegas” trek.

Yes, we’re talking about those tilted rocks at Vasquez Rocks County Park —and if that sight isn’t enough to stir your memories of Kirk battling the Gorn Captain in “Arena”—what about meeting none other than the Gorn himself? Yes, you can see him at his Las Vegas con table, but how many get the treat of meeting Bobby Clark, the performer who wore the hot Gorn suit in 1966, and hearing his memories and taking their pictures with him right where it all began? Vasquez Rocks is the site of many more moments from every series but DS9, plus Star Trek IV and the 2009 Star Trek film—not to mention scores of westerns and other TV/film highlights.

From here we will head off to the Q Continuum—otherwise known as the “Club Ed” Movie Ranch— to visit the lonely site from Voyager’s “Death Wish” that’s been our only real look at that realm. (We also have a special all-new “surprise” Trek-related stop nearby that we are currently working on to make your wishes come true.  No hints yet, but as soon as we have the details straight you will be very happy indeed).

Leaving the Continuum, safely, we will head off on the road to Las Vegas!  But that is not the end of our tour by a long shot.  We have one last iconic destination for you prior to Creation’s Las Vegas Star Trek Convention…

Attendance of special guests and celebrities is subject to change due to scheduling conflicts and professional obligations. 

Overnight Location: Las Vegas

Today we will be headed off together to explore Nevada’s Valley of Fire State Park and the final resting place of Captain James T. Kirk… We will see where Star Trek: Generations was filmed and where Dr. Tolian Soran attempted to destroy Veridian III’s star in order to alter the direction of the Nexus ribbon. We will see not only where Captains James T. Kirk and Jean-Luc Picard thwarted his plans, but where James T. Kirk was killed and put to rest. AND where a spare “killer bridge” form the movie set was donated to the park, and now used over a dry wash! Bring your uniforms and camera, and prepare to say “It was fun.”

Not only that, but you will see one of the coolest spots in Nevada (well it will be hot AND cool) – Valley of Fire State Park was once the spiritual centre of many Native Americans.  We will see Indian petroglyphs and other priceless artifacts, plus some of the strangest and most wonderful rock formations in the world.

What’s more, Geek Nation Tours will take you out to the Valley of Fire accompanied by Michael Westmore.  Mr. Westmore is an Oscar-winning make-up designer, supervisor, and artist that worked on a multitude of Star Trek projects, now seen on Face-Off.  He also happens to be one of the few people that were on the location set for Generations, and will give us a depth of information and knowledge on how the battle on Veridian III and Kirk’s death were filmed.

We will have one more free night in Vegas prior to the convention, so join us for something to eat or head off for some free time to enjoy Vegas in all its splendor. If you like, remember our Geek Nation Tours representative will always be out and about for you during the con: If you need to find him later, he will always be in touch and will be “checking in” via Facebook Places regularly. Or, on Wednesday night hang out at the Rio for the annual Landing Party con-eve meetup, hosted by Larry’s Trekland and Roddenberry’s Mission Log podcast.

Of course, at the Rio you could also even pre-register for the convention…

Attendance of special guests and celebrities is subject to change due to scheduling conflicts and professional obligations. 

Overnight Location: Las Vegas

Finally, it’s show time…you now have five days to completely Geek out! Your room at the Rio is part of the package, but you are on your own to experience the Star Trek convention itself. Lost with no one to hang with? Don’t worry – you’ve just bonded with lots of great fans for five days or more, and you need never be alone. Or you can always find your Geek Nation Tours representative to deal with any questions or concerns that you may have, just by texting.

See, the tour is not over yet! The convention days and nights are yours, but each night we will have an optional Star Trek tour get-together to regale our experiences, compare who we met and saw, and share other convention “war stories.” We’ll see Larry again, too, so join us every night or do your own thing—it IS Las Vegas! Geek Nation Tours wants you to have the freedom to “Geek Out” as much as possible. A safe bet for our group every night is the multitude of lounge choices at the Rio (you can never go wrong at the Masquerade Bar as a con hangout, for one).

And keep this channel open: Geek Nation Tours is also currently creating some further special events and nightly gatherings.  We are working on a special “Journey to The Strip Sector” evening tour with special hosts… More details on that will be announced shortly.

At last, on Sunday night we will gather for one final dinner at the Rio’s Carnival World Buffet! One final dinner where we can all talk about our trip and make sure we exchange emails and phone numbers…

Geek Nation Tours will offer some additional options throughout the weekend for those that may want to add a bit to their stay in Vegas. For instance, we can visit the Atomic Testing Museum – or if you want a good era theme you can check out the Beatles at the Mirage. Or if you just want to “slip out” of the convention to do some exploring, our representative will be there to help.

Overnight Location: Las Vegas

Star Trek Convention: See Day 6 for details.

Overnight Location: Las Vegas

Star Trek Convention: See Day 6 for details.

Overnight Location: Las Vegas

Star Trek Convention: See Day 6 for details.

Overnight Location: Las Vegas

Star Trek Convention: See Day 6 for details.

Overnight Location: Las Vegas

All good things must end, of course, and today we return to the airport and depart for home from Las Vegas. The photos, memories and friends you picked up, even before hitting the convention, are yours to keep forever!