Twisted Tour Guide San Francisco Bay Area

Avoid The Tourist Herds.

What could be more uninspiring than seeing the identical attractions that everyone else has for decades?

This Twisted Tour Guide escorts you to the places locals don't want to talk about anymore...the same places people once couldn't stop talking about. Long after the screaming headlines and sensationalism has subsided, these bizarre, infamous and obscure historical sites remain hidden awaiting rediscovery.

Each visitation site in this guide is accompanied by a story. Many of the narratives defy believability, yet they are true. The profiled cast of characters feature saints and sinners (with emphasis towards the latter).

Notorious crimes, murders, accidental deaths, suicides, kidnappings, vice and scandal are captivating human interest tales. Paranormal activity in the aftermath is common.

The photography from each profile showcases the precise location where each event occurred. The scenes can seem ordinary, weird and/or sometimes very revealing towards clarifying the background behind events.

If you're seeking an alternative to conventional tourism, this Twisted Tourist Guide is ideal. Each directory accommodates the restless traveler and even resident looking for something unique and different. You will never imagine or scrutinize the San Francisco Bay area through rose tinted glasses again. The contents include:

SAN FRANCISCO:
CIA's Sex and Drug Playhouse, Diamond Jessie Hayman's Brothels, Jerome Bassity's Tenderloin Fiefdom, Sublime's Bradley James Nowell's Heroin Overdose, 1937 Brothel Addresses, Chambers Mansion, 1885 Chinatown Vice, Cliff House and Sutro Baths, Killer Piano of the Condor Club, Curran Theater's Haunting, Dan White's Infamous Murders and Suicide, Dog Mauling of Diane Whipple, Chinatown's Belle Cora and Donaldina Cameron, Gangland Slaying of Fung Little Pete Jing Toy, 101 California Building Massacre, Golden Gate Bridge Suicides, Jeff Adachi's Double Life and Death, Contract Killing of Joe The Animal Barboza, Kevin Collins Kidnapping, Maiden Lane's Infamous History, Mary Ellen Pleasant's Legacy, Miles Archer's Murder Plaque, Golden Dragon Massacre, President Warren Harding's Death, People's Temple, Queen Anne Hotel Legacy, Fatty Arbuckle's Fall From Grace, Political Fixer Abe Ruef's Penthouse, Spreckel's Mansion, St. Elizabeth's Center for Unwed Mothers, Terrific Street, and the International Settlement, Whittier Mansion Nazi Connection, Westerfield House and the Zebra Killings

EAST BAY AREA
Ashkenaz Murder, Port Chicago Explosion and Mutiny, Journalist Chancey Bailey's Shooting, Children of Thunder Murders, Oakland Superintendent of Schools Assassination, Fat Lady Restaurant, Ghost Ship Warehouse Inferno, Henry's Bar Hostage Nightmare, Port Costa's Hotel Burlington, Huey Newton's Demise, Laci Peterson's Saga, Lovelle Mixon's Police Killings, Gambling Era Survivor Oaks Card Room, Oikos University Massacre, Oscar Grant III's Homicide, Patty Hearst Kidnapping, Pleasanton Hotel Phantom, Jockey Ron Hansen's Plunge, Unabomber's Berkeley Experience, USS Hornet's Suicide Reputation and El Cerrito's Dens of Iniquity

MARIN COUNTY
Mitchell Brothers Curse, Blue Rock Inn's Seedy Past, Litchfield's: California's Las Vegas, Marin County Courthouse Shootings, Tamalpais Trailhead Killer, Marin Barbeque Murders, Robin Williams' Suicide and Sausalito's Infamous Madame Sally Stanford

PENINSULA
Brook Hart's Kidnapping, Cameron's Pub, Kohl Mansion, Moss Beach Distillery's Blue Lady, Ocean Beach Hotel, PG& E's San Bruno Pipeline Explosion, Sam's Eclectic Castle and Historic Sanchez Adobe,

SOLANO COUNTY
Promoter Bill Graham's Fatal Helicopter Crash, Benicia's Capital and Brothel Heritage and Zodiac Killer Murders

SONOMA & NAPA COUNTIES
Blue Wing Inn, California Industrial Farm for Women, Fishhead Beach Murder, Petaluma's Crooked History, Polly Kla

Visual Artist, Writer and Photographer Marques Vickers is a California native presently living in the San Francisco Bay Area and Seattle, Washington regions.

He was born in 1957 and raised in Vallejo, California. He is a 1979 Business Administration graduate from Azusa Pacific University in the Los Angeles area. Following graduation, he became the Public Relations and ultimately Executive Director of the Burbank Chamber of Commerce between 1979-84. He subsequently became the Vice President of Sales for AsTRA Tours and Travel in Westwood between 1984-86.

Following a one-year residence in Dijon, France where he studied at the University of Bourgogne, he began Marquis Enterprises in 1987. His company operations have included sports apparel exporting, travel and tour operations, wine brokering, publishing, rare book and collectibles reselling. He has established numerous e-commerce, barter exchange and art websites including MarquesV.com, ArtsInAmerica.com, InsiderSeriesBooks.com, DiscountVintages.com and WineScalper.com.

Between 2005-2009, he relocated to the Languedoc region of southern France. He concentrated on his painting and sculptural work while restoring two 19th century stone village residences. His figurative painting, photography and sculptural works have been sold and exhibited internationally since 1986. He re-established his Pacific Coast residence in 2009 and has focused his creative productivity on writing and photography.

His published works span a diverse variety of subjects including true crime, international travel, California wines, architecture, history, Southern France, Pacific Coast attractions, fiction, auctions, fine art marketing, poetry, fiction and photojournalism.

He has two daughters, Charline and Caroline who presently reside in Europe.