Scooter Marriner - Oakland Scenic Walking Tours

I’m curious about things, find out the answers, and then turn them into fun walking tours. Why did the first transcontinental trains make Oakland their destination? Why did young Jack London do his homework in a saloon built from the hull of an old ship? Why was the biggest movie palace in the west built here? What does the Mai Tai have to do with Prohibition? What spurred the thriving cannabis cultivators? What’s the connection between trains, the first union for Black workers, and the first free school lunch program? How did Oakland and the East Bay change the way we eat? These are the Oakland stories that I want to share with you.

Bachelor of Arts in Architecture from the College of Environmental Design, University of California, Berkeley. 
I’ve also studied at Cornell University’s College of Architecture, Cambridge University (Queens College), University of London (Goldsmiths College), and St. Andrews University.

I create and lead walking tours for private and non-profit organizations, design and write materials for museums, and train other guides.

In 2025 I published a book about The Oakland Theater.

Architecture and Design (especially Art Deco and early modernism), Photography, Trains and Transit systems, walking, biking, hiking and camping. I enjoy fine coffee, cocktail mixology, and foods from everywhere. My playful side enjoys big band jazz, anime, and making art for Burning Man.