When her life grinds to a halt, she sets off on an unlikely pilgrimage . "Romanov changes her pandemic predicament into emotional and literary gold ." —Erin Byrne, author Wings: Gifts of Art, Life, and Travel in France Like her parents and their parents before them, Tania Romanov Amochaev was an exile , her childhood in a refugee camp ending only when her family eventually made their way to San Francisco's Russian community. Nearly seventy years later Tania and her city have endured massive change. Tania has gone from penniless refugee to one of the first women to lead a high-tech company to acclaimed author and world traveler. When COVID strikes and her life grinds to a halt, Tania Romanov sets off on an unlikely pilgrimage. A pilgrimage into a past in which her own identity and that of her city's are inextricably intertwined. A pilgrimage leading to a profound and personal exploration of place, identity, and race; of the nature of change and the meaning of travel. Inspired by Phil Cousineau's classic The Art of Pilgrimage and in the tradition of Gary Kamiya's Cool Gray City of Love , Tania sets out on a pilgrimage in her own city. Past and present meld as she seeks not only a deeper understanding of both, but to find her way into a future she struggles to envision. "An eloquent and timely search for meaning ." — Kirkus Reviews "Tania Romanov's Pilgrimage is a love letter to her adopted city of San Francisco . This is a story of re-discovering all that she loves about San Francisco and the people and the places that make it so unique, encompassing seven days walking the forty-nine square miles of the city. It is a personal journey with a universal theme of openness and acceptance." —Howard Wollner Co-founder Shine On SF.org "The true value of taking a soulful journey lies in the capacity it gives you to return home and see your own neighborhood as sacred ground. This book reveals the path of one such pilgrim as she walks the labyrinth of San Francisco streets and discovers new meaning in her life." —Phil Cousineau, author The Art of Pilgrimage and The Book of Roads "An uplifting and memorable read at a time when we need it most." —Readers' Favorite (5-star review) "San Francisco Pilgrimage is both a fascinating journey through San Francisco's neighborhoods and history, and proof that magic, synchronicity, and healing can be found all around us if we're open to the possibility." —Mike Bernhardt, author and editor, Voices of the Grieving Heart "Don't think San Francisco Pilgrimage will offer typical top-ten or how-to advice on visiting San Francisco. Instead, author Tania Romanov digs into the marrow of the city she arrived in as an immigrant more than 60 years ago, and invites readers to see it as she remembers it and lives it—as a beautiful and complex melting pot that embraced her and her family, and set her on the path toward the American dream. But ultimately, San Francisco Pilgrimage is a love letter to her city, and bears witness to that fragile and bittersweet nexus where the past and future linger. " —Kimberley Lovato, author Unique Eats and Eateries of San Francisco "What begins as an exploration of the city morphs into a search for herself and her own history. Insightfully interwoven are recollections of the international worlds she's inhabited throughout her rich and complex life. The voyage is both deeply personal as well as universal. " —Diane LeBow, PhD, author Dancing on the Wine-Dark Sea "Tania Romanov, like Robert Louis Stevenson, travels for travel's sake. As he once wrote, The Great Affair is to move. On this quest, Tania Romanov Amochaev does what she always does when life imposes limits, whether she is confined to a refugee camp in Trieste, forbidden to travel to chosen destinations, or entrapped by her own thinking mind, she moves. And in doing so, she alchemically changes her pandemic predicament into emotional and literary gold. " —Erin Byrne, author Wings: Gifts of Art, Life, and Travel in France