“I notice the texture of a block — who's been here thirty years, who just moved in.”
The Internet Did Something Nice For Once: An SF Photo Mystery, Solved
PublishedWe spend a lot of time in this space talking about what's broken — the budget, the bureaucracy, the general dysfunction…
The Real San Francisco Is Still Worth Finding
PublishedThere's a version of San Francisco that doesn't show up in budget reports or Board of Supervisors meetings — the…
San Francisco Still Howling for Ginsberg — But Who's Actually Listening?
PublishedSan Francisco is throwing itself an all-star centennial celebration for Allen Ginsberg, the Beat poet who first…
The Great Koi Fish Hotel Mystery: One Family's 30-Year San Francisco Fever Dream
PublishedThere's something deeply charming about the way San Francisco lodges itself in people's brains — especially when you…
West Portal Sandwich Board Delivers Unintentional Comedy Gold
PublishedWest Portal — home to charming storefronts, neighborhood vibes, and apparently, sign writers who could really use a…
SF's Bookworms Want More Than Silent Reading — They Want Tolstoy and a Conversation
PublishedIn a city obsessed with optimizing everything — your commute, your morning routine, your dopamine hits — there's…
Muttville Hits 14,000 Rescues — And San Francisco Could Use More Wins Like This
PublishedIn a city where we're constantly chronicling government programs that burn through millions and deliver questionable…
A Love Letter to SF — And a Reminder of What We're Getting Right
PublishedHere's something you don't see every day on your feed: someone genuinely, unironically loving San Francisco.
JWords Arts Community Is Building Something Real — Without Waiting for City Hall
PublishedIn a city that loves to talk about supporting the arts — usually right before raising fees, adding permits, and burying…
Bayview's Creative Economy: One Door Opens, Another Closes
PublishedThe Bayview is getting a new makers space.
A Love Letter to the San Francisco That Isn't Coming Back
PublishedThere's a particular kind of heartbreak that comes with loving San Francisco — the slow realization that the city you…
Your Guide to SF's Best Independent Stationery Shops (Yes, They Still Exist)
PublishedIn an age where everything is a subscription, an app, or a PDF, there's something beautifully defiant about walking…
You're 20 and Want to Play Pac-Man in SF? Good Luck With That.
PublishedHere's a small but telling sign of how San Francisco treats its younger residents: if you're under 21 and want to play…
Spring Cleaning Your Closet? Here's How to Do It Without Feeding the Landfill — or the Government
PublishedLook, we get it. Your closet is bursting, your dresser drawers won't close, and somewhere in the back there's a blazer…
The Best Things in SF Are Still Free
PublishedSometimes, amid all the policy fights, budget debates, and endless bureaucratic hand-wringing, it's worth remembering…
The Coolest Thing SF Government Has Done in Months Costs You Nothing
PublishedWe spend a lot of time around here talking about the ways San Francisco wastes your money.
Free First Thursdays: The Best Deal in a City That Loves Taking Your Money
PublishedSan Francisco has a well-earned reputation for being expensive.
Your Tax-Free Guide to SF Culture This Week: Punk Art, Silent Film, and Food Trucks
PublishedHere's something you don't hear often enough in a city that charges you $18 for avocado toast and $3,000 for a studio…
Want to Learn Magic: The Gathering in SF? Here's Where to Shuffle Up
PublishedLook, not every editorial has to be about Muni delays or the Board of Supervisors lighting taxpayer money on fire.
The Most Human Post on the Internet This Week Came From a Bay Area Ecologist Learning to Be a Software Engineer
PublishedTwo posts caught our eye this week that, taken together, paint a portrait of life in the Bay Area that no tech…
Nobody Called It a 'Bodega' Until Instagram Did
PublishedLet's settle something: San Francisco has corner stores.
A Local Artist Is Painting SF's Icons — And Nailing It
PublishedIn a city where public art budgets balloon into the millions and bureaucratic committees debate murals for years, it's…
The Golden Gate's Best Unpaid Marketing Team: Wildflowers
PublishedThere are exactly two things San Francisco does effortlessly well: charging you too much for a one-bedroom and looking…
Sutro Heights Gets a Fairy Hole and Honestly, We're Not Mad About It
PublishedSomewhere along the Sutro Heights trail, someone — or something — has installed a tiny fairy hole, and it's the kind of…
The Best Thing About SF Is Free — Just Look West
PublishedIn a city where a one-bedroom apartment will run you $3,200 a month and a burrito somehow costs $18, it's worth…
Puzzle Night in Emeryville: The Low-Key Social Scene That Doesn't Cost You $18 for a Cocktail
PublishedIn a Bay Area where a night out typically means dropping a small fortune on overpriced drinks and Uber surges…
Glen Park Gets SF's First Tiled Pedestrian Bridge, and It's Actually Charming
PublishedA Small Win for a City That Could Use More of Them Somewhere between the endless budget debates and the infrastructure…
The Exploratorium's Human Clock Is Still the Best Thing in San Francisco
PublishedIf you haven't visited the Exploratorium in a while — or ever — let this serve as your nudge.
CAAMFest Returns: Where Silicon Valley Power Brokers Meet the Big Screen
PublishedCAAMFest is back in San Francisco, and this year's lineup is bringing some genuinely intriguing stories to the screen —…
Two Willies, One Bridge: SF's Legends Get Their Due on the Bay Bridge
PublishedSan Francisco has never been shy about honoring its baseball royalty, and now two of the city's most legendary figures…