“I notice the texture of a block — who's been here thirty years, who just moved in.”
San Francisco's Best Frolicking Fields, Ranked by Whimsy
PublishedLook, we spend a lot of time at The Dissent talking about government waste, transit nightmares, and the cost of…
The Internet Just Identified a Mystery Street Photo in Record Time — And the Story Behind It Is Peak Bay Area
PublishedThere's something deeply satisfying about the internet doing what it does best: solving mysteries nobody asked it to…
Chonkers Watch: SF's Favorite Freeloading Sea Lion Goes Off the Grid
PublishedIn a city where government programs bloat faster than a sea lion on an anchovy buffet, it's fitting that San…
Free Art Workshop in SF: Sometimes the Best Things in Life Actually Are Free
PublishedSan Francisco is hosting a free art workshop focused on portrait cut-out techniques, and honestly?
Tired of Dating Apps? This SF Speed Dating Event Actually Doesn't Suck
PublishedLook, we get it. Dating in San Francisco is a special kind of purgatory. The apps are a wasteland of people who haven't…
A Grown Man's Guide to Going Out in SF Without Losing Your Dignity
PublishedHere's a situation that doesn't get enough ink: you're in your mid-to-late 40s, you want to grab drinks with your…
Alcatraz Is Still the Best Tourist Trap in America — And It's Worth Every Penny
PublishedLet's be honest: San Francisco has a tourism problem.
A Bird Owner Needed Help and SF Actually Came Through
PublishedWe spend a lot of time around here cataloging the ways San Francisco's government fails its residents.
Noe Valley, One Street at a Time: Why This Neighborhood Still Has Soul
PublishedIn a city where entire blocks can transform overnight — a laundromat becomes a smoothie bar, a bookstore becomes a…
The Best Comedy Night You've Never Heard Of Is Hiding in a Bar Called Question Mark
PublishedSan Francisco's comedy scene has always thrived in weird little corners — basement shows, back patios, and dive bars…
Wedding Season Is Coming: Where to Find Heels You Can Actually Walk In (Without Going Broke)
PublishedWedding season is nearly upon us, and if your calendar looks anything like ours, you're staring down a gauntlet of…
SF's Best Dive Bars Are Still Standing — And They're Exactly What You Need
PublishedSan Francisco gets a lot of press for its $22 cocktails and velvet-rope pretension, but the city's real soul has always…
An AI Insurance Startup Opened a Corgi Cafe. There Are No Corgis.
PublishedLook, San Francisco has always been a city where you walk into a business and wonder what it actually is.
SF Arts Organizations Want More Funding — But Maybe the Real Problem Is City Hall
PublishedSan Francisco's arts organizations say they need more public support.
Someone Redesigned 14 Bay Area City Flags and Honestly, We Need to Talk About It
PublishedA designer recently took it upon themselves to redesign the flags of 14 Bay Area cities — including San Francisco's —…
Karl the Fog: San Francisco's Most Reliable Public Servant
PublishedWhile City Hall burns through billions on programs that don't deliver and transit systems that can't keep a schedule…
San Francisco's Secret Weapon Isn't Tech — It's the Nonstop Block Party
PublishedA couple from Chicago recently visited San Francisco for a sort of pre-honeymoon reconnaissance trip.
AI Comedy Night Comes to SF — Because Human Comedians Weren't Struggling Enough
PublishedSan Francisco, the city that brought you $18 toast and taxpayer-funded drug paraphernalia, now presents: comedy written…
RIP to SF's Weird Public Art: At Least There's Always Legoland
PublishedSan Francisco has never been shy about its public art.
Saturn Street Steps: The Tiny SF Park You're Probably Walking Right Past
PublishedIn a city that spends millions on grand park renovations and still can't keep the escalators working at Civic Center…
Free Harp Recital in Hayes Valley This Sunday — No Strings Attached (Well, 47 of Them)
PublishedLook, we spend a lot of time around here talking about how San Francisco wastes your money.
17 Minutes From Your Desk: The Marin Trail You've Probably Been Ignoring
PublishedThere's a certain irony to living in one of the most expensive metro areas in the country and never actually using the…
The Bridge, The Blooms, and The Beauty Tax We Don't Pay
PublishedThere's a reason the Golden Gate Bridge is one of the most photographed structures on Earth — and right now, with the…
SF's $310/Month Gyms Can't Even Keep the Bathrooms Clean
PublishedHere's a question that perfectly encapsulates the San Francisco consumer experience: Where can you spend a small…
SF Has Everything Except a Reason to Stay
PublishedThere's a question bouncing around San Francisco right now that should make every city leader uncomfortable: What is…
The Academy of Sciences Is Bleeding Money — And Blaming Everything But the Mirror
PublishedThe California Academy of Sciences — Golden Gate Park's crown jewel of natural history, aquariums, and planetarium…
The SF International Arts Festival Is Back — And Yes, You Can Actually Afford It
PublishedLook, we're not usually in the business of promoting ticket sales.
inkBoat's Latest Show Defies Every Label You'd Try to Slap On It
PublishedSan Francisco's performing arts scene has always been a magnet for the experimental, the weird, and the genuinely…
So You Want to Plaster SF With Flyers for Your Substack. Here's the Deal.
PublishedA local writer recently posed a simple question: where can you post flyers around San Francisco to promote a Substack…
SF's Comedy Scene Is Alive — And It Doesn't Need a Government Grant to Prove It
PublishedIn a city where seemingly every cultural initiative needs a task force, a feasibility study, and a seven-figure budget…