Cool Stories of San Francisco
How Steep Our Hills Are
Liberty Hill is so steep, that at 22nd street, I feel as if I am going to bump my nose as I cross the intersection to walk up. Okay, so I have a big nose. In the 1990s there was a "HILL" warning sign...[more].
The Politics of San Francisco Drinking Water
The region's water source is 165 miles from San Francisco, up in Yosemite National Park. In order to have achieved that feat, and all the others that preceded it, San Francisco had to play hardball… [more].
How Did San Francisco Become A Gay Mecca?
Have you ever thought out why it is that San Francisco has such a large population of homosexuals? Sure, it's historically been a tolerant town (probably due to the gold-seekers and other adventurers and wayfarers). But why gay people in particular… [more]
Did the San Francisco Gold Rush Start in San Francisco?
Gold Street, a one block alley in the Jackson Square District, still has many of its original brick buildings from the 1850s, largely spared by earthquakes and fires. 56 Gold Street at the corner of Balance Street can, in a way, claim notoriety as the location that started the Gold Rush.… [more]
The Memorial to Clever Marconi on Telegraph Hill
Most famous people were made so by stories, more than by deeds—that's what fame is. In addition to the popular stories, there's the law. Guglielmo Marconi, son of an Italian nobleman in Bologna, knew this as well as anyone when he decided to claim… [more]
The Niantic: Ship, Spring, Store, Hotel
When gold was discovered in California there was no crossroads at Sansome and Clay Streets because in 1848 that was the shore… [more]
The Washington Square Hotel By Any Other Name
Some would-be luminaries are ignored by history simply because they were too close to a brilliance that distracted the crowds. Others go unsung due to their beauty being internal, invisible to the casual observer. The Washington Square Theater, a once-ornate movie palace on the west side of the Square, suffered both… [more]
When Chinatown was a World Apart
Historians like to quibble about names. Ross Alley is recognized as the first alley in San Francisco—that is, the first Alley. (All the previous alleys were called "Street.") There have been long stretches of time, however… [more]
Sun Yat Sen, Revolutionary Politician, Meets Beniamino Bufano, Revolutionary Artist
San Francisco is lucky to have a significant share of the remarkable art and architecture produced by the New Deal's financial support programs. Beniamino Buffano, a sculptor who lived in San Francisco, produced… [more]
How the Black Cat Café Launched Gay San Francisco
"The Black Cat was by far the best place for a wild drunk that an adventurer could hope for, but the place changed hands and the new owner encouraged the fruit and the place went to hell."… [more]
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