From Emporium to Westfield to Whatever’s Next: San Francisco Centre’s Next Act
The former Westfield site is entering its fourth act. With Presidio Bay Ventures and Prado Group likely at the helm, the future of 865 Market Street is shifting away from the traditional mall model. Expect a move toward "vertical neighborhoods" featuring high-end wellness clubs, hospitality-focused offices, and potential luxury residential units. As San Francisco tweaks transfer tax incentives and seismic programs to revitalize downtown, this redevelopment could serve as the anchor for The City's recovery.
Flashback Friday: The Original SF Underdogs
Long before Instagram rescue stories, San Francisco fell in love with two stray dogs named Bummer and Lazarus. A look at the city’s original underdogs.
Flashback Friday: The Other Park John McLaren Built
A rainy discovery leads to McLaren Park’s two lakes, 312 acres, and the quieter legacy of John McLaren in southern San Francisco.
Flashback Friday: The Fountain That Raised Us (and the Vaillancourt of it all)
The Vaillancourt Fountain has divided San Francisco since 1971. Part Brutalist sculpture, part childhood memory, it remains one of the waterfront’s most debated landmarks.
Flashback Friday: The Windmills of Golden Gate Park and the Sand Beneath Them
Why are there windmills in Golden Gate Park and do they still work? A look at how these iconic structures once powered the survival of The City’s most beloved park.
The Castro Part 2: Pride, Protest, and Harvey Milk
In the late 1960s, Eureka Valley became the Castro — a new home for San Francisco’s LGBTQ+ community. From the open windows of Twin Peaks Tavern to Harvey Milk’s fight for equality, this was the moment the neighborhood transformed into a global symbol of pride and resilience.
Mission District Part 3: Food, Film, and Curiosities
The Mission District is San Francisco at its most alive — where dinner comes with a movie at Foreign Cinema, ceviche sizzles at Limon, and Dolores Park turns everyday sunshine into a festival. From quirky shops to wild traditions, this neighborhood blends creativity, culture, and community like nowhere else.
Mission District Part 2: Dive Bars, Neon Nights, and Late Drinks
When the sun sets on Dolores Park, the Mission District comes alive. From the biker-bar legend Zeitgeist to the velvet glow of Casanova and the late-night chaos of Delirium, the Mission’s nightlife mixes grit, charm, and pure San Francisco energy.
Mission District Part 1: From Ranchos to Dolores Park
Rooted in 1776 with Mission Dolores, San Francisco’s oldest building, the Mission District has grown from open farmland to one of The City’s most dynamic neighborhoods. Its immigrant roots, vibrant culture, and sun-soaked Dolores Park make it the heart of everyday San Francisco life.
Marina District Part 3: Bay Breezes and Modern Charm
From its waterfront trails to its lively Chestnut Street, the Marina District captures San Francisco’s balance of beauty, history, and community. Stroll Crissy Field, explore Fort Mason, dine along the Bay, and end the day watching the Palace of Fine Arts glow at sunset—a neighborhood that proves reinvention can be timeless.
Marina District Part 2: Quakes and Rebirth
The Marina’s beauty hides a risky foundation. Built on landfill from the 1906 earthquake, the neighborhood faced disaster again during the 1989 Loma Prieta quake. Buildings fell, fires burned, and resilience took root. What rose from the rubble is a stronger, safer, and prouder Marina District.
Marina District Part 1: From Bay Waters to a World’s Fair
Before it became one of San Francisco’s most coveted neighborhoods, the Marina was underwater — a tidal marsh turned into the grand stage for the 1915 Panama-Pacific International Exposition. From earthquake rubble rose the Palace of Fine Arts and the foundation for a new chapter in The City’s history.
Hawk Hill: History on the Horizon
Once a WWII military lookout, Hawk Hill now offers one of San Francisco’s most breathtaking views — the Golden Gate Bridge, the Bay, and the city skyline all in one frame. It’s where history meets beauty, and every gust of wind feels like a whisper from the past.
Sutro Baths: Ruins, History, and a Hint of Ghosts
Perched on the edge of the Pacific, the ruins of Sutro Baths are one of San Francisco’s most hauntingly beautiful landmarks. Once a grand Victorian bathhouse, now a windswept monument to the city’s past, it’s a place where history and ghost stories mingle with the ocean air.
Haight Ashbury Part 2: Sex, Drugs & Rock ’n’ Roll
Welcome back to Part 2 of my Haight-Ashbury series. In Part 1, we dug into the neighborhood’s early beginnings. Today, we’re diving into the Haight’s most infamous years: the 1960s. Think counterculture, chaos, and the legends who put this neighborhood on the map.
Haight Ashbury Part 1: From Sand Dunes to Painted Ladies
Long before the Summer of Love, Haight-Ashbury was all sand dunes, fog, and a dream called Golden Gate Park. Cable cars and grand Victorians soon followed, transforming the “Outside Lands” into one of San Francisco’s most storied neighborhoods—where even the trails of Buena Vista Park still whisper the past.
Cole Valley Part 3: Village Vibes and Modern Day Magic
Cole Valley blends San Francisco’s past and present in perfect balance. The N-Judah still hums through the fog, locals gather at Zazie and The Ice Cream Bar, and corners like Finnegans Wake and Cole Valley Tavern carry stories that span decades. It’s a neighborhood that feels like a village—timeless, layered, and distinctly San Francisco.
Cole Valley Part 2: A Quiet Counterculture
In the 1960s, while Haight-Ashbury burned bright with counterculture, Cole Valley caught a gentler wave of creativity. Artists, students, and musicians settled among its tree-lined streets, shaping a quieter bohemian spirit that still hums through its cafés, murals, and easygoing charm today.
Cole Valley Part 1: From Sand Dunes to Streetcars
Before its pastel Victorians and café culture, Cole Valley was part of San Francisco’s wild “Outside Lands.” The arrival of Golden Gate Park and the N-Judah streetcar transformed sand dunes into a hillside retreat, where Edwardians rose, families settled after 1906, and a true village community took root.
North Beach Part 3: Beats, Booze & Vesuvio Nights
The sailors and shanghai tunnels gave way to espresso bars and poets. In the 1950s, North Beach became the heartbeat of the Beat Generation — where Vesuvio Café and City Lights Bookstore turned rebellion into art. Jazz, poetry, and late-night philosophy defined this new era, and the echoes of that creative fire still linger in The City’s most literary neighborhood.