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.
North Beach Part 2: Plague, Panic, and a Ripper in the Fog
In 1900, North Beach faced a threat far darker than its wild Barbary Coast past — the bubonic plague. Fear spread through the narrow streets as quarantines, rumors, and even whispers of a West Coast “Jack the Ripper” gripped the neighborhood. Out of fear and loss, a new North Beach emerged—resilient, redefined, and ready for its next reinvention
North Beach Part 1: The Barbary Coast & Shanghai Nights
Before cappuccinos and gelato, North Beach was San Francisco’s Barbary Coast—muddy streets, gas lamps, saloons, and shanghai gangs. The Saloon on Grant Avenue, open since 1861, still echoes that wild past with live blues and a hint of rebellion. Step inside, and you’re standing where The City’s original nightlife was born.
Flashback Friday: That Dapper Swagger on Pine Street, By Fred Lyon
I didn’t know who Fred Lyon was when I first saw this photo, I just knew it hit me. It’s one of those black-and-white masterpieces—Nob Hill, Pine Street—with a dapper Joe mid-step, hat at the right, The swagger is undeniable. The backdrop? Cars parked at an impossible angle, clinging to the hillside like they might slide off into oblivion at any moment. (If you know the stress of getting in our out, parked at than angle, you know!) .I just knew it hit me. The City’s hills, the parked cars hanging on for dear life, that guy striding down the stairs like he owns the block—it all felt so familiar, like a memory I never actually lived but somehow still knew.
So I looked the photographer up. I saw the rest of his photos. And suddenly, it all made sense.
Flashback Friday: The Holy City Zoo, Robin Williams, and the Magic of San Francisco
Welcome back to Flashback Friday—a series where I share some of my favorite weird, wonderful, and occasionally hidden stories from San Francisco’s past. This City is full of history, but beyond the landmarks and famous addresses, it’s the people who have made it truly special.
Lately, everyone’s been buzzing about the recent sale of Robin Williams’ former home at 540 El Camino Del Mar in Sea Cliff for $18 million. But while the headlines focus on the price tag, I can’t help but think about the man himself—his legacy, his impact, and the magic he brought to San Francisco. Long before he became a household name, Robin Williams was just another comedian trying to make people laugh. And he did that in one of the most legendary, yet under-appreciated, spots in San Francisco history—The Holy City Zoo.
Flashback Friday: Streetcars, Surf, and Carville’s Hidden Secrets
Welcome back to Flashback Friday - a series where I share some of my favorite weird, wonderful, and occasionally hidden, stories from San Francisco’s past. If there’s one person who loves San Francisco history more than I do (and trust me, that’s hard to beat), it’s Woody LaBounty. This guy lives and breathes SF’s past—and his storytelling skills are second to none. One of my absolute favorite topics he’s tackled is the story of Carville-by-the-Sea, a delightfully quirky neighborhood in the Outer Sunset that was literally made of repurposed streetcars.
Snapshots of San Francisco's Past: Fort Point
If you’re at Fort Point today, you’re probably a tourist or you’re wearing a wetsuit! This photo from 1890 is from the Golden Gate Recreation area from Above Fort Point – but if you notice, something is missing. It’s big, it’s red, and it’s being retrofitted right now! (Yes, it’s the Golden Gate Bridge if you hadn’t guessed.)