The helpful elf and the compassionate politico

I need that eclectic mind of yours, Brucie.” So said Herb Caen on the phone about a hundred years ago. “You know what eclectic means, Herb?” I asked. “It me... Read More

Bellingham by the Bay

People, get ready, there’s a train a’comin’

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January was a time to weep, and a time to laugh; a time to mourn, and a time to dance. … I’m only quoting Scripture to seek the evangelical vote. Yes, I’m getting... Read More

Bellingham by the Bay

There oughta be a law

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With the new year comes a cascade of new laws out of Sacramento. Many of them deal with the state’s four-year-long drought. But lawmakers have yet to suggest that California ... Read More

Bellingham by the Bay

Hopes and fears at Christmas

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Back in June 1995, 100,000 people paraded down Market Street to the Ferry Building to see a show honoring Herb Caen. The weather seemed to approve. It was a gorgeous day. Not a cl... Read More

Bellingham by the Bay

Rod McKuen: A man for all seasons

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When I first met Rod McKuen, the renowned poet-songwriter who died in January, I had to ask him, “What was it like to have Sinatra record one of your songs?” McKuen spu... Read More

Bellingham by the Bay

Look out! Here comes the news again

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Sometimes I wonder where we would be without a crisis to manage. Nothing but trouble comes the easy way,” said the great Chicago poet, Oscar Brown Jr. Some people look for tr... Read More

Bellingham by the Bay

No worries: It’s all uphill from here

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When I find myself in trouble — those occasions are more frequent than I would like to admit — I take a long walk along the water. That’s the Marina Green to Fort Point and b... Read More

Bellingham by the Bay

Keep on with the keep-on

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San Franciscans detest change. There’s a constant drive for things nostalgic. I suppose I am one of the worst offenders with my nattering on about how San Francisco was a spa... Read More

Bellingham by the Bay

Polka dots for Christmas

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It occurred to me the other day how many things from the past always seem to come back. Mostly bad things — T.B. …yellow fever … Tom DeLay. Some things remain incurab... Read More

Bellingham by the Bay

The quality of mercy

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Yes, it has been a turbulent season. Much of America has been driven to its knees. Getting their fingernails dirty, helping their neighbors, trying to find evidence of life — or ... Read More

Bellingham by the Bay

The Garden of Eden needs attention

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In comes the Chinese Year of the Snake; it’s an auspicious year for children to be born — lucky in favor, prosperous in fortune. A splendid life awaiting each and every one... Read More

Bellingham by the Bay

The Urban Spaceman

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It seems I’ve become a bit of a nomad these days, wandering from hither to yon. Or, as Herb Caen would say, “Hither to Yawn.” But for all of my impenetrable ennui... Read More

Bellingham by the Bay

Rollin’ and tumblin’ into the new year

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Now we are headlong into a great struggle. We hardly have time to make merry for the New Year. Ah, but we can take a stab at it. There will be dancing at the Big 4 atop Nob Hill. T... Read More

Bellingham by the Bay

A muttering instinct

They’ve put up the Christmas decorations at the Fairmont. That means the tractor beam of the holidays is in full swing. All in all, it’s a captivating sight. One has to... Read More

Bellingham by the Bay

Missing persons seem to resurface in San Francisco

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Has anyone seen Herb Gold lately? The famed writer and überman of letters of Russian Hill hasn’t been seen around his haunts — such as The Crepe House on Polk Street. ... Read More

Bellingham by the Bay