In less than a month, San Francisco built a city for the Super Bowl and tore it down as if it never existed — an amazing feat. Yet, on a recent drive down Division Street, my fri... Read More
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
The other day I had lunch at Original Joe’s with Maxine Maas, 90 years old, great legs with trim ankles and a face that reminded me of Ursula Andress, the Bond girl in the mo... Read More
THE HABERDASHER Gentleman haberdasher Wilkes Bashford missed my deadline last month. He died just after I turned in my February column. I counted Wilkes a friend, and patronized hi... Read More
As I write this, Gino and Carlo, my favorite North Beach saloon, is looking for a cook to replace Denise Sabella, who died over the Christmas holidays and is sorely missed by all o... Read More
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
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
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
When an article called "The Power Broker" ran in the July/August 2012 issue of Washington Monthly, it was no surprise that the title referred to former San Francisco mayor Willie Brown. An in-depth look at the inauguration of Ed Lee after he was elected to his first full mayoral term, author Elizabeth Lesly Stevens pulled no punches in pointing out Lee's carefully crafted ascent over a two-year period. The groundwork laid by Brown, with help from longtime political pal and Chinatown rabble-rouser Rose Pak, paid off, leading to Lee's appointment as interim mayor in 2011 when Gavin Newsom left office early to become lieutenant governor, and, subsequently, to an elected four-year term.... Read More
“We’re here not only for Kate, to keep her memory alive, but to have something done,” James Steinle said this past September at a news conference announcing legal... Read More
“If we want things to stay as they are, things will have to change.” — Giuseppe Tomasi di Lampedusa, The Leopard I’m on a rant. So I hope you won’t mind i... Read More
A few months ago, I reported that an Irish pub would open in North Beach. And it has. It’s called BarNua and it’s located at 561 Columbus Avenue. My informant tells me ... Read More
On Sept. 17 at 7 a.m., community and labor groups, including the California Nurses Association, United Educators of San Francisco, and the San Francisco Tenants Union, held a ̶... Read More
When I think back, I was not a very good reporter. Neverthe-less, in the early fifties, after nearly six months as a copyboy, I became a reporter for the San Francisco Chronicle. I... Read More
This month, a little of this and a little of that goes a long way. So please stick with me. MARRIED SEX Lest you think the above subhead is an oxymoron, let me tell you about Jesse... Read More