Grab Bag #54
The last house, the widest sidewalk, and the coldest winter San Francisco stories.
Sort of a long meta-linked Grab Bag coming your way here… you have to expect such things now and then.
Guess Where
We always (well, almost always) start our Grab Bag emails with a Guess Where. Here’s your shot to feel smart, a “real” San Franciscan. Where and when are we?
Back to the land of certainty, I’ll be doing some blabbing on history this month...
The Birth and Death of Playland at the Beach
I return to the 4 Star theater (2200 Clement Street) on Sunday afternoon, August 24, with a popular topic:
Playland at the Beach was an amusement zone which operated at San Francisco’s Ocean Beach from the 1910s to 1972. Playland’s origins, its end, and how it’s remembered were, and are, intertwined with public debates on race, class, land use, and public enjoyment of San Francisco’s coastline. These themes are still with us today (*cough* Great Highway).
One More Round
On Tuesday evening, August 26, 7:00 p.m, I will be giving my talk on another west-side entertainment zone, the short-lived Beertown along Fulton Street:
The San Francisco History Association is a great group which has been around for more than 40 years. They have monthly talks at the comfortable and convenient Sherith Israel (2266 California Street near Webster Street). Come for the pre-show cookies and wine, stay for my talk.
The Last House on Scott Street
My friend David Gallagher (F.O.W.) has been in touch with a gentleman named Tony Hurd, whose grandfather, Cecil, took a lot of photos during redevelopment of the Western Addition. This one had an intriguing inscription written on it:
