Cliff House Stuck in Zero Gear I used to walk to work daily, mixing in the 38-Geary bus now and then. But job responsibilities have had me mostly behind the wheel this year and I’m trying to find a way to get back walking. Driving is the American norm, of course. The most recent AAA
1906 earthquake Captive Airship How did George R. Lawrence take his amazing aerial panoramas after the 1906 earthquake?
Mission District Spirit of Victory A San Francisco Spanish-American War monument with some muddy messaging.
Chinatown Chinatown Demolition Plague fears led to chopping down parts of San Francisco's Chinatown in 1903.
Paid-members only Grab Bag Grab Bag #36 Animalia of San Francisco's Golden Gate Park, a Richmond District dairy, Willie Mays, and more of my favorite things.
City College Finding Founder’s Rock The short-lived fame of a boulder at City College of San Francisco.
Embarcadero The Legend of Lois Jordan’s White Angel Jungle Thoughts on a famous San Francisco soup kitchen.
Russian Hill A Park is Born The 75-year journey to turn a Russian Hill reservoir into a San Francisco park.
Paid-members only Grab Bag Grab Bag #34 I come to praise San Francisco, not bury it, plus news on old stuff getting older.
Christmas The 12 Firehouses of Christmas From 1948–1950, San Francisco fire stations went crazy with an annual Christmas decoration contest. Here are Woody's top dozen.
Mission District Maguire's Houses Life on one Mission District block on February 22, 1887 at 11:35 a.m.
North Point The Cobweb Palace Abe Warner's cobweb-filled saloon in San Francisco's North Point neighborhood was captured on film before demolition and now we know when.
Mission District A Day Trip on the Mission Road, Part 2 Sunday pleasure resorts like Woodward's Gardens made San Francisco's Mission District more family-friendly in the 1860s and 1870s.
Mission Dolores A Day Trip on the Mission Road, Part 1 In the 1850s, San Francisco Sunday recreation meant getting across sand dunes and marsh to the Mission.
Downtown 1868: The First “Big One” The "great San Francisco earthquake" of 1868 and the next one on the way.
Union Square Hallowed Ground on Sutter Street From the time of its dedication on March 23, 1866, the old Temple Emanu-El was a landmark of 19th-century San Francisco.
Crocker-Amazon The Temple on Naples Street Solving the mystery of the mini Greek temple that once stood in San Francisco's Crocker-Amazon neighborhood.
Golden Gate Park 10 Highlights from the 1894 Midwinter Fair The good, the bad, and the ugly from the 1894 fair which made Golden Gate Park's Music Concourse.
Ocean Beach Seeing the End of Playland Playland at the Beach, San Francisco's version of Coney Island, closed for good on September 4, 1972. Photographer Dennis O'Rorke artfully captured the final days.
