Category: Local

  • Humanoid robot deathmatch at Rek Arena

    “California was worried that our robots were too dangerous — so we decided to PUT FUCKING SWORDS ON ‘EM!” the announcer screamed from the cage as a stagehand removed the sheaths from the blades on the pair of 6-foot tall humanoid robots. As the fight started and the robots exchanged quick jabs, Terminator-style robot T-REK…

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  • The Metreon: Upper floors

    As the elevator doors slid open, I came to a place I’d never explored: the semi-secret upper floor of The Metreon — the floor above the movie theaters, a private event space known as The Aviary (formerly City View). Last month I wrote about the “backrooms” of the Metreon’s movie theater on the third floor.…

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  • Full Queer Wrestling at Folsom Street Fair

    Aye lads and lassies, let me tell ye a tale o’ the wild land of leather, rope, and displays of depravity I encountered while sailing… oh, sorry. I went to the 2026 Folsom Street Fair dressed as a pirate this year. As one does. It’s been years since I’d been to Folsom, and the tone…

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  • Backrooms at the AMC Metreon

      The original version of the Metreon in San Francisco — before the second floor was renovated into a Target store — was a quirky place. Stores on the first two floors tended to focus on food and entertainment, and were often unusually shaped due to the aggressively ’90s architecture of the place. Years after…

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  • Treasures of the Pharaohs at the de Young Museum

      Over Labor Day weekend I went to the de Young Museum in Golden Gate Park to check out their current special exhibit, Treasures of the Pharaohs. This small but focused selection features burial artifacts of the royals along with small but well-crafted pieces used in daily life such as tools and utensils. Two big…

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  • Castro Trinket Trade

    On a quiet residential street not far from the center of the historic Castro District is a decorated box attached to a post. At first glance it appears to be one of those familiar Little Free Library boxes or the similar Little Free Pantry boxes — but this is something different. This is a trinket…

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  • Flower Bathroom

    For all the uniquely decorated bathrooms in San Francisco, this mural of oversized flowers is in an unexpected place: Roxie Theater’s small-screen “Little Roxie” theater. This mural has a way of jumping out at you as you use the restroom on your way out of the theater; not only have you gone from a dark…

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  • Carnaval San Francisco 2026 parade

      This year’s theme for San Francisco Carnaval was “La Copa del Pueblo,” celebrating soccer, as a sort of prelude to the upcoming World Cup. Needless to say, soccer is a big deal in the Latin American communities that throw the annual Carnaval events and grand parade. After a week of chilly temperatures it was…

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  • Empire Park

    Just off to the side of the 600 block of Commercial Street, a small alley in the Financial District near Jackson Square, is a plaza with seating, gardens, and a water feature. This privately-owned, public open space (or POPOS) is named Empire Park and features a stone plaque dedicated to Emperor Norton. Muddying the waters…

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  • Chiharu Shiota: Two Home Countries at the Asian Art Museum

    My most recent museum visit was to see “Two Home Countries” from Japanese/German artist Chiharu Shiota at the Asian Art Museum. This large scale multimedia installation takes up the back half of the museum’s lower floor. The first piece in her exhibit, Diary, is a passageway through a hall of an intricate mesh of red…

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