Category: Local

  • teamLab: Continuity at the Asian Art Museum

      Recently I went to see teamLab: Continuity, the new special exhibit at the Asian Art Museum. The basics Haven’t been to the Asian Art Museum before? It’s a museum across from City Hall filled with ancient art and artifacts from Eastern religions. Also some stuff from the Middle East, which is only “Asian” if…

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  • 826 Valencia’s Pirate Supply Store

    The other day I was walking down the 800 block of Valencia Street and something clicked — while on vacation I’d written on this very blog about the Time Travel Mart in Los Angeles and the Secret Agent Supply Co. in Chicago, but I’d never written anything about this nonprofit group’s original location: 826 Valencia…

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  • The many resurrections of Valencia Street’s restaurants

    As documented on this very blog many businesses in San Francisco were boarded up during the beginning of the pandemic, with many if not most gradually returning. But what’s more surprising are the places that officially went out of business only to reopen — some of which closed long before the pandemic. Here are the…

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  • What is SYGNYL?

      Today is Groundhog’s Day, and aside from using a groundhog-based weather prediction to determine if we’ll get more winter or spring (spoiler: it’s more winter) we also have our first taste of SYGNYL, a new project from Nonchalance. Taking a step back, Nonchalance is an ongoing immersive art project from Jeff Hull (also known…

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  • Signs of the COVID-19 times part 5

    The summer is long over since my last post in this series, and tomorrow marks a whole new year. A lot changed since that last post we’ve had a presidential election and the first vaccines are (slowly) rolling out to hopefully put an end to this pandemic before next summer. Though in the more immediate…

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  • New fnnch mural at The Valencia Room

    While heading to pick up lunch the other day I happened to notice a new mural from fnnch on the side of The Valencia Room. I should take a step back here and point out a couple of things. If you haven’t been to the Mission recently, The Valencia Room is the bar and entertainment…

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  • Why I have reservations about the Measure RR Caltrain tax (but I’m voting for it anyway)

    Recently the three main counties that serve CalTrain were asked to add an additional sales tax to fund CalTrain service. This was initially rejected by San Francisco leading to some finger wagging, before ultimately landing on the ballot. Many transit advocates decried San Francisco’s decision, but let me point something out: of all the counties…

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  • The forgotten monument that was once on top of San Francisco’s Mount Olympus

    While poking around Atlas Obscura the other day I came across a truly odd monument that I immediately knew I had to check out. Eccentric businessman and former mayor Adolph Sutro had a statue named “Triumph of Light” built to mark the center of San Francisco. The problem is if you consider the landmass on…

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  • Signs of the COVID-19 times part 4

    It’s been a couple months since my last entry in how this global pandemic has transformed daily life in San Francisco. There’s still no vaccine on the horizon despite Russia’s premature announcement, and likewise the United States has utterly failed to combat the pandemic under Trump’s leadership. In other words, the important things haven’t changed…

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  • Signs of the COVID-19 times part 3

    Since last month’s entry in this ongoing series, a number of local, national, and world events have occurred. It’s been a strange, though hopeful time for the most part. Here’ some more changes I’ve seen around San Francisco. In the most literal sense of the title of this post, the city’s Department of Public Health…

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