Tag: san francisco

  • Tunnel Tops Park

    About a year ago San Francisco opened its most interesting park in decades: Tunnel Tops Park in the Presidio. It’s a small park that could be easily overlooked as yet another spot with a nice view of the Golden Gate Bridge (weather permitting, of course.) But that would be underselling this park. Despite its small…

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  • I took my first ever ride in a self-driving car. Here’s how it went

    Although I’ve had access to Cruise’s self-driving cars (or “autonomous vehicles” in tech lingo) for some time now, I hadn’t actually gone for a ride in one until Thursday evening. That’s because Cruise had only rolled out a few select neighborhoods in San Francisco for me up until that point. Now with access to most…

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  • Previewing Muni’s new Central Subway

    When I first moved to San Francisco there was a new surface-level light rail line under construction along the east side of the city: the T Third Street line. This would be the largest expansion on the Muni Metro transit network since it opened, serving a part of the city that was both underserved by…

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  • NO cross-country skiing on BART

    Last week I got on BART, turned around, and noticed an unfamiliar new rule: “NO cross-country skiing” according to a sticker on the door. Now at first glance this seems pretty reasonable, but of course it’s one of those rules that should go without saying. For example nobody needs to be told that on BART…

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  • Christmas decorations in and around downtown

    With things slowly (maybe?) opening/reopening this Christmas, I went around downtown San Francisco and the surrounding area to check out the “big name” decorations. Mostly I was curious to see if this year seemed at all normal again. Obviously normal is relative at this point; I’m well aware of the many downtown retail closures like…

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  • Dusk to Dark: San Francisco as the night falls

    There’s something about the San Francisco skyline that feels like home whenever it comes into view. It’s tricky to pinpoint why. I’ve spent so much time working near all those big office towers yet the skyline from Dolores Park at sunset (pictured above) actually feels a little new to me. The first time I took…

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  • Review: Nocturne X

    Okay so before I review this one, let me just say this isn’t worth checking out. This is bad, I’d even go so far to say it’s an embarrassment. The story, such as there is one, starts out when you check in and they hand you a pamphlet. Strike one. A second barrage of text…

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  • 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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