10 Things To Eat In North Beach Right Now Located at the bustling nexus of Chinatown, the Financial District and Fisherman’s Wharf, San Francisco’s North Beach neighborhood has long been a food destination. As our city’s designated Little Italy, North Beach is a magnet for sightseers, and that foot … Read the rest
Living on $2 a Day – The Impact of Microfinance Microfinance gets a lot of press these days, for good reason. It is a powerful tool that puts financial resources in the hands of the poorest, and the impact of microfinance has been shown to transform impoverished communities. It is … Read the rest
On the Loss of a North Beach Regular This past Sunday brought the very sad news of a friend’s sudden death. Randy Hernandez was a spirited, generous and kind soul. A talented musician and dedicated surfer, he seemed to know everyone in my adopted North Beach neighborhood, and … Read the rest
Batali, Bourdain to Open Atop San Francisco’s Fairmont San Francisco, CA – Almost 30 years after leaving California to apprentice in Italy, Mario Batali has penned the lease on Animale, a 250-seat restaurant and enoteca planned for the top of Nob Hill’s historic Fairmont Hotel. Batali, host … Read the rest
Bernie Sanders’ Easter Sweep And The Real Upset Senator Bernie Sanders had a heck of an Easter weekend. Dealing a serious blow to Hillary Clinton’s delegate lead, Sanders swept all three primaries, taking Washington, Alaska and Hawaii – all by landslide margins. This late surge has a lot … Read the rest
Vagabonds, Lunatics and Scoundrels in San Francisco History, Part 1 One morning in the Spring of 1841, Pennsylvania businessman Paul Geddes was on his way to the bank to deposit $7,000 for his employers. Geddes must have been feeling lucky that day; he decided to stop and play a few … Read the rest
Party Politics: Will of the Voters Be Damned This week we read in the news that 2012 presidential hopeful Mitt Romney has filed paperwork in preparation for a 2016 presidential run, with Paul Ryan listed as his running mate. Coming in the wake of a string of primary … Read the rest
Notorious Belle: The Story of Belle Cora Born Arabella Ryan in 1832, Belle Cora was the daughter of a Baltimore minister and a doting mother. She rose to become one of San Francisco’s most celebrated madams. Along with her paramour Charles Cora, Belle opened her first San … Read the rest
Bernie and Hillary: Gloves Off in New Hampshire At Thursday’s Democratic debate in New Hampshire, Bernie Sanders and Hillary Clinton went head-to-head (sans third wheel Martin O’Malley) on the stage for the first time. It was a slugfest relative to earlier debates, signaling an end to the congeniality … Read the rest
The Calendar, The Clock and The 5-Day Work Week: Arbitrary or Inevitable? A few nights ago I was talking with a bartender friend, and we got caught up in a conversation about the calendar. She told me the story of railwayman Moses Cotsworth, who, vexed by his irregular monthly earnings, created a … Read the rest