News from the Heart & Soul of San Francisco
By Julia Irwin AT SAN FRANCISCO GYMNASTICS at 1405 Fillmore, toddlers scramble over large geometric foam blocks, twirl colorful streamers and jump across a long trampoline track — all while waving to iPhone camera-wielding mothers. In recent months, the studio has made the move from its former location in the Presidio, re-establishing itself in the…
FIRST PERSON | Fran Johns Beyond the pain, angst and despair of downsizing, there is always a story. And there are questions: How can I convince my parent or spouse or partner that it’s time? Who’s going to take care of the logistics and legalities, not to mention the tricky finances? Will I lose my…
The annual San Francisco Decorator Showcase is now open in the neighborhood, this year at the top of Pacific Heights at 2800 Pacific Avenue. It features the work of more than two dozen local designers and invites the public to tour one of the iconic mansions designed by pioneering architect Ernest Coxhead. SLIDE SHOW: Inside…
BOOKS | MARK MITCHELL In a time when so many people live nose deep in their electronic devices, opening a bookstore seems almost like a subversive act. Still more subversive is opening a used bookstore. No screaming bestsellers. No fresh off the presses celebrity memoirs or political apologies from disgraced officials. Just a room full…
Photographs & Text by CARINA WOUDENBERG At only 350 square feet, Mureta’s Antiques doesn’t take up much space at 2418 Fillmore, yet the wares inside originate from several continents and span centuries of time, from the Georgian era of the 1700s to the late Art Deco period. And much of the shop’s contents — from…
LOCALS | CHRIS BARNETT For centuries, historians, scholars and food lovers have argued over who invented the pizza. Greeks claim the honor with a round flatbread topped with meat, cheese, fruit and tree leaves that debuted in 1 B.C. Italians insist a baker in Naples was commissioned to create the first real pizza in 1889…
PRESIDENT OBAMA returned to the neighborhood yet again last night for dinner with deep-pocketed supporters at the Getty Mansion. He was greeted in San Francisco style by a raucous crowd of protesters opposing the Keystone pipeline, then introduced by the Gettys’ down-the-block neighbor, House minority leader Nancy Pelosi. Here’s the pool report on the event.…
By Chris Barnett SAM JONES, aka “I’m just a Joe named Sam,” wandered into the tiny three-chair Esquire Barber Shop at 1826 Geary one recent Saturday afternoon looking slightly stunned. Then Elijah Brown, a 21-year-old entrepreneur, stepped in the door with a quizzical look. A gent named Tim, a man of few words, came in…
OPENING SOON in the former home of Johnny Rockets at the corner of Fillmore and Pine: Glaze, which is promising to bring Seattle-style teriyaki via New York to the edge of Japantown. It’s the brainchild of Paul Krug and Ian McCormick, childhood friends in Seattle who loved their city’s signature brand of teriyaki introduced by…
By Barbara Kate Repa SPURRED BY CONCERNS that the local shopping district is losing its charm and uniqueness as corporate labels gobble up real estate on Fillmore Street, some business owners are now attempting to block a newcomer — Oska, a German-based clothing company — from moving into the neighborhood. The charge is being led…