Some of my sketches columns almost write themselves, like this one. All I need to do is walk around the old neighborhood and keep my eyes open. Recently, I did some walking around ... Read More
If you buy books from amazon as I do, you will know that because of some arcane algorithmic magic, Amazon knows what kind of books you like. Amazon has me pegged as a reader of off... Read More
Recently, I was sitting at the bar at Mario’s Bohemian Cigar Store and Cafe alongside Patrick Douglas, a fixture there. Patrick told me he plays guitar and sings. “What else is... Read More
BARNEY’S SAN FRANCISCO CITY GUIDE Tony Bennett, who you recall left his heart in San Francisco, was asked by Barney’s, the upscale New York retailer, to prepare a city guide as... Read More
Many years ago when Hong Kong was a British Crown Colony, I spent a lot of time there as a P.R. guy. In the 1950s, I was the publicist in the United States for Cathay Pacific Airwa... Read More
San Francisco has long been a haven for photographers and fine photography. Almost from its Gold Rush beginnings, it has attracted photographers who have documented life in this dr... Read More
AL CIPPOLINA AND BACCALA ALLA MESSINESE If you’re around North Beach on a Friday, you might want to drop into the Original U.S. Restaurant. That’s the day Al Cippolina ... Read More
Loyal readers will note the Marina Times frequently discusses newly opened restaurants in the column New and Notable. I always read these dispatches with considerable interest. Som... Read More
These days everyone is a photographer. Have you noticed? If you are a 21st-century photographer with a cell phone, you’re posting your photos on Facebook, Instagram, and Phot... Read More
One of the oldest restaurants in San Francisco’s Chinatown, Sam Wo, took great pride in featuring “the rudest waiter in the world.” His name was Edsel Ford Fung �... Read More
Authors have always loved to write about San Francisco and have set the action of their novels in the city. A few that come to mind are McTeague by Frank Norris; A Girl of Forty by... Read More
The last time I saw Alphonsus McCourt was at the memorial for his celebrity bartender brother, Michael. Alphie, as everyone calls him, came out from New York and read one of his p... Read More
As some of my readers will know, occasionally I have published essays about people I call “Unlikely Heroes or Heroines in the Gastronomic Trenches.” Some who come to mi... Read More
POLITICALLY INCORRECT AND THE CLOONEY PROTEST This paragraph should have appeared in my May Sketches column but monthly deadlines being what they are, I missed it. However, I think... Read More
San Francisco is a city that likes it views. I’m not referring to points of view on city politics, neighborhood gentrification, or restaurants. There are plenty of viewpoints on ... Read More