The secret lives of San Francisco’s miniature parks
San Francisco is a treasure chest of undiscovered gems. These mini parks are the city’s quiet rebellion against the chaos of urban life.
San Francisco is a city that thrives on secrets. Beneath its postcard-ready hills and Instagrammable views lies a labyrinth of hidden treasures, quietly offering refuge to the initiated. But this isn’t another love letter to Sutro Baths or the secret speakeasy tucked behind a laundromat. No, today we’re talking about the city’s tiniest, quirkiest parks — those blink-and-you’ll-miss-them green spaces that feel more like Easter eggs than actual parks.
‘Golden Girls Live’ bets on a bigger stage — and it pays off
Somewhere between Coco Peru’s excellent impersonation and the Curran Theatre’s holiday feel, The Golden Girls Live has become an annual winter tradition that’s not to be missed. I’ve been idly wondering lately if I entered my bitch phase as a reviewer, but I’m happy to report almost no critique here; It was a splendid show with lots of funny moments mixed with great acting and impersonations.
Read the latest by Saul Sugarman
From Gozu to The Wild: A Michelin-worthy evolution in San Francisco dining
Change is hard, especially when a beloved restaurant, Gozu, morphs into something entirely new: The Wild, starting September 2024.
Thankfully, what made Gozu great remains at the new Wild: a passionate team of servers and staff, including chef de cuisine Peggy Tan and pastry chef Mark Lieuw, who Zimmerman has been working with for years. Also, those charcoal walls, large binchotan grill and live fire cooking, giving the spare few diners front row views of the cooking from the counter-only “table.”
Read the latest by Virginia Miller
‘Drag on Ice’ deepened my love for San Francisco
I just finished my fourth year performing in Drag on Ice.
I’m mad at the world, yet find it suddenly so easy to be in love with San Francisco. I’ve sensed a shift after the 2024 presidential election. There’s a battening down and huddling in feeling. As we all prepare for Washington D.C. to become much more conservative, San Franciscans seem more appreciative of our own culture and less likely to knock it. We’re in a bubble. We may as well make it nice, right?
Read the latest by Joe Wadlington
‘A Man On The Inside’ doesn’t give SF enough screen time
As shameless civic boosters of all things San Francisco, we here at The Bold Italic relish any opportunity to see our fair city on screen, whether it be in movies or on television. After all, despite the spate of “doom loop” stories in the national press, we all smugly know that we live in one of the most beautiful cities in the world. Our unique hills, bridges, and cable cars always make for a scenic backdrop.
So we were excited to see just how much screen time SF gets in the new Netflix series, A Man On The Inside, starring an affable Ted Danson as a lonely, 76-year-old widower who gets hired by a private investigator to be an undercover mole at a retirement community, in order to help solve a case of a missing necklace.
Read the latest by Adriana Roberts
What we’re doing this week
Parol Lantern Festival
San Francisco's 22nd Annual Parol Lantern Festival, scheduled for December 14, 2024, at the Yerba Buena Center for the Arts, celebrates the Filipino tradition of crafting star-shaped lanterns known as parols, symbols of hope and blessings during the holiday season. The event features a "Taste of Christmas" with traditional Filipino holiday dishes, live music, and performances by local artists. Attendees can participate in the Parol Stroll, a parade of illuminated lanterns through Yerba Buena Gardens, and view entries in the Tala Awards, a competition recognizing the best handmade parols.
WHEN: December 14, 2024
WHERE: Yerba Buena Center for the Arts, 701 Mission St, San Francisco, CA
SantaCon 2024
Throw on a Santa suit and join thousands of merrymakers for a day of bar hopping, public pranks, and plenty of liquid holiday cheer. Expect irreverent costumes, questionable Santas, and an ever-growing trail of candy canes and chaos. With its roots in SF, SantaCon is the ultimate anti-holiday tradition for the unapologetically festive. Read our review of last year’s SantaCon.
WHEN: December 14, 2024, starting at 12:00 pm
WHERE: Union Square, San Francisco, CA
San Francisco Ballet's "The Nutcracker"
Experience the magic of the holiday season with the San Francisco Ballet's rendition of The Nutcracker. This cherished production, celebrating its 20th anniversary under Helgi Tomasson's direction, transports audiences to a fantastical world where snowflakes dance and the Sugarplum Fairy reigns.
WHEN: December 6–29, 2024
WHERE: War Memorial Opera House, 301 Van Ness Avenue, San Francisco, CA
What’s on our mind
We keep content mostly fun and light at The Bold Italic, but the future of the Bay Area interests us, too. Here’s what we are thinking about in local news. Brought to you by GrowSF.
San Francisco streets are deadlier than ever
21 pedestrians have been killed so far in 2024, making it the second-deadliest year since the city pledged to eliminate traffic deaths in 2014 with “Vision Zero.” SF has implemented measures like daylighting, slow streets, and elevated crosswalks, but it hasn’t yet curbed the problem.
According to the Standard, “San Francisco’s Vision Zero data suggest that in recent years, drivers were at fault for most pedestrian deaths caused by cars.”
According to our poll this past summer, San Franciscans are united on what they think we should do to improve safety: 77% want protective barriers at crosswalks, 76% want red light cameras, 71% want speed cameras, and 65% want more residential speed humps.
Add speed humps: Residential streets across the city, especially the ultra-wide streets in the outer neighborhoods, need these.
Enhance traffic law enforcement: Increase police presence in high-risk areas to stop reckless driving and strictly enforce existing traffic laws.
Implement speed & red light cameras: Install automated speed cameras everywhere to discourage and issue citations for speeding and running red lights.
Ban right-turn-on-red: Pedestrian fatality data indicates that the huge majority of car vs person fatalities happen during right turns.
Redesign high-injury corridors: Focus on reconstructing streets with a history of accidents, with a focus on traffic calming, protected bike lanes, and protected pedestrian infrastructure.
Join us for the GrowSF Election Victory Party
Join us for the GrowSF Election Victory Party at ANINA. We're having a celebration to honor all the hard work that went into this election season.
We're thrilled to announce that Supervisors-elect Bilal Mahmood and Danny Sauter will be joining us, and who knows, maybe a few other surprise guests will pop in too! See you there!
WHEN: Tuesday, December 17 6:00 PM - 9:00 PM
WHERE: ANINA, 482 Hayes St, San Francisco, CA 94102
Donate to The Bold Italic today
The Bold Italic publishes first-person stories on topics that are on the brains and lips of San Franciscans. We’re a hub for conversations to be heard and discussed, and we celebrate all that’s great about living in San Francisco and the Bay Area. We hope our continuing conversation will get you thinking, talking, and inspiring you to share your opinions with us on living in San Francisco.
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The Bold Italic is brought to you by GrowSF and edited by Saul Sugarman. Send us a pitch, a question, comment, or advertise with us: info@thebolditalic.com