My favorite conversation starter when meeting new people is to talk about places. Where did they grow up? Where do they live now? How have these places changed? What do they love about those places? Do they love those places? What makes these places complicated? My preparted script whittles away in favor of juicy stories and mixed emotions. These conversations reveal how a person’s surroundings influenced who they are.
I do a terrible job hiding my enchantment with San Francisco, so people often reciprocate by offering that I open up about my thoughts regarding the city. "Oh, I'm so glad you asked!" is my tongue-in-cheek follow up. The global attention the city garners makes talking about San Francisco entertaining anyways.
If they want a deeper answer than my adoration of the city’s aesthetic beauty, far-fetched history, and wonderful people, I often point them towards The End of the Golden Gate. Juxtaposing so many different personal essays against each other reveals how difficult it is to trap San Francisco into a box of classifications and adjectives. This is true even when qualifying these classifications with the lens of personal experience.
I did not read The End of The Golden Gate, I will admit, out of a sense of local duty. It was so fun to read. Reaching for local nostalgia has become quite the habit. What if this story mentions a place I’ve personally visited? Didn't someone mention this place to me last week? As a relative newcomer to the city, it only helps to have more local knowledge in the hopes of earning credibility with the community insiders. You just might meet a person who personally experienced what is now history to you!
Thankfully, there is plenty of San Francisco content to go around. The content I have found, I have stumbled upon haphazardly. A flatmate found Infinite City: A San Francisco Atlas on the street at a garage sale giveaway. A neighbor recommended Season of the Witch at Fly Bar. Another recommended The Fillmore documentary by PBS and KQED. Total SF appeared on the Chronicle app, which gave me plenty of inspiration for more and more content to consume, like Stairway Walks in San Francisco. I received Hella Town and a book detailing the dramatic history of BART as birthday presents, while another friend organized a Tunnel Vision viewing party.
For those who need that San Francisco lore candy but do not know where to find it, here is a list of nostalgia nuggets I have discovered so far to get you started:
- Any book by Gary Kamiya: Cool Gray City of Love, The End of the Golden Gate, and Spirits of San Francisco. Paul Madonna also has wonderful illustrations in Spirits of San Francisco.
- The SF Chronicle. There will be lots of interesting content here, but keep your eyes on the prize: any article by Peter Hartlaub or Carl Nolte should suffice. Every episode of Total SF will also hit the spot.
- Season of the Witch. Rattling off historical details from this book is a great party trick.
- Hella Town. In some ways, the "The Town's" counterpart of "The City's" Season of the Witch.
- BART: The Dramatic History of the Bay Area Rapid Transit System. If you want less history and more feels, try Tunnel Vision.
- Outside Lands. The Western Neighborhoods Project has their own podcast! Do not worry: we are not getting any ideas.
- The Hidden Cities of San Francisco: The Fillmore. This PBS special is a powerful retelling of The Fillmore’s history that is particularly relevant to Alamo Square and the surrounding neighborhoods.
- The Storied Houses of Alamo Square. By our very own Joe Pecora.
- The Blue Painted Lady Tour. There is nothing like a historical house tour to make the history feel real. George Horsfall will charm you regardless.
- Oak and Scott: Pausing at High Speed. Another neighborhood-specific piece.
- Stairway Walks in San Francisco. Makes for a great activity with visitors!
To celebrate San Francisco with others, look no further than the San Francisco Public Library. SFPL’s One City One Book programming selects a new book with a San Francisco connection to read together as a city. This year’s selection is The Chinese Groove. See you there!
Drew Gregory
Newsletter Newcomer