When the ancient Polynesians invented surfing, they often used a paddle to help them navigate. Fast-forward a few millennia, and Stand-Up Paddleboarding, or SUP, finds itself trendy again. Part of its increasing popularity is that standing upright allows surfers to spot waves more easily and thus catch more of them, multiplying the fun factor. Paddling back to the wave becomes less of a strain as well. The ability to cruise along on flat inland water, surveying the sights, is another advantage. Finally, it’s a good core workout. If you’re sold on the idea, schedule an intro SUP lesson, free with board and paddle rental, and you may find yourself riding the waves like a Polynesian king.More
Many of us remember coming home from our elementary schools with freshly glazed pinchpots, cups, or whatever else our young imaginations could conjure up. Saturday mornings at the Randall Museum can bring that memory back, or create a new one for the youngsters. Ceramics make great gifts — especially on Mothers' and Fathers' Day. Hop on board for the Randall's once-weekly class, and for $6 and two weeks to have your work fired and glazed, you'll have all the materials you need.More
December is almost over - the New Year is coming up and everyone is busy drying off from the rain or holiday shopping. Let's take a look at what's happened this month.
Once upon the 1980s, Filipino emigrant Demetrio Braceros (known as Demi by friends and locals) was entrusted with the care of Cayuga Park, a seedy sump of public space that had fallen into disrepair.
Of all the pizzas made in North Beach, perhaps none are made as fondly (or with as much flair) as those of pizza maestro Tony Gemignani, owner of Tony's Pizza Napoletana and recent top dog of the World Pizza Championships in Italy.
Sub Pop recording artists 'clipping.' brought their brand of noise-driven experimental hip hop to the closing night of 2016's San Francisco Electronic Music Fest this past Sunday. The packed Brava Theater hosted an initially seated crowd that ended the night jumping and dancing against the front of the stage. The trio performed a set focused on their recently released Sci-Fi Horror concept album, 'Splendor & Misery', then delved into their dancier and more aggressive back catalogue, and recent single 'Wriggle'.
Opening performances included local experimental electronic duo 'Tujurikkuja' and computer music artist 'Madalyn Merkey.'"
Checchi Meets the Press A year ago, the vast majority of California voters had never heard of Al Checchi. The same held true for the state's top political writers; to the press, Checchi -- the former co-chairman of Northwest Airlines…
Merger in the Dark San Francisco state Sen. John Burton has just completed an amazingly cynical bait-and-switch performance with the passage of his legislation on public access to the newly merged UCSF and Stanford medical centers. That merger, consummated Friday,…
Half a Century of Chasing the News Election season for California political writers is well under way; last Friday's San Francisco Chronicle ran a front-page story on the nagging question of whether U.S. Sen. Dianne Feinstein will run for governor…
Fall of the House of Love Reality is catching up with decent but financially hapless Summer of Love promoter Chet Helms so quickly that even the usually warm, safe, and fuzzy San Francisco Focus skewered him in its September issue.…
Tanking the Memories When city crews started preparing to take out the venerable reflecting pool in Civic Center Plaza earlier this summer, the sight came as a surprise to the members of the city's Landmarks Preservation Advisory Board, which meets…
In the third week of July, the Pacific Exchange held a commodity auction, both here and in Los Angeles, like no other in the world. Four million units changed hands, at an average price of 80 cents each, generating $3.2…
From a public relations standpoint, it's hard to imagine going wrong with either of these two causes: an expose of beagle-beating drug researchers, or a report on the city's largest and most popular gay pride event. Yet, amazingly, in recent…
Union Hits at KGO Recently, Channel 7's newscast has had something worth watching: genuine, unscripted, spontaneous moments. This was not, however, a result of journalistic enterprise. Rather, the credit goes to supporters of the National Association of Broadcast Employees &…
The Fettered Web The next battle in the war over free speech on the Internet is going to be fought in our public libraries. That particular battle has not yet begun in San Francisco; at the S.F. Public Library, Internet…
In an obscure corner of China, in a city that was once the country's capital but has long since sunk to the level of a backwater, a settlement of Jews has lived in near-total obscurity for 1,200 years. They arrived…
Stand Corrected B ack in June, a billboard near Unspun's office was altered overnight from an ad touting Lucky supermarkets ("Freshness First") to one denouncing worker exploitation ("Freshness First, Farmworkers Last, Lucky You're Middle Class"). At the time, no group…
Sub Pop recording artists 'clipping.' brought their brand of noise-driven experimental hip hop to the closing night of 2016's San Francisco Electronic Music Fest this past Sunday. The packed Brava Theater hosted an initially seated crowd that ended the night jumping and dancing against the front of the stage. The trio performed a set focused on their recently released Sci-Fi Horror concept album, 'Splendor & Misery', then delved into their dancier and more aggressive back catalogue, and recent single 'Wriggle'.
Opening performances included local experimental electronic duo 'Tujurikkuja' and computer music artist 'Madalyn Merkey.'"
