Hidden underneath many of San Francisco’s cable car benches — tucked beside GPS units and electrical equipment — are tiny time capsules left behind by the carpenters who repair them.
The secret tradition comes from workers at the city’s Cable Car Carpentry Shop, where craftspeople painstakingly restore and rebuild the historic cars by hand.
“I love my job. So is it really a job if I love it?” said Mark Sobichevsky, the shop’s longest-tenured employee. “It’s like arts and crafts.”
Find the full story at the link in @sfgate 's bio.
✍️: Dan Gentile, Senior Culture Editor, @danjeremiah
📷️: Douglas Zimmerman/SFGATE, @deezimpix
At what is expected to be the final California gubernatorial debate, businessman and billionaire Tom Steyer, a Democrat, heavily criticized his opponent Steve Hilton, the leading Republican candidate, regarding his policies about energy, climate and housing. He said that Hilton "does not have a single leg to stand on."
Find more coverage on the California governor's race at the link in bio.
A hiker’s serious fall from a steep trail in Zion National Park makes three falls in the last month at the popular southwest destination.
The first two Zion hikers who fell died from their injuries, but the third, who reportedly fell 35 feet, was rescued and transported to a local hospital, according to park spokesperson Matt Fink.
Keep reading at the link in @sfgate 's bio.
✍️: Ashley Harrell, National Parks Bureau Chief
On Thursday night, a San Francisco nightclub hosted what organizers billed as the world’s first humanoid robot sports league.
Dubbed “Fight x Dance” and hosted by Ultimate Bots, the event put wig-wearing humanoid robots inside a fighting cage at Temple Nightclub, where a live announcer narrated every jab, duck and sidestep with the intensity of a championship bout while a largely male crowd filmed the spectacle on their phones.
Away from the ring, as music pulsed through the club, attendees mingled in loose circles around the non-fighting robots, who were busy busting a move.
🎥: Camille Cohen/for SFGATE
A laser installation from the nonprofit Illuminate began turning heads Thursday night, sending a dozen colorful beams from the 47th floor of the Transamerica Pyramid toward Coit Tower and One Sansome in the Financial District.
The display will run throughout the weekend.
📷️: Adam Pardee
When San Francisco cable cars are too worn for the rails, they head to a Dogpatch carpentry shop, where a four-man crew rebuilds them piece by piece — and sometimes leaves hidden mementos for future generations to find.
Keep reading at the link in bio.
✍️: Dan Gentile, Senior Culture Editor, @danjeremiah
A video captured aboard a San Francisco ferry showed an unusual sight on the bay this week: a deer swimming through the cold waters far from shore.
The video, shared by Jared Huffman, was filmed by his daughter Abby Huffman, and shows the deer paddling surprisingly close to the ferry.
“Look closely, it’s not a whale that caused the boat to suddenly slow down, and it’s not AI,” Huffman wrote. “It’s something ‘deer’ to all of us!”
Visit the link in @sfgate 's bio for more.
The next five San Francisco Bay Ferry boats officially have names, thanks to more than 26,000 votes cast in a San Francisco Chronicle reader poll.
On Thursday, the ferry system’s board of directors unanimously approved the final picks — all inspired by Bay Area lore.
Details at the link in @sfgate 's bio.
✍️: Timothy Karoff, Culture Reporter
Ballots are already landing in mailboxes across California — and many voters are still undecided.
Seven leading candidates for governor faced off Thursday night in San Francisco for the final major debate before the June 2 primary to replace Gov. Gavin Newsom, sparring over affordability, housing and education and answering a series of rapid-fire yes-or-no questions.
The debate at the Julia Morgan Ballroom marked the fifth gubernatorial faceoff in less than a month.
Find more coverage at the link in @sfgate 's bio.
Bar Part Time, the Mission District wine bar known for its DJs and natural selection of reds and whites, may soon expand into the former home of Senegalese restaurant and live music venue Bissap Baobab.
The new concept would bring another wine-and-dancing destination to the neighborhood.
Details at the link in @sfgate 's bio.
✍️: Susana Guerrero, Senior News Reporter
📷️: Douglas Zimmerman/SFGATE, @deezimpix
Old regulars at Vesuvio, the historic North Beach bar known for its past as a beatnik rendevous, say they’re increasingly being crowded out by younger patrons drawn in by the vibe.
“None of us get it,” said Lor O’Connor, a 36-year-old photographer who has lived in the neighborhood for years. “There’s no entertainment. There’s no DJ.”
The new crowds — those who arrive after dark on Fridays and Saturdays — tend to be outsiders, self-proclaimed bartender emeritus Jack Yaghubian told SFGATE from beneath a straw fedora.
Locals and regulars still come during the day, often timing their stay to end just as the nighttime crowds ramp up.
Find the full story at the link in @sfgate 's bio.
✍️: Nicolle Delgado, SFGATE Contributor
📷️: Kevin Kelleher & Emily Trinh/For SFGATE
After months of political turmoil surrounding San Francisco’s Presidio Trust board of directors, on Thursday, the White House appointed six new members to oversee the national park site, including tech elites and prominent MAGA allies.
Keep reading at the link in @sfgate 's bio.
✍️: Madilynne Medina, News Reporter
