Life in the Later Lane
Three generations of a San Francisco family thrived running popular oceanside eatery overlooking Sutro Baths
It was, you might say, the last breakfast. On a summer Saturday in 2020, dozens of family...
Art and science vied for Sarah Young’s heart: Both found a place
Few who end up in the hospital are likely to be thinking about whether there’s a sufficient,...
Baking for bodily autonomy: Nan Wiener tackles controversial end of Roe v. Wade with brownies, macaroons, muffins and more
SENIOR BEAT GUEST COLUMN – Many years ago, I spent a year baking desserts in a restaurant...
New author and former drinker embracing alternative therapies to help others break the habit
Seated in the backroom of a café on Polk Street, Kevagne Kalisch leans against the wall and...
From fisherman to cook to inmate to owner: Frankie Balistreri’s odyssey to opening his dream restaurant
When his mother, Lucrezia, was diagnosed with cancer, then 25-year-old Frankie Gaetano Balistreri cared for her at...
Wisdom of the Japanese Tea Garden helped volunteer Chrisie Giordano come to accept a child’s absence
It’s an overcast summer morning, and Chrisie Giordano is leading a tour of Golden Gate Park’s Japanese...
It’s the little things that count for Margaret Lew, swept up in the world of miniature craftmanship
If you think dollhouses are just for children, you haven’t met the artisans and collectors, like Margaret...
Desire to learn mah-jongg helped Stephanie Riger overcome her own biases toward seniors
SENIOR BEAT GUEST COLUMN – Even though I’m 78 years old, I have resisted seeing myself as...
Retirement can be scary. Library worker hoping the end of his career will be the start of a happy new chapter
Seventy-one-year-old Richard Marino is on the cusp of retirement. And it’s making him anxious. He’s gone through...
German Gonzalez, the maestro of Golden Gate Park, has spread music and joy for more than 50 years
He was in the sixth grade and really wanted to be in the school band. But his...
At 67, Lauren McNamara has embarked on a new career and she’s charming customers at a downtown hotspot.
Lauren McNamara makes sure to remember where the regular clientele at Sam’s Grill like to sit. She...
You can get — almost — anything you want at Joseph Omran’s Nob Hill grocery store
LeBeau Market calls itself Nob Hill’s Community Grocery Store, where you can get almost everything: from Lay’s...
Deborah Drysdale: social justice evangelist, bridge instructor, and amateur mixologist
Summers for Deborah Drysdale meant idyllic days at her grandparents’ cattle ranch in the Blue Ridge mountains...
Jonah Raskin: Tireless Bay Area peace activist, prolific writer, and educator
Jonah Raskin was 10 in 1952, during the height of the anti-communist fervor of the Cold War....
She brought the magic to the screen, finding the perfect San Francisco location to shoot movies, TV shows, and commercials
If you’d been walking along one of the steepest streets in San Francisco one sunny afternoon in...
She relives history as a guide on the SS Jeremiah O’Brien, one of the WWII Liberty ships that brought troops and cargo to Normandy beaches
Eve Maher hands out programs to visitors boarding the SS Jeremiah O’Brien for a tour and memorial...
Pen pals from afar build rich relationship over 60 years through old-fashioned correspondence – no WhatsApp about it
A SENIOR BEAT GUEST COLUMN – My correspondence with Jutta Mengersen (now Brockhaus), the “World’s Ideal Pen...
This Mexican immigrant fought in the ring, started a dozen restaurants, raised five children, and never let defeat wear him down.
When 17-year-old Jose Heriberto Garcia came courting the young girl who’d become his wife, his future mother-in-law...
The ghosts of San Francisco’s past are still there if you only look and listen
SENIOR BEAT COLUMN: I got my first job in San Francisco nearly 40 years ago, in the...
Mutual support but separate hobbies and workshops keep crafty couple’s marriage going strong
A stained glass window by Bill and a "fishing" quilt Etta made for him adorn a hallway...
All Posts
SENIORS TALK: How did you spend New Year’s Eve?
On a cool, clear winter morning, the Noe Valley Town Square is a fine place to sip coffee and chat with friends and neighbors. The former site of an abandoned gas station, the gathering spot on 24th Street is dotted with tables and chairs and is steps away from shops selling coffee and bagels. The ...
From Kezar to Levi’s stadiums, No. 1 49ers fan has kept the faith – and the facts
Martin Jacobs’ love affair with the San Francisco 49ers was in its infancy in 1952 when the nine-year-old entered Kezar Stadium for the first time. He still has that ticket stub and over the years has become a go-to authority on all things 49ers, a collector of team memorabilia, and the author of scores of ...
After the ‘food shock’ and a challenging beginning in U.S., Mexico City emigre finds her way back to her life of art
When Esperanza Villanueva arrived in Lake Tahoe from her native Mexico City in 1994, her hardest adjustment was to the food. “That was a shock,” she said. “There was no food I liked here, not many Mexican products.” She joined her siblings and their families who’d come years earlier and she laughs as she recalls ...
What’s in a memory? And why these – random, insignificant things and events – not the big, more important ones?
SENIOR BEAT COLUMN Over 30 years ago, my mother caught sight of her reflection in a shop window. “Who is that familiar old woman?” she asked herself, and she smiled broadly telling me the story. “Suddenly I realized it was me! I was so shocked I could only burst out laughing!” I remember also, when ...
Social worker turned fiduciary finds meaningful career in protecting seniors from scammers
The battle to protect seniors from scammers after their savings or property is a never-ending one. Tom Lucas is one of its warriors. Lucas is a professional fiduciary obligated by law to act in his client’s best interests. In California, fiduciaries are appointed by the probate court to take care of an adult who is ...
SENIORS TALK: What do you do for fun and relaxation?
The On Lok 30th Street Senior Center on Aug. 22, opened in 1979, when a small group of seniors asked for a room in the building to start a social club. Today, in addition to meals, health workshops, bilingual case management and aging and disability resource center, some 6,700 older adults participate in its more than ...
