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
Texas upbringing launched this progressive’s volunteer political career
Susan Pfeifer has volunteered for political causes and elected officials since she was a teenager. Her first political action was wearing a John F. Kennedy button to high school in 1960 – once. “It didn’t raise my popularity profile, let’s just say that.” Pfeifer grew up in Dallas, a conservative bastion in the 1950’s and ...
Muttville a place where seniors can find their late-in-life soulmates – or just come for a cuddle
Leah Grant wanted a dog companion to help her deal with her health issues. Muttville brought her “Gloria,” a pretty, white fluff of fur with a copper-colored topcoat. It was love at first sight for both of them. “I sprint down my hill now after I passed my cardiovascular test.” said Grant. “I owe it ...
Litquake Elder Project writings borne of experience, sharpened with wit and wisdom
Published poet Lisa Galloway is the person who added the Elder to Litquake. A spinoff of the popular, annual Bay Area Litquake Festival – Oct. 11-20 – the Litquake Elder Project is a writing program for seniors that offers instruction, community and the opportunity to share their voices. On Oct. 17, a Litquake Elder All-Star ...
Bayview breast cancer group offers support – and an annual celebration lunch
OUR COLUMNS African American women who have survived cancer gathered at the Lutheran Church of Our Savior on Oct. 11 not just for support – but for the annual lunch celebration sponsored by the church and the Bayview Imani Breast Cancer Support Group. It was a day to greet old friends, enjoy good food, and ...
Neighbors giving back make the world a better place – for themselves, too
CREATING COMMUNITY – Al Crowell arranges speakers and dinners for Sierra Club meetings. Margaret Graf advises the city on senior issues and launched “Senior Power!” Ed Mason monitors Google commuter buses for violations of city regulations. Ellen Zhou searches for seniors to serve on San Francisco’s Civil Grand Jury. Arete Nicholas answers community questions and ...
Experience, maturity give senior volunteers a leg up and new life in San Francisco supervisors’ offices
“It’s good to be around people and around the supervisor. I’m honored to be in his office. This is the happiest I’ve ever been in my life.” – Nancy Young Jesus Barragan remembers a caller to Supervisor Hillary Ronen’s office who had received a notice from Medicare saying her payments were going to be ...
