As the sun sets and the Oakland Zoo’s animal residents move indoors, the outdoor walkways and hills of the zoo awake into a winter wonderland known as Glowfari. Thousands of lights and hundreds of animal lanterns greet visitors while brightening up the longest Bay Area winter nights. The lantern festival replaced Zoolights, a feature at the … Read more
49ers fans like these two seen a Dec. 31, 2023 game in Landover, Maryland have big dreams for the 2024 year. But any trip to the Super Bowl looks like it’ll be quite pricey. Greg Fiume/Getty Images The 49ers’ path to the Super Bowl got a little clearer on Sunday with a win over the Commanders. … Read more
The wall outside the de Young Open features the names of all the selected artists, as seen on Artist’s Day 2023. Photo by Nic Meerholz When the call for entries went out for the massive community art exhibition known as the de Young Open, it was all Rachel Leibman’s friends in the Bay Area art community … Read more
An order of chilaquiles, a tamale plate, and an open-face pork taco arabe al pastor sit ready for pickup by customers at the Primavera stall at the Ferry Plaza Farmers Market on Saturday, April 15, 2023. Adam Pardee/Special to SFGATE We inhale authentic shrimp po’boys in Bayview and find the most New York-style pizza slices in … Read more
Golden sunrise over San Francisco by @andystokesphoto. Instagram / andystokesphoto The San Francisco Bay Area is one of the most stunningly beautiful locales in the world. We have the images to prove it. Each year, photographers spread out around the Bay Area, climbing the highest peaks and strolling the streets of downtown San Francisco with … Read more
Cioppino at Sotto Mare in North Beach in San Francisco on Jan. 19, 2023. Douglas Zimmerman/SFGATE It’s been a year of ups and downs for Eat Like a Tourist, the column where I bravely dine at San Francisco’s most touristy restaurants to see if they’re actually good. Union Square’s Cheesecake Factory may have been a disappointing … Read more
Dino’s Family Restaurant, at 36930 Fremont Blvd. in Fremont, is closing after 46 years. Google Maps Dino’s Family Restaurant, a longstanding diner in Fremont, is permanently closing after 46 years. Owners Toula and Bill Sinodinos shared the news in a Facebook post earlier this month, where they also thanked customers for their support over the … Read more
When California Gov. Gavin Newsom named his son Dutch in 2016, it wasn’t because he had some unknown affinity for the Netherlands. Dutch Newsom, the governor’s youngest, was named for Dutch Flat, for Dutch Flat, California, a tiny Sierra Nevada town off Interstate 80 about an hour from Lake Tahoe. After his parents divorced and his father … Read more
FILE: A view of Anchor Brewing Co. on Aug. 3, 2017, in San Francisco. Justin Sullivan/Getty Images The Bay Area said goodbye to many businesses in 2023. But some closures, like those of long-lived neighborhood restaurants and massive department stores, came with a dose of surprise, even shock. While a new year always brings hope, … Read more
Jo Koy is set to host the 2024 Golden Globes, bringing his brand of observational humor to the oft-maligned awards show. However, Koy was only offered the gig after a different San Francisco Bay Area comedian reportedly turned it down. While not from the Bay Area originally, Koy based his 2022 film “Easter Sunday” in … Read more
