Outside Lands San Francisco

As a World's Fair, the Golden Gate International Expo, held on Treasure Island in 1939-40, brought together exhibits from all over the globe. One exhibit featured artists (both notable and unknown) creating their art, some of which visitors could actually purchase. Some of the commissioned works were destined to be displayed at City College. This week, Nicole and Michael talk about the GGIE artist...

Have you visited our Museum at The Cliff? Through mid-April 2022, see artifacts from the Cliff House and Sutro Baths, now on display (Thurs-Sun) in our free pop up museum at the former Cliff House Gift Shop. Some pieces were saved, first from the fire at the Sutro Baths (the topic of this podcast) and again more recently when a fundraising effort allowed Western Neighborhoods Project to acquire th...

Museum at the Cliff is now open! Our pop up museum is open Friday-Monday (11:00 - 4:00 PM) at the former Cliff House gift shop until mid-April 2022. https://www.outsidelands.org/Event/500. In celebration (and because we're crazy busy) we're repodcasting Cliff House and Adoph Sutro-related episodes. This week's podcast is on Adolph Sutro's women.

Not long ago, the sound of shotguns echoed around Lake Merced. Until 2015, skeet shooting at the Pacific Rod & Gun Club was a regular occurrence. This week, Nicole and Michael explore the Club's origins and colorful history on the shores of Lake Merced.

Elizabeth Larke Blodgett, mother and passionate supporter of returning Great War soldiers, took her doll house making hobby to incredible levels. One masterpiece miniature house, has been featured at the Emporium downtown and at the Cliff House, Nicole and Michael are joined by a very special guest and Elizabeth's granddaughter, Janet Dyer.

AP Giannini Middle School was one of many SF schools built in the 1950s to educate the growing baby boomer generation. Originally part of the Sunset Community Center, the school was named after a well known financier and San Francisco icon. This week, sharpen your #2 pencils as Nicole and Michael take you back to school.

For over eighty years, Stern Grove has served as a premier outdoor venue for music festivals. This week, Nicole and Michael explore the rich history of performances and who's on the calendar this Summer.

Today, we know the Olympic Club as an exclusive, members-only golf course and host to major tournaments. Like many things in San Francisco with 100+ year history, there are stories of financial gymnastics, crimes, and inspiration. Plus listener mail and upcoming virtual and in-person events.

When viewing images on OpenSFHistory.org, you may notice some of most memorable photos of early San Francisco are credited to either Carleton Watkins or Isaiah West Taber. As competitors, they photographed notable sites in the City, including the West Side, and have a surprising connection with one another.

The Polo Fields in Golden Gate Park has been THE event location for over a hundred years. After our June hiatus, Nicole and Michael return to tell the origin story and the major events that continue to be held there to this day. Anyone heard of Outside Lands?

The next time you visit or attend a concert at Stern Grove, take a short walk over to the Trocadero Clubhouse. In this week's repodcast, we learn how the Trocadero was happening hot spot, dating back to the early 1900s.

Residents of San Francisco have a wonderful resource for discovering the history of their home. In this repodcast, then SF City Assessor, Carmen Chu joins the POD to discuss the photos and historical records available to the public, and an exciting project with the library.

Instagram has turned this Moraga street stairway into a must see location on the West Side. In this classic podcast, we review the origins of the tiled steps and hopefully inspire you to go out and experience them (again) for yourself.

Open or keep closed? As life slowly returns to normal, what should be done with the currently closed-to-traffic section of the Great Highway? In this classic 2014 podcast, David & Woody provide some food for thought on the Great Highway's past and more recent history.

What is Western Neighborhoods Project all about? During our June podcast hiatus, we repodcast one of our favorite episodes about the organization itself. We'll be back in July with fresh history, until then enjoy these classics.

Mount Olympus in the Asbury Heights neighborhood is home to the Triumph of Light Statue. This week, Nicole and Arnold chat about the ideas behind the statue, its evolving designs, and the ceremonies of the unveiling.

Lake Merced has been an important area of San Francisco before there even was a San Francisco. This week, we chronicle the pre-European history, Spanish settlement, and the emergence of Lake Merced as an important San Francisco resource.

The Jesse B. Cook collection at the Bancroft Library is an amazing assortment of photos and ephemera spanning early 20th century San Francisco. Jesse Cook himself also has a fascinating, but complicated history. Learn how he compiled this cherished collection as one of San Francisco's earliest and prolific scrapbookers.

There is another large outdoor cross in San Francisco, and this one is in Golden Gate Park. As a bonus, this one comes with its own water feature. Today's Pod covers the origins and construction of Prayerbook Cross and Rainbow Falls.

The western themed, Fun-Tier Town was added to Playland at the Beach in 1960. It featured rides that were designed to be enjoyed by younger children. And for special occasions, there was a large room in a western motif, where parents could purchase a party package (food and favors) that could host 20 or more sugar-fueled screaming kids.

McCoppin Square Park is likely the oldest public park in the Outside Lands. But who was McCoppin? Why is a park in the Sunset named after him? Nicole and Michael explore the history of this groundbreaking parcel of land.

Golden Gate Park was home to several refugee camps in the aftermath of the '06 Quake & Fire. Richmond District historian John Freeman joins the Pod to share his extensive research on the Park sites that sheltered thousands of San Franciscans.

Over 1000 images of the SF music scene from the 70s and 80s have been added to OpenSFHistory.org. The photographer who captured images of the Grateful Dead, Santana, the Rolling Stones, and many more, Greg Gaar joins the pod to share stories of his life and work.

San Francisco in the 60s gave rise to the counter-culture movement and Gary Warne was front and center. The Pod this week welcomes author John Law, who knew Gary and recalls the underground places and events that shape San Francisco to this day.

When the Cliff House suddenly closed in December 2020, its collection of treasures from Sutro Baths, Playland, and the Cliff House itself were put up for auction. Learn how a scrappy group of like-minded preservationists banded together to save some of the most significant pieces of the collection and what's next for the collection.