Storied: San Francisco

Angela Tabora grew up in LA and moved to San Francisco to go to SF State not knowing a whole lot about the city. After moving around her first couple of years in college, including a stint at a party house in the Sunset, she needed a new place where she could focus on graduating. That's how she ended up finding the San Francisco Morehouse. In this podcast, Ange talks about some of the people she l...

As a lifelong San Franciscan, Ariel Vitale has a unique perspective on the changes the city has undergone in recent years. In this podcast, the actor compares the city of today with how it was back in the 1980s, 1990s, and even the early 2000s. If you missed  Part 1 , please go back and hear Ariel talk about growing up in the Tenderloin and going to ballet school at age 9. We recorded this podcast...

Ariel Vitale was born at Mt. Zion hospital in the 1980s. He was raised in Tenderloin and started going to SF ballet school at age 9. In this podcast, Ariel talks about growing up in San Francisco. His family was evicted when he was young, and he shares what it was like moving from home to home in one of the city's toughest neighborhoods. Check back Thursday, when Ariel compares the San Francisco o...

Sloane Kanter loves the drag queen scene in San Francisco. In a city in the midst of rapid and drastic changes, she sees that community as holding out strongly. In this podcast, Sloane talks about her passion for photographing drag queens. She mentions some of favorite venues and queens, and she ends the episode on a high note. ​We recorded this podcast in the Tenderloin in October 2018. Film phot...

You might not know it, but somewhere in your house/apartment/flat/garage lives at least one or two posters from shows you certainly remember. They're there with other show posters, but what makes these distinctive is the artist who created them. In this podcast, Lil Tuffy shares how he got into the art of making show posters. He talks about the people he met and was influenced by, how his style ch...

Prolific AF poster artist  Lil Tuffy  moved to San Francisco in the late-1990s, as the city was about to experience its first tech bust. He came mostly for the music, although the company he was working for in Pittsburgh decided to relocate here around the same time. In this episode, Tuffy shares his story of moving to the city and immediately immersing himself in the music scene here. He goes on...

​Bhautik Joshi (S1E3) and David Brooks live in the same neighborhood. They're both artists, but their lives couldn't be more different. Go back and listen to Part 1 to discover the odd way that they met. In this episode, Bhautik and David talk about their neighborhood—Potrero Hill. For them, it's a microcosm of what's going on in the city as a whole lately. But they have one idea of how to make th...

To help elevate the voices and stories of Black San Franciscans, we'll be rerunning those episodes over the next few weeks. We'll be back with new stories from your neighbors down the road a bit. At our Two Storied Nights events in Nov. 2018, a funny thing happened. In this podcast, David Brooks and Bhautik Joshi  talk about that night, which brought them together in a really unusual way. We recor...

In this podcast, K.R. shares what being a high school creative writing teacher means to her. She talks about the changes she's seeing in San Francisco reflected in the students in her classes. Lastly, she describes how teaching kids to write gives them confidence that they can apply to any aspect of their lives. If you missed  Part 1 , when K.R. talked about moving to San Francisco and learning to...

K.R. Morrison moved to San Francisco in 1997. In this podcast, she talks about the differences between people like her who came here in the late-'90s and those who've come over the past several years. She also describes what it was that drew her here and what's kept her calling San Francisco home for more than 20 years. Check back Thursday for Part 2, when K.R. will talk about what being a public...

In this episode, Maddy and I talk about various aspects of art, including Instagram "treasure hunts," putting on DIY art shows, and how artists are or are not surviving in today's economy. If you missed  Part 1 , please go back and listen. We recorded this podcast in Contra Costa County in November 2018. Film photography by  Michelle Kilfeather

Painter Madeleine Tonzi moved to the Bay Area from Santa Barbara in 2007 to go to art school. She quickly fell in love with the drum 'n' bass scene in San Francisco and parties that featured underground musicians. In this podcast, Maddy shares her story of moving here. For her, the underground party scene gave way to visual arts. She talks about coming to love street art and the murals in the Miss...

Melinda Uno knows some bad-ass women. In 2015, they hatched a plan to ride motorcycles across Mexico, with Melinda joining in to document the adventure. This podcast is the story of that ride. Melinda reflects on some of the lessons she learned on that trip and how they relate to what's going on here in San Francisco. If you missed Part 1, please listen to that episode. Photography by Melinda Uno

Welcome to Season 2 of Storied: San Francisco podcast. This season won't be too different from what you heard in Season 1. The changes are mostly cosmetic—new theme music, a new look for the website, that sort of thing. Michelle and I learned a lot the first year, and we hope to bring some fresh perspectives to this project. Our theme this season is: What is it about this place? What draws people...

It's been a minute. Michelle and Jeff take a break from their break to reflect on Season 1 and how Michelle got involved to begin with. We talk about getting ready for Season 2 and everything we're doing to set up our two-day event,  Two Storied Nights , on Nov. 9 and 10. We're so happy to have brought you 49 different storytellers in Season 1, and now, we want to meet you! Two Storied Nights is y...

As we learned in  Part 1 , Gary Weinstein moved to San Francisco in 1971 and started driving Muni buses right away. In this podcast, Gary shares some of the juicier stories from behind the wheel. He ends the episode talking about what prompted him to cover his body in tattoos. That's it for Season 1 of Storied: San Francisco. We hope you've enjoyed it. We'll be back with Season 2 on Nov. 13, but i...

Gary Weinstein grew up in Buffalo, New York. He chose not to go to nursing school and decided instead, in 1971, to move to San Francisco. After a couple of short-lived gigs, he got a job driving Muni buses. In this podcast, Gary talks about his time with Muni, from his adventures while training to his distaste for driving light-rail vehicles. Check back Thursday for Part 2, the final podcast of St...

Bertha Fajardo has been with the Giants since 1997. In this podcast, she talks in more detail about the work she does with the Giants, which involves both current and former players, their families, and groups in the city and around the Bay Area. In case you missed it, check out  Part 1 of Bertha's episode . We recorded this podcast at AT&T Park in August 2018. Film photography by  Michelle Kilfea...

Bertha Fajardo grew up going to games at both Candlestick Park and the Oakland Coliseum. Her dad and uncles got her started, but her love of the game survived her teenage years, and in 1997, she got a job with the Giants. In her role as manager of Community and Family Programs, Bertha oversees much of the charitable work that current and former Giants players and their families are involved in. ​I...

​Mike Lynch paid his dues in San Francisco. His business,  Babylon Burning , which he's owned since 1999 and which has been open since 1976, recently attained legacy status with the city. In this podcast, Mike talks about what it means to own a small business here. He shares his aim to support other local businesses, reflects on how the city has changed over the years, and discusses the things he...

Mike Lynch grew up in Maine. In the 1980s, so many of his New England friends had moved to San Francisco that he decided to give it a try. More than 30 years later, he owns a business and a home and has a family. In this episode, Mike talks about the printing jobs he had, which eventually led him to the shop he owns today— Babylon Burning  in SoMa. Sidenote: Mike's shop made the Storied: SF T-shir...

Pepper Alexandria is a belly dancer and dance instructor these days. She puts on a big show every year called Carnival of Stars. She moved to San Francisco in 1968, in the heyday of the hippie movement. In this podcast, Pepper talks about shows she went to, bands she knew, and venues they played at. She shares stories of underground comix and their parties, which she often danced at. She ends the...

Kevin DeMattia has bartended and barbacked at Big Heart City, the Black Cat, the Blind Tiger, and the Chi Chi Club. He eventually got introduced to Bender's in the Mission. From the first time he set foot in the bar, Kevin felt like he was home. He got a job there, and right as he felt he had hit his stride in San Francisco, Bender's burned down. In this episode, Kevin walks us through his jobs in...

It's 2004. September 11 wasn't even three years removed yet. But Kevin DeMattia had a thing for climbing large buildings and structures, and Sutro Tower was calling his name. ​In this podcast, Kevin, who co-owns Bender's Bar and Grill in the Mission and Emperor Norton's Boozeland in the Tenderloin, shares the story of conquering the 977-foot TV and radio antenna tower that has become quite the ico...

In this episode, San Francisco Giants Executive VP of Communications Staci Slaughter shares stories about opening the team's new stadium in China Basin—PacBell Park, as it was known back in 2000. She tells stories about Barry Bonds, playoff games, World Series wins, and parades down Market Street. She ends the podcast with some reflections on Giants fans. We recorded this podcast at AT&T Park in J...