Peter Hartlaub
@peterhartlaub
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San Francisco Chronicle culture critic; #TotalSF co-founder & podcast host. Spends too much time in the archive. S.F. 🌁 Oaktown 🌳 Alameda ⚓️
East Bay
Joined August 2009
The Chronicle building turns 100 this week! 🗞️🎂🥂 I wouldn't have known about our birthday — no one would — if it weren't for a mysterious black photo book passed through generations of @sfchronicle librarians. A short thread ... 🧵 https://t.co/HbHMzD2nnI
sfchronicle.com
The leather-bound book passed down for generations depicts the San Francisco Chronicle newsroom’s grand opening at 901 Mission St. in 1924 — and how much has changed.
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We asked Bay Area readers for their favorite secret destinations. 96% said "I'm not telling you, because then it wouldn't be a secret." But the other 4% knocked it out of the park. (Gift link 🎁 for all the koi lovers 🎏) https://t.co/97heuzHcZO
sfchronicle.com
The odd museums, hidden arcades, under-the-radar hikes and other hidden gems that make the Bay Area so fascinating.
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With apologies to Crockett & Sunol, Martinez is my new No. 1 choice if I need to go into witness relocation in the Bay Area. I went there by bike & train (🫡 @Amtrak Capitol Corridor 🚆) and built a case to make this your next day trip. 🦫🍸💯 https://t.co/fgVF8t3KMD
sfchronicle.com
Culture critic Peter Hartlaub says he knew this Contra Costa town for its imposing row of refinery equipment along the highway, but a train trip downtown changed everything.
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"This exists in San Francisco?" That will be your mantra on the city's new perimeter trail — a path filled with good dogs, great sandwiches, art, and a reassuring number of public restrooms. I covered it all by bike. Here are the highlights: 🚴♀️ 🌁 ❤️ https://t.co/B6qfEi7nZ1
sfchronicle.com
Where to stop on San Francisco's new perimeter trail, including Heron Head Park, Cayuga Playground and more under-the-radar city treasures.
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Another very fun story from a reader tip: Had a great time hanging out in The Flipper Room, a Concord frame shop that's also ... a pinball arcade? (They blend together perfectly.) Also a stealth story about work/life balance. https://t.co/278e2r5vYz
sfchronicle.com
The Flipper Room may be the only business in the world where you can play “Stranger Things” pinball and frame a Monet print. Turns out that makes perfect business sense.
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A different perspective on the Sunset Dunes debate. Gift link 🎁⬇️ https://t.co/AqN8vRrEz6
sfchronicle.com
Culture critic Peter Hartlaub ran Sunset Dunes with a blind marathoner and a man with Parkinson’s disease. They offered new perspective about San Francisco’s stunning but imperfect parks system.
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He's blind living in supportive housing near the Tenderloin. He's also learned how to ride horses, has run a dozen marathons, joined a choir and is launching his latest art exhibition. Is Lord Frederick the most interesting man in San Francisco? 👑 🌁 https://t.co/R5Z9NUhZGq
sfchronicle.com
San Francisco history is full of eccentric characters who grew into legends. Add to that list Lord Frederick, the blind, gay, marathon-running artist who may be the city’s most interesting man.
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Crosstown Trail just dropped a third route! It's a 38-mile loop around the city and I can't wait to try it on my bike. Map of the route, origin story and more details here ⬇️ 🌁 🚴♂️ ❤️ https://t.co/5AucZ29kt9
sfchronicle.com
Here’s where you’ll go on the Roundabout, the new San Francisco perimeter loop from the founders of the Crosstown Trail.
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This East Bay park was a notorious landfill. Now it’s an art-filled wonderland. Check out our fun & inspiring tour through the past and present of Albany Bulb — with A++ photography by @BronteWittpenn! https://t.co/egblqH6sK2
sfchronicle.com
Driftwood sculptures, marble runs and a 30-year-old “castle”: This former shoreline dumping ground has transformed into one of the Bay Area’s most unique hikes.
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Used the @sfchronicle archive to rank the Valkyries among all-time Bay Area pro sports underdogs. The Plunkett Raiders were a cinematic team that shocked the world. “Moneyball” A’s not so much. (Their preseason odds to win the World Series were 8-1!) https://t.co/X4eiUFfz8z
sfchronicle.com
The Bay Area is filled with underdog sports stories — from the San Francisco 49ers’ first Super Bowl team to the “We Believe” Warriors. Where do the Golden State Valkyries fit?
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I went to four block parties in five hours to get a barometer reading of San Francisco. Still greatly upset that I just missed the tween rock band "Stranger Danger," but otherwise learned a ton about the city. #TotalSF 🌁❤️ https://t.co/qAcT05KjTu
sfchronicle.com
A city “in transition,” a dystopian abyss or just a community shedding its skin again? I visited four block parties in five hours to seek the answer.
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Some sad news to report: Angel/Zeke the East Bay Vivarium's two-headed snake has died, one day shy of their 1st birthday. RIP Angel/Zeke. You were the coolest snakes 🐍 🙏 https://t.co/4JmzwbQJM9
sfchronicle.com
East Bay Vivarium’s rare California kingsnake was expected to live just a few hours. The reptile became a social media star and survival story.
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I wanted to find out how the first bison arrived in Golden Gate Park. It turned into an episode of "Deadwood." Bison in San Francisco 4ever. 🦬🌁❤️ https://t.co/FZcLiw34LV
sfchronicle.com
San Francisco was an unlikely place for bison, but a herd has lived in Golden Gate Park home for years. The backstory includes a slaughter, a frontiersman and conservation-minded city leaders.
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My apology to Foster City I lived 3 miles away as a teen, and mostly remember it as a labyrinth where I'd get lost looking for house parties Returned by bike/kayak for the @sfchronicle, and found architecture, budget yachting and "Foster City Jesus" ... https://t.co/vOt7jFLN9d
sfchronicle.com
This lagoon-filled Peninsula town went from marshland to 32,000 residents. Devoid of deep history or a charming downtown, it’s a surprisingly great place to hang out.
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Nude sunbathers, Willie Mays, JB Pritzker's dad and a window to a secret diorama of a couple making love. Ruth Asawa's San Francisco Fountain is the ultimate treasure hunt. We get a tour of the Union Square fountain and share its best secrets. ⛲ 🌁 ❤️ https://t.co/eaVzukGT2m
sfchronicle.com
Asawa’s son shows us the delightful details and hidden scenes of the artist’s ‘San Francisco Fountain’
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What you do at a corporate multiplex is between you and your god. But please stop smuggling food into independent theaters. I get theater owners’ best stories, cop to my own hypocrisy & possibly ruin kimchi for you forever. 🍿💸 https://t.co/BgiVNPBXaR
sfchronicle.com
From bottles of wine to buckets of fried chicken, Bay Area movie theater owners and managers have some wild stories about things patrons have snuck into cinemas.
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@peterhartlaub Some other highlights on the northern side, The Jepsen Laurel tree, a noted picnic spot going back to the Californios (and a good place to turn back if you're walking from the dam) and the San Andreas Fault crossing on the earthen dam between the lakes
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I returned to Crystal Springs reservoir after 40 years, and found a lovely hiking spot — and an archive mystery featuring a town buried underneath a lake. RIP Crystal Springs Hotel. Minus the lack of antibiotics, the late 1800s in San Mateo seem fun. https://t.co/406UJMdi9L
sfchronicle.com
San Francisco’s water comes from a reservoir adored as a hiking spot by residents in San Mateo County. But few know its contentious backstory.
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Don't call them "traps." 21 San Francisco tourist spots every local should visit. With a natives-friendly souvenir shop in North Beach, a miniature golf course designed by local artists and a double Irish coffee you can take on the road. #TotalSF 🌁❤️ https://t.co/YGiyDNRkM3
sfchronicle.com
From Alcatraz Island to the Pier 39 sea lions, these are the tourist destinations even locals should visit
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And here's the fun Part II of my Alcatraz story! Are you a longtime local? Which iconic tourist spots and landmarks have you missed out on? I'm going to ride cable cars, visit Alcatraz & go to drag shows and Giants games with some longtime readers ... https://t.co/vVkciLACUy
sfchronicle.com
Take our survey and you could get an invite to eat a Mission burrito or ride a cable car.
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I'll be 55 on Saturday. It's literally my @sfchronicle job to explore S.F. and pass on finds to others. And up until last month, I had never visited one of the two most renown landmarks in the city. I finally checked out Alcatraz. Was it worth the wait? https://t.co/gDC4Pc0nuw
sfchronicle.com
President Donald Trump’s idea to reopen Alcatraz prison is ridiculous for many reasons, but high among them: It’s a tremendously successful tourist destination, Peter Hartlaub writes.
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