Julie Zigoris

Restored Version of Parrots Documentary Flies Into Theaters The 20th anniversary version of the famed documentary film opens Friday.

I just learned that Mark Bittner, the human star in the documentary film The Wild Parrots of Telegraph Hill, died on March 1st of a heart attack. In honor of his legacy, I'm sharing the piece I wrote about him—he was a wonderful man with a beautiful soul. sfstandard.com/2024/01/12/s...

You could be Berkeley’s next culture critic Berkeleyside is looking for a freelance critic to review plays, identify trends and spotlight the city’s nightlife and its under-the-radar cultural happenings.

Berkeleyside is looking for a freelance critic to review plays, identify trends and spotlight the city’s nightlife and its under-the-radar cultural happenings.

Congratulations Bay Area, you did Super Bowl week proud and won new fans After years of negative news about San Francisco, folks flocking to Super Bowl LX got a taste of what makes the Bay Area wonderful, got a great halftime show and even some football.

After years of negative news about San Francisco, folks flocking to Super Bowl LX got a taste of what makes the Bay Area wonderful, got a great halftime show and even some football.

Only one who got the ball into the end zone was Bad Bunny

Laura Palmer’s House Jeffrey Epstein, Twin Peaks, and dreams of justice.

Last year, I wrote about Jeffrey Epstein and Twin Peaks. I wrote about Laura Palmer. A generation of girls, now women, who grew up in Laura Palmer’s world.
sarahkendzior.substack.com/p/laura-palm...

Jackhammering Into the Sewer A look through the Epstein files.

"If careerists had not been so easy to bribe and blackmail, ordinary people would not have to suffer under this group of sadistic oligarchs and politicians. Our era is the culmination of complicity."
sarahkendzior.substack.com/p/jackhammer...

Are all Patriots fans this soft? Boston radio hosts mock S.F. in idiotic Super Bowl tirade Radio hosts Michael Felger and Tony Massarotti failed the empathy test this week when they took to the airwaves to call San Francisco a “zombie apocalypse.”

Thought I was done writing about the bullshit that outside media says about S.F.

But this pair — making fun of unhoused people in wheelchairs — coaxed me out of retirement.

On loving the city, and the fragility of visiting adult male Patriots fans.

Gift link 🎁

www.sfchronicle.com/totalsf/arti...

Frank's Place 17th and Wisconsin, photo by Jo Babcock - https://jobabcock.com/mission-bay-2/

17th & Wisconsin, 1980s
Much talk of the demise of Thee Parkside (spent many afternoons there after Sunday softball at Jackson Playground) Not sure of the date, but here's a shot from photographer Jo Babcock when it was Frank's Place. The Ferrerro family owned Frank's place for 42 years. #sfhistory

Imagine my surprise when we're in New Orleans for the Chewbacchus parade and what do I see but the EMPEROR NORTON marching band? SF and Nola are sister cities in so many ways.

#Chewbacchus #NOLA #krewe #SF #EmperorNorton #parade #mardigras

Peet’s Is Now the World’s Largest Coffee Company. Would Its Notoriously Exacting Founder Approve? One man’s dissatisfaction with San Francisco’s mid-century coffee scene jump-started a revolution and birthed a global brand.

The Peet's closures throughout the Bay Area have me reflecting on the deep dive I wrote about founder Alfred Peet and his legacy. I could have predicted this—and that the iconic coffee brand's exacting founder would have never approved.
sfstandard.com/2023/04/07/p...

#peets #SF #coffee #BayArea

Thanks, Sarah!

It was great to see you there, David!

The Ancient Myths and Medieval Legends of the Vast Russian Forest A man rows a canoe along a broad, glassy river. As he approaches the sandy shore, he fires two shots from his rifle. Villagers rush to greet him and his honored guest: a bear. The hunter has alread…

On ancient myths, legends, and folklore of Russian forests.

'Moving San Francisco' exhibit highlights 122 years of Muni magic The transit exhibition becomes a history of San Francisco, showcasing notable figures like Phyllis Diller and Harvey Milk.

People *turned out* for the opening of the new Muni exhibition in San Francisco's City Hall. Check it out for yourself: missionlocal.org/2026/01/sf-m...

#SanFrancisco #Muni #theworm #opening #art #cityhall #SF

Claude’s death leaves an alligator-sized hole in S.F. hearts From underdog to heartthrob, Claude the albino alligator's Hollywood-worthy story is a symbol of the city itself.

Reporting on the long tail of sadness left by Claude's death in San Francisco for @missionlocal.org 🐊

#Claude #RIP #SanFrancisco #CalAcademy

missionlocal.org/2025/12/clau...

Pen and wash illustration of an albino alligator laying on a big log

Today in #ArtAdventCalendar, commemorating a local legend. Claude was an albino alligator who lived at the Cal Academy of Sciences. Rest well, Claude.

#artyear #illustration

RIP Claude, who is so beloved in our family we once made his likeness in Rice Krispies for my daughter’s birthday 😭

#claude #calacademy #sanfrancisco

"The future of San Francisco is going to thrive because we look at the past." @peterhartlaub.bsky.social

#SanFrancisco #history #wnp #neighborhoods

What’s in your analog bag? The latest device-free trend contains everything from knitting to notebooks to Tolstoy

Analog Bags—sacks filled with tactile distractions like books and knitting—are a welcome break from phones. @jzigoris.bsky.social asked San Franciscans about the things they carry: sf.gazetteer.co/whats-in-you...

Save all 15 million individual items, some dating back to the 1600s, are waiting to be discovered at The Box SF

@jzigoris.bsky.social reports from inside The Box SF in SoMa, where 15 million pieces of ephemera can yours. sf.gazetteer.co/save-all

Save all 15 million individual items, some dating back to the 1600s, are waiting to be discovered at The Box SF

There's no place in San Francisco — no place in the world — like The Box. Yet so few locals know it exists. I didn't, until a couple months ago. That's why I love reporting on this city; there's always more to uncover.

#sanfrancisco #ephemera #antiques #advertising #sf #soma

When Satan lived at Fisherman’s Wharf For a few years in the 1970s, the Museum of Witchcraft & Magic cast a spell on San Francisco tourists

For Halloween, @jzigoris.bsky.social conjures the spirit of San Francisco’s long lost Museum of Witchcraft & Magic: sf.gazetteer.co/when-satan-l...

When Satan lived at Fisherman’s Wharf For a few years in the 1970s, the Museum of Witchcraft & Magic cast a spell on San Francisco tourists

Real life can be so scary that my historical deep dive into SF’s former museum of witchcraft felt downright charming.

When Satan lived at Fisherman’s Wharf - sf.gazetteer.co/when-satan-l...

#fishermanswharf #sf #witchcraft #magic #halloween

AI Is Coming for the Music Industry. How Will Artists Adapt? | KQED The rise of AI-generated ‘artists’ prompts labor and free speech concerns as big tech aligns itself with the far right.

Don't miss Nastia Voynovskaya's sobering, in-depth report on the state of AI-generated music and musicians — and the avenues left to human musicians (because now we have to specify that):

www.kqed.org/arts/1398257...

San Francisco private school using AI instead of teachers to teach students Students spend just two hours on core subjects, all taught by AI-powered apps instead of teachers. And the adults serve as guides and coaches for when students need motivational and emotional support.

As a former educator, I thought the role of teacher was one thing AI could not replace. Then I learned about this new private school that opened in SF ...

#SanFrancisco #teacher #educator #AI #SF #education

www.cbsnews.com/sanfrancisco...

Hell yes, Pittsburgh. Love Yinz. No Kings.

The Chinese Roots of Northern California’s Wine Industry Run Deep | KQED Despite a long association with Europeans, Chinese laborers established the iconic vineyards of Sonoma and Napa Valleys.

Here's @jzigoris.bsky.social with a deep dive into the Chinese workers who basically built up Northern California's wine country from scratch in the 1860s and 1870s. I didn't know this history! www.kqed.org/arts/1398179...

It’s crazy how they can just start chucking law-abiding people in prison and change societal expectations around that, so that many people just say “welp, that’s just a thing that happens here now (and it ain’t me)!”

Stanford lays off hundreds, citing federal cuts under Trump In messages to faculty and staff, university leaders cited federal policy changes under the Trump administration as key drivers behind the cuts.

In messages to faculty and staff, university leaders cited federal policy changes under the Trump administration as key drivers behind the cuts.