Welcome to my Substack!
San Francisco Uncovered: Exploring the cultural landscape of the city, from 1849 to today
Photo by Mary Hammel on Unsplash
I’m not from San Francisco, haven’t lived here that long (about 5 years in the city proper, 12 years in the Bay Area), and definitely know less about it than many other people.
But I’m fascinated by the city’s culture, love reading about it, and enjoy writing. So I’m going to give this a shot!
I’m regularly inspired by great sources like FoundSF, OpenSFHistory, and unique pieces like this fascinating 2012 Daily Kos rundown of local politics.
I also hope to consult books and documents at the San Francisco History Center in the SF Public Library’s main branch.
What will this be about?
Could be anything about the culture of San Francisco and the Bay Area!
There won’t be a narrative tying the posts together, they’ll simply consist of whatever I’m interested in the moment. But I’m intending to focus on lesser-known topics or unique angles. Think “nuances of 49ers fandom” or “why was Victorian-era spiritualism so popular here”?
Will there be politics? Sure, in fact, the next post just might be. But I hope to keep it to a reasonable amount.
This most definitely won’t be about what is good or bad about the city. I prefer to be descriptive, not prescriptive.
The details
I work full time and have other hobbies, so I plan on starting with one post per month, and seeing where it goes from there. Everything will be free and don’t expect to charge subscriptions, but who knows?
I respect your time so will try to write concisely. Some topics may be longer, but only if I think the content justifies it.
Hope you enjoy!