Folsom fashion, Litquake’s parade of words, Michoacán flavors in Redwood City, Black woman-owned cafe in Mission Bay, Lassen’s open trails, Betty Reid Soskin at 104, SF plates on the Top 100 list, AI art in San Jose, a love billboard on 101, and Oakland’s Tiny Plot podcast.

Inclusive fashion at Folsom

Folsom Street Fair returns Sunday with vendor stalls as vivid as the stages — from sequined kaftans and femme harnesses to hand-cut fringe and heritage leather reworked into new shapes. Five and Diamond, Love Lorn Lingerie, Bearly Covered, Krakenwhip, and CantiqLA each carry their own lineage, from pandemic sewing experiments to decades of queer craft.

Together they build a living archive in fabric and metal, where every strap and stitch carries both pleasure and defiance.   — 48Hills

Litquake season

Litquake returns, starting with the Small Press Book Fair on Sunday at Yerba Buena Gardens, where independent publishers, journals, and bookstores set up shop on the lawn. From there, the festival spreads across the city and beyond through October, with events ranging from a panel on writing about wildfire to an evening with US Poet Laureate Ada Limón.

Later in the month, Alta Journal teams up with Litquake to celebrate John Freeman’s California Rewritten, and neighborhood readings fill bars, bookstores, and back rooms. — Alta Journal

Voices in code

At the San Jose Institute of Contemporary Art, Stephanie Dinkins has turned the gallery into a living conversation. Her installation Data Trust gathers oral histories from Bay Area Black communities, feeding them into an AI system that transforms the stories into moving, evolving projections across 14-foot walls.

Visitors can add their own memories through red rotary phones, weaving personal voices into the shifting digital fabric. Supported by the Hewlett 50 Arts Commissions, the project opened to a packed crowd and will remain on view through March 2026. — Bay Area News Group

A plot of their own

In Oakland’s Union Point Park, a group of unhoused residents decided to try something different — building a community where they could write the rules themselves. The new KQED podcast A Tiny Plot follows their experiment, tracing nights in tents, clashes with the city, and the hope of shaping a model for survival.

Reporter Shaina Shealy spent a year recording the daily grind of people who refuse to be defined only by crisis. — KQED

Nation’s oldest park ranger turns 104

Betty Reid Soskin, the nation’s oldest park ranger, marked her 104th birthday with hundreds of students at the East Bay middle school that carries her name. She says her life didn’t really begin until 50 — long before she put on a ranger’s uniform at 84.

Before that she ran a Berkeley record shop and wrote songs for the civil rights movement while raising kids in Walnut Creek. Later she worked for state assembly members, pushing for what became the city of Richmond’s Rosie the Riveter Park — where she eventually took the job of telling its stories herself as a ranger. — Richmondside

Quiet season on the peak

In the far northeast corner of California, Lassen Peak rises above a landscape of steaming vents and alpine lakes. This time of year, its 10,457-foot trail is clear of snow, the days are warm, and the crowds have thinned. The climb is short but steep, with views stretching from Lake Helen to Mount Shasta on the horizon.

For Bay Area hikers, it’s about the same drive as Yosemite or Tahoe — without the long lines or packed trailheads. The park’s geothermal basins, often called a “Little Yellowstone,” add another layer of wonder to a fall visit, making the trip feel both otherworldly and close to home. — SFGate

Michoacán in Redwood City

Mexico’s president Claudia Sheinbaum calls Redwood City home to the best Mexican food in the US, thanks to its deep ties to Aguililla, Michoacán. Families brought recipes, bakeries, and taquerias — including Carnitas El Rincón and Panaderia Michoacán — keeping traditions alive for decades.

Rising housing costs have changed the neighborhood, but for those who stayed the food remains a living connection to home and heritage. — KGO

SF on a plate

San Francisco tastes like the city itself — old favorites, new spots, and a mix of chaos and calm. At Piglet & Co, honey walnut shrimp and pork toast carry sticky sweetness, while Hilda and Jesse’s pancakes pile whipped buttermilk and blueberry syrup into a soft, messy tower.

Gola’s Tunisian deviled eggs with roasted shrimp add spice and nutty depth, and Prubechu’s ko’ko’ wings hit with a sharp, citrusy punch. All of them show up on this Top 100 list, a snapshot of a city forever rewriting its menu. — 7x7

Nirvana in Mission Bay

NBA Champ turned storyteller Festus Ezeli gives a strong endorsement to Nirvana Soul Coffee, a local Black woman-owned coffee shop, which recently opened its fifth location in SF’s Mission Bay.

The San Jose-based company recently partnered with NFL star Chidobe “Chido” Awuzie and will soon be opening locations at SFO and San Jose’s SAP Arena. — Festus Feasts

Love on a billboard

Drivers beware: Lisa Catalano is looking for love — and she’s advertising it on Highway 101. The Bay Area bachelorette has put up digital billboards from Santa Clara to the city, directing curious viewers to her website, marrylisa.com, where applicants can fill out a form and see her likes, lifestyle, and non-negotiables.

Catalano, whose fiancé passed away in late 2023, says she’s ready to love again. The billboards sparked TikTok chatter, but she insists it’s not a stunt: “This is a real endeavor. My goal is to meet the love of my life.” — KRON4

Top image: Bearly Covered/Facebook

Previously: Dancers on Buildings, Cowboys in Oakland, and Fun at the Santa Cruz Boardwalk

Thursday, popscene brings another great act to San Francisco, The Sessions. Hailing from Vancouver, these guys remind us of the Killers, the Bravery, and These Electric Lives. Friday, BAGeL RADIO presents San Francisco's own indie-rock band, Love is Chemicals. Not only a BAGeL RADIO party, it's also Love is Chemicals' CD release party. You can't go wrong with that combination.

The concert that we 100% recommend: Punch Brothers featuring Chris Thile at The Independent. Chris Thile is a genius. Absolute genius. We were so upset that Nickel Creek called it quits and ended their farewell tour with Fiona Apple. (What a terrible idea!) It looks like he has redeemed himself, though. There will be two shows, one at 7pm and the other at 10pm. Punch Brother's new CD comes out February 26th.

Check the jump for full show listings...

We just wish we could take some credit for the change. Oh well. At least she it is gone.

P.S. Yes, we are shallow and mean.

See the before shot after the jump.

Robyn graces the popscene stage on Thursday night in support of her new Rakamonie EP, that was released digitally on January 29th. The UK has already showed their love for Robyn and the EP, as her track “With Every Heartbeat” reached #1 in the charts there. Over in Berkeley, the Audiophiles, will be opening over at Blakes for The Federalists. These four high school guys from San Francisco have been tearing up the local music scene for awhile now and they deserved to be noticed. Update: The Audiophile show is on Friday, not Thursday.

Friday, you have two choices: The Bruises or Editors. If you like smaller venues that serve up amazing local music, then head over to the Red Devil Lounge for The Bruises' CD release party. "We just make music we like, without trying to be a part of any fad or musical trend," says guitarist/singer Jen Black. Now, if you want to see a huge, genuine rock show, then the Editors/Hot Hot Heat/Louis XIV concert at the Warfield, is the place to be. SFist's Krissy saw their 2006 show and said, "Though we’re hard-pressed to find the originality in it, Editors do what they do extremely well." Sounds good enough for us.

Take the jump to see the full listings...

As annoying as Don Bleu is with his "bleupers," Star 101.3 is guilty of something even more annoying. Something that makes our skin crawl every time we glance up at it. Something even more annoying than Alice's whiny Sarah & No Name. The billboard Star 101.3 has in SOMA, which is viewable to 101-South drivers, has been up since late summer. As proud as Oakland must be that the featured STAR Listener is their own tank-top clad Michelle, well, frankly, we're sick of looking at her.

We beg of you Clear Channel Communications, please change the billboard. At least switch it to a more attractive different listener. Please?!

P.S. Who else is stoked that Alice & No Name After Dark has been canceled?

Sara Bareilles (Bar - rell - is) -- summer's hottest, as they say, new singer/songwriter -- has gained a broad fan base throughout the U.S. via her extensive touring and #1 selling album, Little Voice, on iTunes, resulting in an impressive debut on Billboard's Top 200 Album Chart at #45. Praised by critics for its depth and honesty, even Rolling Stone raved "Bareilles' writing voice is uniquely her own." Luckily, we were introduced to Bareilles while covering Aqualung (for our neighbor site, Phillyist) earlier this year at World Cafe Live. We were so impressed with her singing ability, stage presence, and songwriting, we just had to get in touch with her to learn her secrets and get to know her a bit better.

If you haven't had the chance to check out her album, some of our favorites include: "Love Song", "Gravity", and "Between the Lines". Bareilles will co-headline with Jon McLaughlin (another one of my favorites) for an eighteen-city tour. But her touring schedule doesn't stop there. She continues with Paolo Nutini as well as Maroon 5. Unfortunately, this is her only stop in the Bay Area that's scheduled for now, so take this opportunity to check her out tonight. And if you already have plans for Friday night, then do stop by the good-ole Virgin Megastore, pick up her new album, and meet Bareilles in person. Be sure to bring a Sharpie and your camera: we want to see her in-store performance up on youtube later this weekend.

Sara Bareilles and Jon McLaughlin (with Raining Jane) go on tonight at 9 p.m. at Great American Music Hall; for ticket and other info, go here. SOLD OUT

Sara Bareilles meet-n-greet happens tomorrow (Saturday) at 1 p.m. at the Virgin Megastore (Stockton and Market Streets); free.


By Spencer Williams

We don’t know why, but this saddens up deeply, which is horrifying.

Film Arts Foundation
145 Ninth Street #102
San Francisco, CA

We are holding an audition for two Hammer music videos, which will have national distribution. The videos will be show November 29 and 30th. We are looking for 3 featured actresses age, 18-30, and 3 featured actors, age 20-35. Though there may be some minor dancing in the roles, you are not expected to be a professional dancer. The featured roles are paid.

We also need many extras, and dancers so please send this on to anyone you think might be interested. The video should be tons of fun.