About

This site aims to explore histories forgotten and places unfound in the greatest American city. Those who live in San Francisco know that it has a rich history, from the original Ohlone inhabitants, to the Gold Rush, to the quake of '06, and into the modern era.

It is a small city, a dense collection of hills and neighborhoods, parks and populations. It's a challenge, even for those of us who've lived here a decade or more, to fully expose ourselves to it. There are spots that remain hidden, and even the spots that we've seen and experienced are often not fully known.

Sometimes it takes extra effort to discover areas that might hide an anonymous treasure, due to some arbitrary social obstacle. But I subscribe to a code of ethics that states in part:

Too many of us think the only things worth looking at in our cities and towns are those safe and sanitized attractions that require an admission fee. It's no wonder people feel unfulfilled as they shuffle through the maze of velvet ropes on their way out through the gift shop.

Urban explorers strive to actually earn their experiences, by making discoveries that allow them to get in on the secret workings of cities and structures, and to appreciate fantastic, obscure spaces that might otherwise go completely neglected.

My name's Jeff. I produced a podcast called The RU Sirius Show, and published a little blog called 10 Zen Monkeys. Way back in the day I edited one of the web's very first magazines, GettingIt.com.

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