Sometimes, we need a little bit more than just poetry and music. Sometimes we have the urge to witness a wild-eyed man with one sweater sleeve missing shove pieces of paper into a coconut and then set it on fire - all while someone yells about why bird porn is a serious issue. The 16th &... More >>

San Francisco’s Chinatown is the oldest in North America and the largest Chinese community outside of Asia. It’s also one of the densest neighborhoods in the country, with over 75,000 people per square mile. Chinatown attracts more tourists than the Golden Gate Bridge, yet most... More >>

African-American Shakespeare Company’s production of Cat on a Hot Tin Roof excises neither “redneck” nor the n-word from the original script. Director L. Peter Callender “hasn’t changed a word,” aside from creating his own hybrid of playwright Tennessee... More >>

History isn’t boring, but far too often, the person telling it is. Forget dense books about politicians that all but ensure a midday nap. Turn off the History Channel’s neverending World War II coverage. In fact, get up off the couch and walk out the front door, because The Whole... More >>

Eric Kipp may be brilliant. Without a doubt, the spirit of San Francisco itself pulses quickly in his veins, because he is the creator of Hiking Yoga. It's exactly what it sounds like; you follow the charge up one of our butt-bustin' hills, and once you're up there, the organizer/sherpas hand... More >>

Coit Tower has its history, and it's definitely got its views -- and some of the best of each is inside the tower itself. The murals, commissioned during the beginning of the New Deal in the 1930s as a way to get artists back to work were painted by some masters in modern art history. After... More >>

Do yourself a favor: Today is the California Academy of Sciences Free Day. Emphasis on day -- perfect for the funderemployed, who more than anyone deserve a day of brain-melting beauty. So ditch the gray pounding and run-run-run pace of the city, in favor of the 4-story rainforest exhibit, to... More >>

Comedy shows in bars can be an odd mix, especially when a birthday or bachelorette party means lots of stiff drinks and dildos strapped to the heads of the women tearing it up in their final hours before marriage. These giggling “dickheads” can be a comedian’s worst nightmare, as... More >>

LGBT performance art thrives on multiple levels in San Francisco. Trannyshack leads the recurring clubs that are escorting drag into the 21st century. Kirk Read and Larry-bob Roberts head monthly open mic Smack Dab. Local choreographers Laura Arrington and Jesse Hewit push boundaries in their... More >>

Finding your voice as a writer is hard. Finding your voice as an erotic writer is all but impossible. In one direction is “awkward and clinical.” In another is “Anne Rice.” And there’s literally hundreds of others that result in the rough equivalent of “I have a... More >>

As a self-described "logical extension of a free public library," our local free walking-tour company is, like most libraries, a fascinating mash of nerdy and white-hot rad. The San Francisco City Guides walking tours happen every day (except major holidays), are free, and follow in the... More >>

Charlie Anders, blond of bob and mini of skirt, is the hostess with the mostest at her literary hootenanny, Writers with Drinks. (She's also the news editor of io9, Gawker's sci-fi/fantasy blog.) Aside from Anders' charming ways, the lineup of readers is always delightful. Novelists, poets,... More >>

Politicians and news outlets have started using the term "WPA" again — have you noticed? The Works Progress Administration, of course, put people to work during and after the Great Depression. Even artists were paid to work; the WPA encompassed projects that employed actors, painters, and... More >>

Mud wrestling is so over. It's like Dynasty or that mechanical-bull thing that John Travolta made famous about 50 years ago in Oklahoma or Kansas or wherever that movie was. Here in sexy San Francisco -- in the enlightened 21st century -- we have lube wrestling, namely Go Deep: Let's Wrestle.... More >>

Many of us who call this expensive city home spend nearly all of our income on rent. This leaves us with little cash leftover, besides a few bucks for essentials, like food (and beer). And if you’re like many in San Francisco who are concerned about the food they consume, then you might... More >>

Recognizing that the noble pursuits of geekery and nerd culture are alive and well in San Francisco, The Avengers of Comedy have arrived to celebrate and skewer the culture of flamboyant intelligence that thrives in this region. Tonight’s installment is the sequel to an idea local... More >>

Between 1853 and 1861, Fort Point was constructed by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to prevent entrance of a hostile fleet into San Francisco Bay. The fort was occupied throughout the Civil War, but the invention of faster, more powerful rifled cannons made brick forts obsolete. In 1886, the... More >>

For a portion of the population, “church and organ” are synonymous with “church and God.” The Lord didn’t compose His entrance on the kazoo, did He? Now consider, for a moment, what powerhouse emotions might be summoned if the instrument and the space were devoted... More >>

Readings in San Francisco are constantly evolving. Traditional lit events involving a person, a microphone, and a hushed audience are still around, but more often than not, you’ll find the literati combining their love of words with such variables as yo-yo artists, acrobatics, kink,... More >>

For lovers of laughter, the next few weeks (Jan. 24-Feb. 10) will be an orgy of hilarity filling every crevice of this city, from prestigious museums to dingy video store basements. Inventive and inspired, the 12th annual Sketchfest offers everything from competitive erotic fan fiction to... More >>

Love it or hate it, graffiti is here to stay. In recent years, graffiti artists such as Shepard Fairey and S.F. locals Barry McGee and Mike Giant have found acceptance in the contemporary art world, shaking off the popular assumption that graffiti is solely the practice of young hoodlums. The... More >>

In the name of Miriam Bengoetxea, Basque bike engineer (of Orbea Orca fame), we command you to attend WTF: the Women, Transgenderqueer, and Femme bike-fix night! Bengoetxea is one of the only women in the world designing carbon-fiber bicycle frames, partly because she's had the support of the... More >>

While some people collect Hermès purses, a fifth-generation descendent of the French luxury empire turned to North Africa in search of historic jewelry and photographs. Xavier Guerrand-Hermès spent over 30 years amassing treasures from the late 19th to early 20th century, many of... More >>

We hate to state the obvious, but the world really doesn't seem like such a peaceful place right now. Shootings in our cities and in our schools, a prison system intent on perpetuating cycles of poverty and crime, never-ending unrest in the Middle East -- It's enough to make any sane person... More >>

Still reeling from the stiletto-sized hole in your heart since The Golden Girls Christmas Episodes closed for the season? Us too. But you can wipe the glitter-encrusted tears from your eyes, because Trannyshack is back with drag renditions of the popular, cosmo- and shoe-obsessed HBO series Sex... More >>