Total SF

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Muni driver on his "Shang-Chi" viral moment Dec 10, 2021

Show notes

Mc "Mack" Allen spent most of the pandemic with his dream of becoming a Muni driver put on hold. But he's driving buses now — part of the new class of Muni drivers — and his tweet thread about the "Shang-Chi" movie bus chase went viral, with a shout-out from Shang-Chi actor Simu Liu himself. Total SF hosts Peter Hartlaub and Heather Knight rode the 44 O'Shaugnessy with Allen, then sat down to talk to him about becoming a bus driver, his first ride on a bus and why he thinks driving a bus will bring him ever closer to San Francisco.

Total SF has an audio tour in Golden Gate Park! Learn more and sign up at sfchronicle.com/audiotours

Produced by Peter Hartlaub. Music is "The Tide Will Rise" by the Sunset Shipwrecks off their album "Community" and cable car bell-ringing by 8-time champion Byron Cobb.

Follow Total SF adventures at www.sfchronicle.com/totalsf

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Secrets of Golden Gate Park! Dec 03, 2021

Show notes

Total SF hosts Peter Hartlaub and Heather Knight head to Golden Gate Park to announce their new audio tour of the park, "Secrets of Golden Gate Park: gunfire, graft and a 90-year-old fish." In this episode Knight explains why the park is distinctly San Francisco, Hartlaub shares some history and they introduce the new tour, which operates on the VoiceMap app and uses GPS technology to give a seamless audio tour through the outdoors. The 2.6-mile hike, on the 49 Mile Makeover route created by Knight and Hartlaub, visits the Conservatory of Flowers, AIDS Memorial Grove, Stow Lake, California Academy of Sciences and lesser known spots including the former Sweeny Observatory and Monarch Grove.

It's fun and affordable — and Chronicle subscribers get a big discount. Learn more and sign up at sfchronicle.com/audiotours

Produced by Peter Hartlaub. Music is "The Tide Will Rise" by the Sunset Shipwrecks off their album "Community" and cable car bell-ringing by 8-time champion Byron Cobb.

Follow Total SF adventures at www.sfchronicle.com/totalsf

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

A boatload of S.F. history with Gary Kamiya Nov 24, 2021

Show notes

Gary Kamiya, who penned the ultimate San Francisco history book "Cool Gray City of Love," is giving nautical history tours. Total SF hosts Heather Knight and Peter Hartlaub take a boat trip through the Bay with Kamiya, learning about Juana Briones and other under-appreciated early city heroes, Then they record on his patio in North Beach — talking about his first memories of San Francisco, why El Farolito is nothing like Carl's Jr., and why San Franciscans are generally wrong when they say the city has let them down. (But we should listen carefully to them anyway.)

More information at www.garykamiya.com. He also talks about his involvement as host in the new documentary "Moving San Francisco."

Produced by Peter Hartlaub. Music is "The Tide Will Rise" by the Sunset Shipwrecks off their album "Community" and cable car bell-ringing by 8-time champion Byron Cobb.

Follow Total SF adventures at www.sfchronicle.com/totalsf

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Secrets of the Cliff House! Nov 19, 2021

Show notes

The future of the Cliff House restaurant space is in limbo, but it remains a destination, after the Cliff House Museum moved into the gift shop and set up an exhibit showing the history of entertainment on San Francisco's northwest corner. Total SF hosts Peter Hartlaub and Heather Knight sit down with Western Neighborhoods Project executive director Nicole Meldahl to talk about the recent auction that contributes heavily to the museum collection. Hartlaub, Knight and Meldahl also discuss the potential future of the Cliff House.

The Cliff House Museum is open from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Thursday through Sunday through early April, and is free to the public. More information here.

Produced by Peter Hartlaub. Music is "The Tide Will Rise" by the Sunset Shipwrecks off their album "Community" and cable car bell-ringing by 8-time champion Byron Cobb.

Follow Total SF adventures at www.sfchronicle.com/totalsf

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The best views in San Francisco, ranked Nov 12, 2021

Show notes

Total SF co-hosts Peter Hartlaub and Heather Knight pick their all-time favorite views in San Francisco, including Mt. Davidson, the Bernal Heights rock and two different views from modes of public transit. Hartlaub and Knight made their picks during a recording in Glen Park Canyon after going on this year's Peak 2 Peak hike through San Francisco, an annual benefit for members of Walk SF in its 17th year. Walk SF has reopened Peak 2 Peak ticketing for a week — join Walk SF and register here. And share your own favorite views in San Francisco using the hashtag #TotalSF and tagging @PeterHartlaub and @hknightsf on Twitter.

The Total SF Book Club event is set for 6 p.m. on Wednesday, Nov. 17 at the Koret Auditorium at the SFPL main branch, with a virtual option. Register for free here.

Produced by Peter Hartlaub. Music is "The Tide Will Rise" by the Sunset Shipwrecks off their album "Community" and cable car bell-ringing by 8-time champion Byron Cobb.

Follow Total SF adventures at www.sfchronicle.com/totalsf

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Colma’s dead tell us their tales Oct 29, 2021

Show notes

For Total SF's first Halloween episode, hosts Heather Knight and Peter Hartlaub meet with Terry Hamburg, director of the Cypress Lawn Heritage Foundation, for a tour of some of the Colma-based memorial park's most memorable graves. They visit Chronicle founders Charles and Michael de Young to get some of The Chronicle's gun-toting history, and talk about a decapitated cemetery resident and Hells Angels funerals. Plus, they pay respects to Willie McCovey and Lefty O'Doul. (Who really needs to be in the Hall of Fame.) Hamburg says people are welcome to stroll through the Cypress Lawn cemeteries, which encouraged visitors — including pets — to visit their open space during the pandemic.

The Total SF Book Club event is set for 6 p.m. on Wednesday, Nov. 17 at the Koret Auditorium at the SFPL main branch, with a virtual option. Register for free here.

Produced by Peter Hartlaub. Music is "The Tide Will Rise" by the Sunset Shipwrecks off their album "Community" and cable car bell-ringing by 8-time champion Byron Cobb.

Follow Total SF adventures at www.sfchronicle.com/totalsf

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Secrets of the Painted Ladies! Oct 22, 2021

Show notes

George Horsfall lives in one of the Painted Ladies homes in San Francisco, and he's not just happy to live in the tourist landmark — he wants to share it with the world. Total SF hosts Peter Hartlaub and Heather Knight get a full tour from Horsfall of his blue Victorian on the edge of Alamo Square, made famous by uncountable movie appearances, tourist souvenirs and the opening credits of "Full House." He explains that it's a surprisingly quiet life, and that the tourists are mostly wonderful. After being the recipient of the small "pay it forward" moment years ago, he's decided to give tours of the home, which can be secured by checking out his Instagram @bluepaintedladyhousetour.

The Total SF Book Club event is set for 6 p.m. on Wednesday, Nov. 17 at the Koret Auditorium at the SFPL main branch, with a virtual option. Register for free here.

Produced by Peter Hartlaub. Music is "The Tide Will Rise" by the Sunset Shipwrecks off their album "Community" and cable car bell-ringing by 8-time champion Byron Cobb.

Follow Total SF adventures at www.sfchronicle.com/totalsf

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Why we swam in the San Francisco Bay Oct 15, 2021

Show notes

Hosts Peter Hartlaub and Heather Knight dive in the San Francisco Bay with "Why We Swim" author Bonnie Tsui, as a warm-up for their Total SF Book Club event on November 17 at the San Francisco Public Library. Tsui talks about an Icelandic legend who survived a frigid multi-hour swim, why San Francisco is a great swimming city and how newcomers can get started — and maybe work up to their own Bay swim. Hartlaub and Knight also recap their very cold but invigorating swim, including a cameo from former author Daniel Handler.

The Total SF Book Club event is set for 6 p.m. on Wednesday, Nov. 17 at the Koret Auditorium at the SFPL main branch, with a virtual option. Register for free here.

Produced by Peter Hartlaub. Music is "The Tide Will Rise" by the Sunset Shipwrecks off their album "Community" and cable car bell-ringing by 8-time champion Byron Cobb.

Follow Total SF adventures at www.sfchronicle.com/totalsf

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Cellos, JFK Drive and the car-free future Oct 08, 2021

Show notes

Total SF hosts Peter Hartlaub and Heather Knight drive into a nearly empty museum concourse parking garage to make a point: that there's plenty of room for cars to park in Golden Gate Park, and John F. Kennedy Drive should remain car-free. They talk about Knight's recent scoop about a potential car-free solution, and Hartlaub's upcoming history column featuring controversy surrounding the first cars in Golden Gate Park in the early 1900s. Stick around for our interview with the 15-year-old cello prodigy who was taking advantage of the nearly-empty garage acoustics and playing classical music during our recording.

Produced by Peter Hartlaub. Music is "The Tide Will Rise" by the Sunset Shipwrecks off their album "Community" and cable car bell-ringing by 8-time champion Byron Cobb.

Follow Total SF adventures at www.sfchronicle.com/totalsf

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Books on a bike in the Tenderloin District Oct 01, 2021

Show notes

Alicia Tapia combines books and biking with the Bibliobicicleta, a rolling library that was funded by a Kickstarter and has brought joy and reading to San Francisco. Tapia meets Total SF hosts Peter Hartlaub and Heather Knight in the Tenderloin, where her bibliobicicleta has found new purpose, parking on the Safe Passage parklet on Turk Street and providing books for children and adults in the neighborhood. Tapia talks about how she started the Bibliobicicleta, why she doesn't need to expand it into a larger franchise and why the Tenderloin feels safer for her than many other places in the city.

Produced by Peter Hartlaub. Music is "The Tide Will Rise" by the Sunset Shipwrecks off their album "Community" and cable car bell-ringing by 8-time champion Byron Cobb.

Follow Total SF adventures at www.sfchronicle.com/totalsf

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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