New owners, new glassware, new(ish) menu. Same great Alfred’s feel. On my recent visit to one of the oldest restaurants in the city, one that I wrote about with such affection in the book and was devastated when I learned a few months ago it had been sold, my heart felt light again. New owner … Continue reading Alfred’s Steakhouse Redux
When you write about old things, whether people or places, you accept the risk that they may go away. Before or after publishing or a few years down the line. Memorializing the old makes one keenly aware of the “memorial” and “in memoriam” potential of their character. And it has happened with this book. Places … Continue reading Goodbye to a Real Standup Guy
On the heels of a fun talk with my esteemed panelists at the Mechanics’ Institute Library a few weeks ago, tonight I will have another opportunity to toast the history of the city and the small businesses that have made it fabulous over the years… this time, over scotch. Jonathan Levin, grandson of Cable Car … Continue reading To Haberdashery!
The book is out. Discovering Vintage San Francisco is my second book, and seeing it in its finished, touchable form is exhilarating, unbelievable, surreal. And it’s out there, in public, all on its own now, just waiting to be discovered. It’s strange to see one’s book out in the wild. In the wild of the … Continue reading The Book is Out
Spoiler alert: Shreve & Co. is one of the many fine establishments I write about in my book, Discovering Vintage San Francisco (again, due out later this summer; preorder it now). And I give you this tip now because the company is in the news. Shreve is moving. After more than a century and a … Continue reading Even the Mighty Shall Fall
Last night, I had the honor of participating in an event celebrating local history – and the people who endeavor to preserve it and share it with others. The event’s host was the Mechanics’ Institute Library & Chess Room (an awesome, quirky, historic organization in and of itself – check it out, attend an event, be … Continue reading History Nerds Are Awesome
If you are drawn to the old, historic or simply timeless places that have made the city by the bay what it is today, you will love Discovering Vintage San Francisco, forthcoming in late summer 2015. The second book by Laura Smith Borrman, and showcasing gorgeous photography by her husband, Brandon Borrman, Discovering Vintage San Francisco offers an inside … Continue reading New Book Coming Soon!
Discovering Vintage San Francisco 