You want to know about the BART system? Here is it in five minutes.
California
Tenderloin Poet: William Taylor Jr. [VIDEO]
A poet draws inspiration from the mean streets of the Tenderloin neighborhood he’s lived in for nearly a decade. Creosote Minidoc #1
The New Nerve Center
Orange County reacts to Trayvon Martin, George Zimmerman, and its own history of trauma.
San Francisco Stories
The current SF Bay Guardian is devoted to a slice of literary life in San Francisco, and filled with small, intimate personal essays – a rare thing in any kind of newspaper.
Not Yet Lost: Golden West and the Craft of Sign Painting
Golden West Signs in Berkeley keeps a vanishing craft alive.
Outlaw Brass: Tuba Thieves and Trend Hype
The big bass horn now boasts L.A. street cred, and schools are keeping an eye on their band rooms.
Streets of Oakland: Martin Luther King Jr. Way
Martin Luther King Jr Way has a stillness and a golden light all its own: from the corner stores and vacant lots to art studios and community gardens.
Does Anybody Know What It Was About?
Three people were shot a block from my Tenderloin apartment earlier this week. My neighbor said it was about drugs.
From the Barbary Coast to the 21st Century
Larry Rothe, author of a new history of the San Francisco Symphony, talks about the City, the orchestra, music, and writing.
It Hurts to Let You Go: Levi Pata at Kokoro Studio
Levi Pata’s solo debut at Kokoro Studio in San Francisco displays worldly inspiration along with elemental flow.
The Occupation of Silver City
After two months of marked tolerance towards the Occupy Los Angeles camp, L.A. joined the trend of raids and evictions in major cities.
Winter Lit Journals in San Francisco
The winter literary quarterlies are hitting bookshelves in San Francisco—Zyzzyva, 14 Hills, and McSweeney’s.
The Barbarian Nurseries
Héctor Tobar’s new novel takes a sprawling view of Los Angeles, from the gated communities to the back alleys and side streets where the marginalized and the forgotten create their own vibrant community.
The West Coast’s New Cultural Ambassador
Ice Cube has recently turned heads for appearing in a new role: as a cultural ambassador for the West Coast—his hometown of L.A., specifically.
Death Valley
The first time I ever experienced Death Valley, it was the middle of summer, I’d just turned 21 and I was on a roadtrip across the West.
Oakland, Occupied
What I saw last Wednesday was people gathered together, a bit raucous, pissed off but happy to be in each others presence, encouraged by a show of resistance.
We Felt It: Litquake 2011
Like the 4.2 magnitude earthquake last week that jolted the Bay Area, Litquake 2011 came and went quickly this October, leaving us all with different impressions.
The Scanners Project
The Scanners Project is a temporary bookstore meets art installation, a showcase of the tactile pleasures of physicality of books.
Fante & Son
Dan Fante provides a refreshing and much-needed examination of his father, John Fante’s life, and the cloud of dirty glamor that surrounds it.
San Francisco Debates… The Arts
To say this was a lively debate would be stretching it, but it was encouraging to see the candidates in agreement on the importance of the arts.
The Scribe of Burning Man
Steven T. Jones (aka Scribe) takes a deep look into Burning Man’s history and inner workings in his book, The Tribes of Burning Man.
Saints in the City of Angels
Dealing in candles, incense, herbs, and effigies, the botánica exists in that blurred region where rigid definitions of religion and culture no longer reign—like Los Angeles itself.
Art in Storefronts and Storefront Art
The second annual Art in Storefronts event merged with the unique textures and elements inherent to Mid Market: porn shops, neon signs, old businesses, grand buildings, active street corners and the artery of trains, taxis and buses.
Facebook and the Late Night Train
In the Bay Area, there’s an online clamor for late-night hours on BART, one that’s gained the attention of the media and BART leadership—but what will the results be?
Bolinas Ridge
Bolinas Ridge, up above the bohemian coastal town, has panoramic views, open roads, and lots of cattle.
Urban Lions
Last year, a mountain lion was encountered, then killed, on the streets of Berkeley. Why was it there?
The Year of the Metal Cat
A New Year’s celebration to ring in the Year of the Metal Cat in San Francisco’s Little Saigon neighborhood.
Mussels at Miwok Beach
Perhaps most amazing about the mussel gathering and preparation process is the act itself: so simple and essential.
Down the Levee Road
California Route 160 is the highway cutting through the slow, rich delta region, connecting the Bay Area with the Sacramento Valley.
Venice Freakshow Barker
On the Venice Beach strip, the Venice Beach Freakshow is one of the most eye-catching – and ear-catching – establishments competing for your attention.