“I’d like to throw you out with the trash.” — Marty “Mr. Shortstop” Marion, to the young autograph seeker, 1948

When my father was a kid growing up in 1940s Philadelphia, he was an avid sports fan who positioned himself at stadiums, train stations and hotel lobbies in order to get autographs of famous athletes.

I got to Trader Joe’s before 8am. People were already lining up outside, each grabbing a shopping cart and placing it in front of their bodies, between themselves and the next person. The joys of social distancing. I had just taken a cart for myself when a young, bearded man…

Archivist Michael Holland calls the Los Angeles City Archives, “the City’s Junk Drawer.” The permanent retention of vast amounts of assorted official municipal records and historical ephemera would be intriguing enough, but it’s only part of the story.

Talking to Strangers Changes the World Resistance Boot Camp — San Fernando Valley, CA Leaders of change-making local activists groups, many formed since the 2016 presidential election, presented motivational talks and trainings for further actions to a packed house at San Fernando Valley’s Resistance Boot Camp. Jason Berlin, a continually smiling Tom Hanks type in bright…

There are many Mexican restaurants in the Mission district, but La Cumbre is true to its name, which means ‘the summit’, by making savory, seasoned meats and stuffing the works into their huge flour tortillas. The chicken has a sweetness that can only come from a secret citrus marinade set…

Top 3 Reasons YouTube TV is Better than Hulu Live OnBoarded at Last: into the Live TV Stream-O-Sphere I am happy to report that I have just ditched my satellite service and signed up for Live TV streaming. I realize I am not exactly ahead of the curve on this, but just in case you still have cable or satellite…

San Francisco History Podcast Keeps Me Connected to My Hometown I’m one of those born and raised San Franciscans whose heart was left there when they moved away. So my ears, now residing with me hundreds of miles away, gratefully absorb the weekly Outside Lands San Francisco Podcast — the…

Friendly people, beautiful homes, a central location and rich history. Encino may not have gotten its own post office until 1938, but the area itself has attracted settlement for thousands of years. In the early part of the 20th Century, scores of film pioneers and movie star wannabes flooded into…