by Court | Oct 23, 2023
Intro October is here and you know where there are probably a shitload of ghosts? The Mission District! First of all, that is a very old part of town. It was occupied by Native Americans before the Spanish got here, and then when they did . . . it wasn’t great, was...
by Court | Jun 16, 2023
Language is a hot topic these days. You can’t shake a stick without hitting a concerned centrist who thinks the use of the term “pregnant people” heralds the downfall of civilization. As a country, we are deep in the trenches of the stupidest culture wars to date,...
by Court | Apr 6, 2022
Pat Montandon at a book signing for “How to Be a Party Girl” (source) At the bottom of the most famous street in San Francisco, a tight snake of red brick switchbacks lined with glamorous homes, giant hydrangeas, and a constant stream of tourists, is a...
by Court | Nov 1, 2021
CONTENT WARNING: SUICIDE. Please skip this article if it will be triggering or harmful for you to read it. If you are in crisis, call the toll-free National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-TALK (8255), available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. The service is...
by Court | Jul 22, 2021
Golden Gate/City Cemetery shown in an 1897 map by Southern Pacific Company/H.S. Crocker Co. (David Rumsey Historical Map Collection) You know what I love even more than ghosts? Beer. HAHAH NO THAT’S CEMETERIES. Cemeteries are a gold mine of local history, they tell us...
by Court | Jun 10, 2021
When I was finishing up this series, I took a trip out to Sonoma and Napa to visit the places Mary Ellen Pleasant lived at the end of her life, and where she was buried. The best part about researching local people is being able to put myself in their actual...
