The Bold Italic

31/01/2025

We all know about the p**p maps, sidewalk syringes, and the questionable puddles that nobody dares step in. But there’s another category of street detritus that rarely gets talked about — the truly bizarre, oddly specific, “how did this even get here?” kind of junk.

We’re talking about full-on coffins, storm drains oozing raw chicken, and spy drones left abandoned in the road like the start of a sci-fi horror movie. Every day, something weird gets dumped on San Francisco streets, and while no one ever seems to have an explanation, the city just keeps moving around the debris like it’s normal. Maybe it is.

Sure, you’ve sidestepped questionable puddles, but have you ever tripped over a toilet in the street? Only in San Francisco.

06/01/2025

This year, the political climate feels heavier than ever, but San Francisco’s events remind us that joy is still an option—and a necessary one. From the elegance of the ballet gala to the absurdity of Bay to Breakers, 2025 promises to be anything but quiet. Here's your survival guide:

Because you might as well escape the madness with glitter, music, and questionable costumes. Here are SF’s most unapologetic celebrations.

17/12/2024

Thirty years after SantaCon began as an anti-commercialism prank in San Francisco, the event has spread to 300 cities. In the process of this mass virality, problems have arisen; mostly ones you would expect when you gather tens of thousands of people gathering to drink and be merry. They put on cheap Santa suits, grab a questionable amount of alcohol, and descend on San Francisco’s bars like red-and-white locusts. It’s part holiday cheer, part social experiment, and part public hazard.

SF’s first tornado warning brought sideways rain and wind. But soggy Santas laughed like they’d been cast in a low-budget holiday special.

15/12/2024

SantaCon 2024. The red rainboots are a nice touch. 📸 by Dana Veeder. ☔️🎅

14/12/2024

Woke up to a tornado warning. Will this be SantaCon today?

12/12/2024

Any day that starts with a promise of leather, red jockstraps, and antler headbands can only end in peppermint schnapps and shame. And also prove once again that San Francisco knows how to do the holidays better — and weirder — than anywhere else.

Santa Skivvies Run is a sequin-soaked morning where participants don little more than holiday-themed underwear and then gaggle the streets of Castro. It’s sort of like SantaCon meets a polar bear swim, but with a gay twist and a lot more fun: You’re freezing your t**s off, but it’s for a good cause and everyone’s really friendly.

12/12/2024

Any day that starts with a promise of leather, red jockstraps, and antler headbands can only end in peppermint schnapps and shame. And also prove once again that San Francisco knows how to do the holidays better — and weirder — than anywhere else.

Jingle bells, jiggling butts, and holiday hijinks. It’s San Francisco’s sequin-soaked blend of charity and nakedness in the Castro.

11/12/2024

Demi Moore, Austin Butler, and Denis Villeneuve lit up SFFILM’s red carpet on Monday, bringing Hollywood to our land of denim and foggy streets. A record $500K raised, big-screen cinema celebrated, and just enough snark (from us) to keep it real.

San Francisco’s SFFILM Awards Night brought an unexpected dose of star power to our foggy streets.

10/12/2024

‘Golden Girls Live’ bets on a bigger stage — and it pays off. Here are drag queens on the top of their game, now at Curran Theatre.

The long-running drag parody brings its campy magic to San Francisco’s historic Curran Theatre, blending warmth, humor, and holiday charm.

09/12/2024

San Francisco is a city that thrives on secrets. Beneath its postcard-ready hills and Instagrammable views lies a labyrinth of hidden treasures, quietly offering refuge to the initiated. But this isn’t another love letter to Sutro Baths or the secret speakeasy tucked behind a laundromat. No, today we’re talking about the city’s tiniest, quirkiest parks — those blink-and-you’ll-miss-them green spaces that feel more like Easter eggs than actual parks.

San Francisco is a treasure chest of undiscovered gems. These mini parks are the city’s quiet rebellion against the chaos of urban life.

08/12/2024

Happy holidays. ❤️

03/12/2024

QBar has risen from the ashes after a devastating fire sent it on a long hiatus. Its triumphant reopening has brought back B***y Call Wednesdays with Juanita More at the helm. The packed dance floor, rainbow-lit bar, nostalgic vibes, and cheap drinks made our Thanksgiving one to blur out with booze — in the best way.