San Francisco Past and Present

Oldest San Francisco focuses on the institutions that have helped make San Francisco San Francisco, featuring brief histories of its oldest restaurant (Tadich), oldest bakery (Boudin), oldest scientific institution (the Cal Academy). It speaks of civic fabrics—the oldest extant blue jeans (held in a vault at Levi’s) and first rainbow flag (exhibited at the GLBT Historical Society museum in the Castro). In addition to giving its version of some oft-told tales of this city, it contains some lesser known stories, about the world’s oldest suicide hotline, the city’s oldest auto shop and hatmaker.

San Francisco Scavenger has more than 300 rhyming clues that take you on a scavenger hunt through 19 different neighborhoods across the 49 square miles of the city. Each riddle includes a photo to help you find museums, public artworks, historical sites like the Mechanics’ Institute, bars and restaurants, architectural highlights, and more. Whether you love the thrill of solving a puzzle, have a desire to learn a little history, feel the urge to get out and explore, or even rediscover a city you thought you knew, find the true spirit of San Francisco in the pages of this book.