Mc "Mack" Allen spent most of the pandemic with his dream of becoming a Muni driver put on hold. But he's driving buses now — part of the new class of Muni drivers — and his tweet thread about the "Shang-Chi" movie bus chase went viral, with a shout-out from Shang-Chi actor Simu Liu himself. Total SF hosts Peter Hartlaub and Heather Knight rode the 44 O'Shaugnessy with Allen, then sat down to talk to him about becoming a bus driver, his first ride on a bus and why he thinks driving a bus will br...
Dec 10, 2021•33 min•Ep. 216
Total SF hosts Peter Hartlaub and Heather Knight head to Golden Gate Park to announce their new audio tour of the park, "Secrets of Golden Gate Park: gunfire, graft and a 90-year-old fish." In this episode Knight explains why the park is distinctly San Francisco, Hartlaub shares some history and they introduce the new tour, which operates on the VoiceMap app and uses GPS technology to give a seamless audio tour through the outdoors. The 2.6-mile hike, on the 49 Mile Makeover route created by Kni...
Dec 03, 2021•23 min•Ep. 215
Gary Kamiya, who penned the ultimate San Francisco history book "Cool Gray City of Love," is giving nautical history tours. Total SF hosts Heather Knight and Peter Hartlaub take a boat trip through the Bay with Kamiya, learning about Juana Briones and other under-appreciated early city heroes, Then they record on his patio in North Beach — talking about his first memories of San Francisco, why El Farolito is nothing like Carl's Jr., and why San Franciscans are generally wrong when they say the c...
Nov 24, 2021•37 min•Ep. 214
The future of the Cliff House restaurant space is in limbo, but it remains a destination, after the Cliff House Museum moved into the gift shop and set up an exhibit showing the history of entertainment on San Francisco's northwest corner. Total SF hosts Peter Hartlaub and Heather Knight sit down with Western Neighborhoods Project executive director Nicole Meldahl to talk about the recent auction that contributes heavily to the museum collection. Hartlaub, Knight and Meldahl also discuss the pot...
Nov 19, 2021•33 min•Ep. 213
Total SF co-hosts Peter Hartlaub and Heather Knight pick their all-time favorite views in San Francisco, including Mt. Davidson, the Bernal Heights rock and two different views from modes of public transit. Hartlaub and Knight made their picks during a recording in Glen Park Canyon after going on this year's Peak 2 Peak hike through San Francisco, an annual benefit for members of Walk SF in its 17th year. Walk SF has reopened Peak 2 Peak ticketing for a week — join Walk SF and register here . An...
Nov 12, 2021•24 min•Ep. 212
For Total SF's first Halloween episode, hosts Heather Knight and Peter Hartlaub meet with Terry Hamburg, director of the Cypress Lawn Heritage Foundation, for a tour of some of the Colma-based memorial park's most memorable graves. They visit Chronicle founders Charles and Michael de Young to get some of The Chronicle's gun-toting history , and talk about a decapitated cemetery resident and Hells Angels funerals. Plus, they pay respects to Willie McCovey and Lefty O'Doul. (Who really needs to be...
Oct 29, 2021•27 min•Ep. 211
George Horsfall lives in one of the Painted Ladies homes in San Francisco, and he's not just happy to live in the tourist landmark — he wants to share it with the world. Total SF hosts Peter Hartlaub and Heather Knight get a full tour from Horsfall of his blue Victorian on the edge of Alamo Square, made famous by uncountable movie appearances, tourist souvenirs and the opening credits of "Full House." He explains that it's a surprisingly quiet life, and that the tourists are mostly wonderful. Af...
Oct 22, 2021•21 min•Ep. 210
Hosts Peter Hartlaub and Heather Knight dive in the San Francisco Bay with "Why We Swim" author Bonnie Tsui, as a warm-up for their Total SF Book Club event on November 17 at the San Francisco Public Library. Tsui talks about an Icelandic legend who survived a frigid multi-hour swim, why San Francisco is a great swimming city and how newcomers can get started — and maybe work up to their own Bay swim. Hartlaub and Knight also recap their very cold but invigorating swim, including a cameo from fo...
Oct 15, 2021•33 min•Ep. 209
Total SF hosts Peter Hartlaub and Heather Knight drive into a nearly empty museum concourse parking garage to make a point: that there's plenty of room for cars to park in Golden Gate Park, and John F. Kennedy Drive should remain car-free. They talk about Knight's recent scoop about a potential car-free solution, and Hartlaub's upcoming history column featuring controversy surrounding the first cars in Golden Gate Park in the early 1900s. Stick around for our interview with the 15-year-old cello...
Oct 08, 2021•28 min•Ep. 208
Alicia Tapia combines books and biking with the Bibliobicicleta, a rolling library that was funded by a Kickstarter and has brought joy and reading to San Francisco. Tapia meets Total SF hosts Peter Hartlaub and Heather Knight in the Tenderloin, where her bibliobicicleta has found new purpose, parking on the Safe Passage parklet on Turk Street and providing books for children and adults in the neighborhood. Tapia talks about how she started the Bibliobicicleta, why she doesn't need to expand it ...
Oct 01, 2021•26 min•Ep. 207
Total SF visits SCRAP, the hidden arts and crafts wonderland in the Bayview District of San Francisco. Hosts Peter Hartlaub and Heather Knight tour the non-profit and meet staffers and volunteers (including formerly homeless artist Wayne Foote) who have seen first-hand how discovering art can positively impact children and communities. After touring the facility, Hartlaub and Knight try to beat the clock in an Iron Chef-style collage challenge. Don't miss SCRAP's upcoming "RePurposeful" art show...
Sep 24, 2021•22 min•Ep. 206
While the cable cars made headlines, another heartbeat of the city has also returned — the San Francisco street performer. Total SF co-hosts Peter Hartlaub and Heather Knight hop an F-line from the Powell Street cable car turnaround to Pier 39, to visit some of the city's most successful street artists. We hear from: Marc Coleman, the bard of the Ferry Building; Oakland Originalz dancer and stunt performer Javon Mabon; and and Larry "Bucketman" Hunt, who has been playing drums and eating fire in...
Sep 17, 2021•29 min•Ep. 205
Total SF hosts Heather Knight and Peter Hartlaub break down their perfect day in San Francisco, creating an hour-by-hour list of things to do and places to go in the city, without telling each other until the podcast started rolling. It gets competitive, as Knight picks a more historical and cultural route, while Hartlaub chooses to get inebriated in the morning and eat sandwiches. But it's collectively a celebration of the city, with tips for your next off day in good weather. Some common groun...
Sep 10, 2021•32 min•Ep. 204
Steve Rubenstein, the longest tenured reporter at The Chronicle, joins Total SF co-hosts Peter Hartlaub and Heather Knight to talk about what the San Francisco Chronicle newsroom was like in 1976, give a review of the newly remodeled newsroom and explain why he loved every day of his 45-year journalism career (with a short leave to become a substitute public school teacher). Rubenstein also has good Herb Caen and Joe Rosenthal stories, and explains why he'd rather interview the president of the ...
Sep 03, 2021•36 min•Ep. 203
Sutro Tower may be the most beloved landmark among San Francisco residents, and now we all have a PhD in the Sutro's history and present. Sutro spokesman Dave Hyams joins co-hosts Peter Hartlaub and Heather Knight to talk about what exactly Sutro does in 2021, the constant maintenance and some wild trivia. Did you know that there's so much concrete underneath Sutro Tower that the center of gravity is below ground? And no mayor has ever been to the top. (Be the first London Breed!) Also in this e...
Aug 27, 2021•36 min•Ep. 203
The Circle Star Theatre is hard to describe now that it's gone, with it's odd rotating stage and parade of music and comedy acts in the late Decembers of their careers. (Sinatra! Ella Fitzgerald! Richard Pryor!) But the quirky San Carlos freeway-side venue is beloved by those who experienced it from 1964 to 1993. "The Murders That Made Us" author Bob Calhoun joins Total SF host Peter Hartlaub to delve into the history of the Circle Star, highlighting some of it's strangest moments as they pay tr...
Aug 20, 2021•35 min•Ep. 202
Reporter Stanley Roberts, who created the popular "People Behaving Badly" segment on KRON, wants to come back to San Francisco. Hosts Peter Hartlaub and Heather Knight catch up with Roberts, who moved to Phoenix in 2018, but saw his TV job trimmed because of COVID-19 related cutbacks. He's hoping to come back to the Bay Area as a reporter ... or maybe a politician? Roberts talks about his early years as a reporter, why he left the Bay Area, and what he misses the most. (Apparently Arizona puts l...
Aug 13, 2021•35 min•Ep. 201
City librarian Michael Lambert discusses how librarians stepped up as disaster service workers during the COVID-pandemic, but are reopening all branches but one this month. Lambert, a former competitive skateboarder, also showed off tricks outside the Park branch library. | Get full digital access to the Chronicle : sfchronicle.com/pod Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices...
Aug 06, 2021•25 min•Ep. 200
Quentin Kopp is a former San Francisco supervisor, state senator and judge — but he's known to local journalists as the most prolific angry letter-writer. in the city Total SF co-hosts Peter Hartlaub and Heather Knight visit the self-professed "curmudgeon" to talk about his life, his letter-writing process, what he really thinks of them ... and to wish him a happy 93rd birthday! After making peace, with no apologies, Kopp lets us know his advice for living a long and active life. (It involves mo...
Jul 30, 2021•38 min•Ep. 199
Co-hosts Peter Hartlaub and Heather Knight record on the Page Street Slow Street, and draft their favorite things that are back since San Francisco reopened. After expressing opinions about the removal of Page Street's artwork, Hartlaub and Knight pay tribute to cable cars, Musee Mecanique and a new Oasis SF drag show. Produced by Peter Hartlaub. Music is "The Tide Will Rise" by the Sunset Shipwrecks off their album "Community" and cable car bell-ringing by 8-time champion Byron Cobb. Follow Tot...
Jul 23, 2021•32 min•Ep. 198
Singer/songwriter David Gans has played 450 (nearly) consecutive Facebook Live streams since the pandemic began, and continues to play for the community he's built - even as in-person shows resume. Total SF host Peter Hartlaub watched one of Gans' streams and then interviewed Gans in his Oakland backyard — talking about his life in orbit of the Grateful Dead, how livestreams have helped his playing, and how his livestream community fueled the most artistically rewarding time of his 50-year caree...
Jul 16, 2021•39 min•Ep. 197
"A Series of Unfortunate Events" author Daniel Handler AKA Lemony Snicket joins Total SF to talk bookstores, swimming in the Bay and why he's tripling down on San Francisco when others are leaving. Total SF hosts Heather Knight and Peter Hartlaub interview Handler in the Philosophy Nook of Green Apple Books, one of Handler's favorites. Handler contributes to the next Total SF Book Club title, "The End of the Golden Gate." Sign up for the Tuesday, Aug. 24 event with Handler and Gary Kamiya here ....
Jul 09, 2021•45 min•Ep. 196
TV host and maker Adam Savage has been holed up in his Mission District "cave" workshop for much of the pandemic. But he's ready for crowds again, planning the Aug. 28-29 SiliCon convention, which will be one of the first Bay Area events with large crowds since the shelter in place started last March. Savage returns to Total SF to speak with co-host Peter Hartlaub about the Mission District and the future of San Francisco, his own convention beginnings, and what he plans to bring to the SiliCon ...
Jun 25, 2021•40 min•Ep. 195
Angel Island State Park is our pick for the official post-pandemic paradise of Total SF, with its biking trails, includible views, old buildings and ... did we mention the views? Hosts Heather Knight and Peter Hartlaub are joined by retired ranger and historian John Martini, who offers some Angel Island history and makes a case for the park being very underused and underrated. Hartlaub and Knight also announce their next movie night, an IN PERSON screening of "San Andreas" at the Balboa Theatre ...
Jun 18, 2021•45 min•Ep. 194
Bishop-elect Megan Rohrer returns to Total SF to share some of their favorite spiritual spaces in San Francisco — places where people can feel centered and reflect and revive. Hosts Peter Hartlaub and Heather Knight meet Rohrer in Grace Lutheran Church, and talk about their new job, which will make Rohrer the first transgender bishop of any major denomination religion in U.S. history. Produced by Peter Hartlaub. Music is "The Tide Will Rise" by the Sunset Shipwrecks off their album "Community" a...
Jun 11, 2021•47 min•Ep. 193
The Crosstown Trail is the hike San Francisco needs right now, traversing the city on a 17-mile diagonal and daring the walker or biker to fall in love with the city again. Hosts Peter Hartlaub and Heather Knight interview one of the Crosstown Trail's chief advocates and creators, Bob Siegel. But first Hartlaub and Knight recap the 30-Day Small Business Challenge that just ended, and announce their new Total SF Book Club title. Produced by Peter Hartlaub. Music is "The Tide Will Rise" by the Sun...
Jun 04, 2021•38 min•Ep. 192
Giants PA announcer Renel Brooks-Moon has been a pandemic MVP on social media, continuing to cheer on the Giants and the city of San Francisco, while also speaking her truth about Black Lives Matter and the death of George Floyd, and baseball's response. She joins hosts Peter Hartlaub and Heather Knight in McLaren Park to talk about announcing to an stadium with no fans, her favorite small businesses in Visitacion Valley and her thoughts about the future of S.F. after the pandemic. Produced by P...
May 28, 2021•38 min•Ep. 191
The beloved Boat Tram streetcar line is back after a pandemic hiatus and hosts Peter Hartlaub and Heather Knight are reporting on the first voyage of the beloved transit icon. Interviews include S.F. Mayor London Breed, Muni director Jeffrey Tumlin and Boat Tram operator Melvin Clark, who was inspired by Rice-O-Roni commercials to cross the country and join Muni. Produced by Peter Hartlaub. Music is "The Tide Will Rise" by the Sunset Shipwrecks off their album "Community" and cable car bell-ring...
May 21, 2021•20 min•Ep. 190
After Hunter Pence retired from the Giants last year, Hunter and Lexi Pence decided to stay in San Francisco, exploring the city with fresh eyes and tripling down on their support of indie coffee houses and charity for the community. On May 22-23, 2021, they'll host their first coffee pop-up at Basebalism near Oracle Park. Total SF hosts Peter Hartlaub and Heather Knight talk with the Pences about coffee, baseball and how much they've felt at home in S.F. Produced by Peter Hartlaub. Music is "Th...
May 19, 2021•49 min•Ep. 189
Hosts Peter Hartlaub and Heather Knight record in Chinatown's Portsmouth Square to give an update on the halfway point of the 30-Day Small Business Challenge. The Total SF co-hosts discuss the rules of the challenge, some areas where they *might* have broken the rules and how taking the challenge might change behavior (and help local businesses) beyond the 30-day mark. Produced by Peter Hartlaub. Music is "The Tide Will Rise" by the Sunset Shipwrecks off their album "Community" and cable car bel...
May 14, 2021•28 min•Ep. 188
