First things first, if you haven’t listened to Dolly Parton’s America from WNYC, get on it.
Second, if you have any tips for Sunday’s Chocolate Cherry Cookie, please send.
Third, if you’ve ever walked around Pac Heights, you’ve seen one very tall building looming above the rest: 2500 Steiner. Turns out, 2500 Steiner has awesome lore. For one thing, it was built in the 1920s - developers could never get the necessary permits to build it today. Notably, it’s a longtime hub for Democratic fundraising in San Francisco. Susie Tomkins-Buell, Founder of Esprit and the North Face, owns the penthouse. Other prominent Democratic donors live on the below floors. Fundraisers frequently flow between floors and apartments. Once, President Clinton’s secret service got stuck in the elevator and had to be rescued by the fire department.
In 2025, conservative crypto entrepreneur Jesse Powell tried to buy the 9th floor apartment from CA Lt. Governor Eleni Kounalakis. The co-op board declined, and Powell filed a lawsuit against the building’s board, citing political discrimination. Lore! If you know who ultimately bought the 9th floor apartment, let me know.
Grab Bag:
Thanks to reader Brooke R., I learned about Gazetteer SF. They distribute a quarterly print magazine, and publish articles Mon-Fri via text and email: “Our admittedly lofty mission is to revitalize local news in America, but we’re starting with a small team in one key city – San Francisco. If you are tired of the way that algorithms affect the media you consume online and want to read original stories produced by humans about San Francisco, we humbly invite you to subscribe to Gazetteer SF.”
Think you’ve traversed San Francisco’s streets? Test out NameSFStreets.com.
Looking forward to the weekend? Here are a few things I think could be fun:
Drinks at The Huntington Hotel. I haven’t been, but next time I want to pretend I’m in NYC for a few hours, the Huntington’s my first stop.
Bones Bagels. Do a big walk and end with the lox open-face sandwich.
Guerneville! Head up north while it’s cold in the city and hot just outside it. Pre-tubing, head to Lightwave Coffee & Kitchen in Monte Rio for breakfast.
Hike the Dipsea Trail, end at Stinson Beach, and grab some pesto from Parkside. People sleep on the pesto. Wake up! It’s one of the best I’ve ever had.
Talk to you Sunday.