(by D. Hanousek) So, this week I'm writing from Portland, Oregon. I'm in the middle of a two-week offsite and I've been away from San Francisco for eight days. I was lucky enough to see my husband and kids in Tahoe over the weekend, but as I sit in my hotel room feeling homesick and watching First Week In, I realize that I have another confession to make: I Love San Francisco. more ›

Starting today, loaded guns will be allowed at all national state parks. "The law lets licensed gun owners bring firearms into national parks and wildlife refuges as long as they are allowed by state law," KTVU reports. Will this lead to an increase in gun-related violence at national parks, like Crissy Field, Presidio Park and Muir Woods? Only time will tell. But first, let's look at the law. more ›

In an effort to drive people away from the Presidio, rendering it completely inaccessible to anything that resembles interesting, the Presidio Trust nixed plans last month for Foggy Bridge Winery. Because neighbors complained that the winery might prove too popular. No, we're not kidding. “When it came right down to it, there were just too many concerns about traffic and parking with that location in Crissy Field,” Joyce Stavert, general manager of the winery project, told the Press Democrat. Yesterday, however, ideas emerged about what the misguided trust would prefer to see pop up at the Crissy Field spot instead of the "8,000-case working winery" inside the former airplane hangar near Golden Gate Bridge. "[S]omething with more of an educational component, like a flight museum," Stavert revealed. (See, Crissy Field used to be a landing strip, so putting up an entire museum denoting that old-timey factoid of little to no interest would be a surefire bet. Also, for reals, that is an awful idea.) [via Eater] more ›

Oh shit. more ›

After yesterday's fog-induced Cosco Busan/Bay Bridge crash -- resulting in 58,000 gallons of fuel and 8,000 gallons of "heavy-duty bunker fuel oil" spilling into the Bay -- Baker Beach, Crissy Field, China Beach, Kirby Cove, and Fort Point beaches (or "beaches" to some of you purists out there) have been closed. Large blobby slicks as big as 50 yards long and 20 yards wide have been spotted off Tiburon and near Mill Valley's Bayfront... more ›

-- Chicken John gets slapped for raising campaign money via Pay Pal. Assumes he's "the first candidate who's raised funds this way...this is a situation that no candidate has ever been in before." Which? Not so much, rock star. [The Snitch] more ›

Submit your Bay Area finds to found [at] sfist [dot] com or tag them sfist and found on Flickr! Let us know where and when you found the item and any other helpful info. more ›

More setbacks for those of you wanting souvenirs or a grilled cheese sandwich by the Golden Gate Bridge -- the Warming Hut's reopening after its devastating January 2007 fire has been delayed. more ›

Two photos of fireworks from Crissy Field more ›

An update on the rare snowy plover birds in S.F. more ›

A few photos of the threatened snowy plover birds of S.F. more ›

-The Oakland Tribune starts a three-part series on how all this Global Warming stuff is beginning to affect us locally. more ›

-- From Scott/On the 3.5 mile trail at Crissy Field more ›

Firefighters in Redwood City had to call the humane society at the scene of a fire on Sunday, to rescue three snakes in a cage. One snake was saved but two died. Merriment (in a respectful way to the dead reptiles) ensues on the Chron's NWZCHIK blog. more ›

Just in time to calm everyone down after the Hawaii earthquake, San Francisco officials released their plans for dealing with the next big earthquake. The plan is actually a "supplement" to the "all hazards" emergency operations plan and what kind of hazards are they expecting us to have to deal with? Is there something else we should know about? And do any of those plans involve giant lizard like creatures coming out of the ocean to stomp buildings? more ›

We here at SFist would like to think we're more than snark and Gavin gossip, so with that in mind, we'd like let y'all know that tomorrow will be a San Francisco National Public Lands Day volunteer event at Crissy Field. What does this entail? Cleaning up beaches, do trail maintenance, habitat restoration, and much much others. Do good deeds, meet new people, and earn some good old-fashioned karma points (a much important things as some of us head towards our day of atonement). And if that's not enough, there's free lunch and a shopping party at the Sports Basement. Anyone who wants to go, just show up at Crissy Field by 9 and they will assign your task and place to do such task. For more information on National Public Lands Day, go to here. For more information on all of our volunteer programs in the Golden Gate National Parks, go here. more ›

Months ago Gavin talked up the idea of placing turbines into the Bay to generate energy for the city and on Monday, he made it official. At a press conference at Crissy Field, Gavin and San Francisco Public Utilities Commission General Manager Susan Leal announced that they will begin the initial stages of getting this thing going. The turbines supposedly will create 38 megawatts of power, or enough to power 38,000 homes. more ›

Normally our Sunday mornings are spent walking along the beach at Crissy Field looking out on the Bay and wondering who those people are on the boats and what San Francisco looks like from the water. more ›

SFist Agitates! (And no, not just from our use of the first person plural.) What causes can you promote this weekend? On Saturday alone, you've got two sets of well-paired options. Make Love, Not War: On Saturday, over 20,000 people are expected in town for the anti-war march. The march starts at noon from Dolores Park, goes up to Civic Center, and then ends at Jefferson Square Park on Eddy Street between Gough and Laguna around 5. However, complicating things, the ravers' Love Parade is happening at the same time -- and also marching from downtown to the Civic Center! Exciting cultural clashes are sure to ensue -- will the black box anarchists learn to put aside the flaming mattress in favor of the love and unity that is rave? Fat!So?: But wait! That's not all that's going on on Saturday! The Society of Bariatric Surgeons (stomach staplers) are having a Walk From Obesity through Crissy Field. Won't those surgeons be either upset (or start making stapling motions with their fingers in a Pavlovian response) when they see that Marilyn Wann from the National Association to Advance of Fat Acceptance is crashing their walk with a "Fat Fun In The Sun" protest ! People of size should show up at Crissy Field Saturday morning from 9:30-11; outdoor activity frolicking is planned. more ›