On Saturday night, Joe Payne captured this shot of a fire hydrant geyser shooting water into the air like it just didn't care. Wee! The scene happened on Folsom and 20th in the Mission District. Mission Mission has some choice shots of the blast as well. Oh, and check out video footage, shot and edited by Michael Gondry, below. more ›

In a storyline ripped from a rejected Desperate Housewives spec, Laurie Ann Martinez, a psychologist at Folsom Prison, was charged with faking her own rape in order to get her stubborn husband to move the couple to a better neighborhood. Reasonable, right? No, that is not reasonable. That is terrible. Also, she was in cahoots with a friend during this faux rape/robbery ordeal. more ›

Today at around 1:50 pm, there was a manhole cover explosion on Folsom Street at Harriet Street. Alert SF notes: "Folsom Street is closed between 6th and 7th Streets. Harriet Street is closed between Howard and Harrison Streets. Please avoid the area." more ›

What with the (somewhat benign yet very popular) Folsom Street Fair approaching this Sunday, it's not shocking that Treasure Island Media, a local porn company that specializes in bareback (i.e., condom-free) adult entertainment, has been 86'd from Sunday's festivities. In fact, they've been banned for several years now. No, not for distributing films with such titles as Plantin’ Seed (Folsom Underground) or Dawson's 20-Load Weekend, but for having had actual sex acts inside their booths at past Folsom Street Fair. more ›

Wednesday night's three-alarm fire that ravaged Park Hotel on Folsom Street left over 75 San Franciscans homeless. The Red Cross set up shelters to cover the displaced for the night, and will continue tonight. While investigators have yet to determine how it started -- SF Weekly debunked rumors that the fire was sparked by an indoor barbecue -- the Chronicle reports that the blaze "gutted the apartment house and spread to three other buildings, causing significant damage to a six-unit apartment behind it and minor to moderate damage to adjacent structures." more ›

Local activist Michael Petrelis attended Sunday's Dore Alley (rechristened Up Your Alley) Street Fair. What is that, you ask? Well, it's like the Folsom Street Fair, but for adults. Did we go? Heck no. Are you kidding? We were wearing deodorant and Paul Smith shoes on Sunday. Petrelis, however, did attend the festivities and has a batch of SFW photos for you to enjoy at your leisure at the workplace. Later in the day, we'll have more racy pics to share from yesterday's slap-and-tickle bash. more ›

In his new column, Chron foodie Michael Bauer sounds more than titillated by the concept of Saison, a new restaurant from partners Joshua Skenes and Mark Bright that is set to begin service one night a week only with a set menu. From the sound of it, after a few sold out weeks they'll likely be serving three nights a week, but this does serve as another example of ingenuity in the face of economically uncertain times in the restaurant biz. more ›

Finally, food from the back of a Toyota (or whatever) we can get behind. The upstanding citizens over at Eater tell us that French food will be available tonight at Folsom and Seventh. Good French good, that is. According to Chez Spencer's Twitter message, "Thursday, May 21 -Spencer on the go-French Take-away will be up and running on Folsom and 7th St at 6:00 pm." So, head over the SOMA, the best neighborhood in San Francisco, and taste some of chef Laurent Katgely's treats. more ›

Near Folsom Street. more ›

Described as a "generous woman who often gave money to the homeless," Helen Canafax, 63, was on the 600 block of Folsom Street on April 10 when an unidentified man swiped her purse and hit her to the ground. Canafax, according to reports "sustained serious injuries in the fall and died on April 26." The suspect at-large is reportedly "a black man between 35 and 40," weighing in somewhere around 180 pounds The suspect was wearing "a gray beanie-style cap, a red or black sweatshirt and dark-colored pants" on the day of the attack. If you know of any leads in this case, you are urged to call SFPD homicide inspectors Richard Martin or John Cleary at 415-553-1145, or the tip line at 415-575-4444. more ›

Photog extraordinaire Darwin Bell (for The Sword) managed to make it to yesterday's sex-and-fetish gala, the annual Folsom Street Fair. Lucky You. But let's skip the innuendos, explanation, and body-odor hate, and just get to the good stuff: fellatio, fisty sex acts, Sarah Palin drag, mommy parts, butts, boobs, bits, beer, same-sex sex, porta-potties, leather, and family fun. (Need some more Folsom Street Fair imagery burned into your brain? more ›

They don’t come any more rich with Blocker fodder than Folsom between 6th and 7th Sts. You’ve got four lanes of auto traffic zooming in one direction only. You’ve got an infamous ultramega dance club on one corner, and an “urban communal retreat” that certain people just call a big sex cult on another. You’ve got $30 back waxes, the ice cream man, hella lofts. There’s light industry. There’s an enormous, lovely city park. There’s a guy walking down the sidewalk with a black cat slung over his shoulder. Let’s go. more ›

As most of you know, we here at SFist are staunch vertical-growth advocates. In addition to One Rincon Hill being visible from SFist headquarters, we have also had the pleasure of watching the mushroom tip of BLŪ sprout above SOMA/Rincon Hill overt the last few months. While unsure of whether or not it was the next St. Regis or SOMA Grand, we've been dying for some time to sneak a peak at its insides. more ›