What's Disney commercialization of a beloved local landmark and why does it -- what's that word again? Suck. Yeah, anyway, we're a bit late getting around to this Anaheim-based copycat of local treasure Palace of Fine Arts. Local blogger (and SFist commenter) MrEricSir noted the shocking similarities between the local landmark and the new Little Mermaid ride at Disney's California Adventure. (Aside: we can't wait to check it out during our next trip behind the Orange Curtain! Eee!) more ›

SFist reported on Friday that the Palace of Fine Arts' "orphaned, injured and recently rehabbed" swan, Bella, was rejected and treated as an intruder by her brother, Baby Blue, and sister-in-law, Blanche, who were being ultra-protective of their three-week-old cygnet Martha. Well, things keep getting worse for the poor Palace swan family. Bay City News is reporting that baby Martha went missing on Thursday night, and it's suspected that either a hawk or a raccoon took her. more ›

In the ongoing saga swiming around the lagoon at the Palace of Fine Arts: Bella, the orphaned, injured and recently rehabbed Palace swan has been ousted from the lagoon. Bella's brother and sister-in-law have been in something of a fowl mood lately, likely due to long nights spent caring for their three-week-old cygnet Martha. more ›

Yesterday Chron's City Insider waded in to the lagoon at the Palace of Fine Arts where Bella, the injured mute swan who spent the last month and a half in rehab up in Point Reyes, once again graced the waters with her presence. With her webbed foot all healed up, Bella joins her brother Blue Boy and his new beau Blanche as they start to raise their newborn ball of downy fluff Martha who was born on Memorial Day. But it might not be all domestic bliss for the swan family. As Bay City New reports this morning, Blue Boy could be getting territorial now that he's got a cygnet to look after. more ›

From the Palace of Fine Arts this morning comes word of a new addition to the lagoon's swan family. According to the Examiner, Blanche and her fertile mate Blue Boy hatched a downy little cygnet named Martha on Memorial Day. more ›

After a renovation costing more than $20 million and taking several years, the glorious Palace of Fine Arts reopened this morning, to much fanfare, congratulations and rejoicing, plus snacks and peppy live music from Gaucho. Speakers included Park & Rec Commissioner Mark Buell, recent (Michela Alioto-Pier) and current (Mark Farrell) supervisors for District 2, and Donna Ewald Huggins, the dynamo behind the private-sector fundraising that secured the majority of the money. Go visit the swans, stroll among the lovely new plantings, revel in the ornate beauty, and feel the civic pride. Lots more pictures here. more ›

After a long restoration process, the Palace of Fine Arts will reopen today. The San Francisco Recreation and Parks Department and the Maybeck Foundation plan on throwing a grand celebration at 10 a.m. today at Lyon Street and Marina Boulevard. "The monument, built for the 1915 Panama-Pacific International Exposition, has required a few restorations over the decades, including the most recent one that started in 2004," reports BCN. "Crews repaired the palace's dome, restored the nearby lagoon, seismically upgraded the site, and added new entrances and pathways, among other improvements." [SF Appeal] more ›

According to the Chronicle this morning Blanche, the sole remaining swan at the Palace of Fine Arts Lagoon, returned home Sunday after her stay at the San Francisco Zoo and a brief vacation to Point Reyes. Her trip up the coast was for a "blind date of sorts" with Blue Boy and Bella, a 2-year-old brother and sister duo who became fast friends with the 13-year-old survivor of last November's waterfowl murder. more ›

Now that Thanksgiving is over, it's back to mourning the loss of large fowl. Blanche the lone remaining mute swan at the Palace of Fine Arts lagoon, and sister of Monday who was found brutally murdered on November 13th, has been transplanted to the San Francisco Zoo for her safety, the Chronicle reports. more ›

In the early morning hours this Saturday one of two remaining swans who called the lagoon at the Palace of Fine Arts home was brutally murdered. According to the Examiner, the 5-year-old mute swan, named Monday, was found with a broken neck and empty beer cans littering the crime scene. (No word on whether they were Budweiser cans, however.) Animal Control has a lead on a "huge beer party" that happened the same night just across Baker Street from the lagoon. more ›

We can't get it out of our heads now that we mentioned it in conjunction with the Todd Rundgren show tonight at the Palace of Fine Arts. It's a good song, and it's been covered by the likes of Robert Palmer and Mandy Moore. It also figured in a somewhat infamous threeway sex scene from Nip/Tuck a few seasons back. Above, a simple concert version from 1978, with Todd alone at the piano. more ›

The closing act of 2008's SF Sketchfest brought the prize of two nights with The Kids In The Hall. This legendary Canadian sketch troupe whose deranged, ribald, brilliant humor has scarred the minds of a generation through stage and screen came to Sketchfest as revered elders. more ›