Bay Area librarian Mychal Threets to host ‘Reading Rainbow;’ lost jazz treasures; creative mutual aid; painted cars; bling from “bips;” ghosts in the city; tarantulas at Mt. Diablo; films on the bay; hidden views; and Jins and DSW open at Stonestown Mall.
Cinema on the bay
The Roxie Theater is teaming up with Red and White Fleet this month to host a unique sailing movie theater — a hybrid-electric vessel turned open-air cinema with the San Francisco skyline as its backdrop.
Cocktails, snacks, and complimentary popcorn keep the decks lively while films flicker across multiple screens. This year’s lineup spans cult favorites like Top Gun, Beetlejuice Beetlejuice, and Carpenter’s The Fog. Screenings run Friday nights through October on the bay. — The Whimsy Soul, Red and White Fleet
Unexpected view
Amidst nearly 360-degree views atop Broadway and Taylor in San Francisco, sits the most unique view of the Golden Gate Bridge in town, which is easy to miss. While standing near the northern crosswalk of the intersection, facing north toward Alcatraz, if you take a look at the apartment building on your right, there’s a set of mirrored windows that perfectly frame the iconic bridge.
When SFist was taking photos at the intersection (see Saturday Links), we nearly missed the hidden gem. We circled the area snapping photos for several minutes when we noticed the large windows at eye level and observed how annoying it must be to live right there where bystanders can look in — hence, the mirrored windows. Intentional design choice or not, the result was pretty spectacular. — SFist
Shadows in the city
Local paranormal investigator Ying Liu leads guests through San Francisco’s streets and architectural sites, weaving ghost stories into the city’s nightly pulse. In Chinatown’s Grand Star, her crew claims they saw a crying woman in the bathroom mirror and a floating figure sliding past empty seats.
At the Warfield, a thermal camera caught what looked like a human face etched in cold. Even a narrow alley by the Transamerica Pyramid carries its own restless presence. Tours available through Haunted Bay. — KRON4
Red earth wanderers
As the days shorten and Halloween creeps closer, Mount Diablo’s trails become overrun with male tarantulas who emerge from their burrows in search of mates this time of year.
The females wait quietly underground, some of them decades old. Just a short 2.5-mile loop from Mitchell Canyon Visitor Center brings the possibility of finding some fuzzy, eight-legged creatures, if you dare. — Bay Area Hikers, Weekend Sherpa
Art and cruisers
Rose B. Simpson’s LEXICON at the de Young pairs two art cars, Maria and Bosque, with monumental clay figures, blending ancestral Tewa techniques with contemporary flair. The cars’ painted surfaces echo pottery designs, while the towering sculptures are rough-textured, adorned with beads, branches, and symbolic markings.
Together, they create a dialogue of craft, lineage, and imagination, a space where metal, clay, and color converge. The exhibition moves between tradition and invention, embodying stories that span generations. — Alta
Echoes in a suitcase
At SCRAP, the Bayview arts and crafts reuse center founded by Ruth Asawa, a small suitcase turned up among the usual donations — inside, hundreds of photos, magazines, and autographs tracing the vanished history of the Fillmore’s “Harlem of the West.” The collection once belonged to Warren “Duke” Bynum, a doorman and jazz lover whose circle spanned icons like Duke Ellington and Lionel Hampton.
Volunteers traced the suitcase’s path through time, linking it to Bynum’s widow, Jimmye, and to neighbors and students still carrying the Fillmore’s creative spirit. Now, those images and memories are being revived in writing workshops at the Dr. George W. Davis Senior Center, where community elders are turning rediscovered history into living story. — Mission Local
Blight to Gem
In Oakland, designer Sydney Jones transforms shattered car windows into wearable art. Her line, Bips, turns the aftermath of break-ins — those glittering piles of broken glass along the curb — into tiny gems.
Through her Odd Commodity Shop, Jones also upcycles bottles and lab glass into candles and vases, merging sustainability with urban storytelling. She sells her creations at local markets and online, offering beauty from what the city leaves behind. — The Oaklandside
West side buzz
Stonestown Galleria continues to fill up — with very few vacancies remaining, as DSW and Tokyo-based Jins Eyewear opened their doors Friday. H&M will be added to the mix at the end of November. In addition to strong anchor stores like Whole Foods, Trader Joe’s, Target, and Sports Basement, the mall offers a variety of food and boutique options, as well as activity-based destinations to attract young patrons, including Regal Cinema, Activate gaming facility, and Round1 Bowling & Arcade.
SFist paid a lunchtime visit this week and found the shops to be quite bustling. When we heard that Tokyo-based Jins had returned after closing its Union Square location in 2022, we headed on over to obtain our third pair of Jins glasses, which are very stylish and were ready in 30 minutes. (Nose pads are a must for our miniscule nose bridge, we’ve learned.)
We will definitely be back to the mall soon to hit up DSW and try out some Japanese cheesecake from Uncle Tetsu. — SFGate
Mystery line, giving hands
At a pop-up table in Golden Gate Park, a wheel of chance and a tin of jelly beans double as an invitation to care. Creative Mutual Aid, founded by artists Sara Rubenstein and Joe Mitchell, turns everyday encounters into small acts of support — a watercolor for a stranger, a bar of soap for comfort, a few test strips to keep someone safe.
The group’s hotline, dialed through the number “MYSTERY,” connects callers to volunteers ready to fulfill requests both whimsical and vital. At the pop-up, they trade stories, trinkets, and small essentials across picnic blankets — the kind of spontaneous exchange that keeps San Francisco feeling alive. — KQED
Rainbows online
Reading Rainbow is back, this time on YouTube, with Mychal Threets at the helm. The former Fairfield librarian, who went viral on TikTok for his playful, heartfelt book videos, brings a fresh energy to the beloved series.
The reboot promises storytelling, celebrity guests, and the same push to make reading irresistible for kids, and adults alike. — KTVU
Top image: Rose B. Simpson (Santa Clara Pueblo), Maria, 2014. Photograph by Kate Russell. Image courtesy of the artist
