Funky Tut! He Gave His Life for Tourism

Finally got around to seeing the Tutankhamen and the Golden Age of the Pharaohs exhibit that’s been showing at San Francisco’s De Young Museum since June. But as Steve Martin said: “If I’d known/They’d line up just to see him/I’d have taken all my money/And bought me a museum.” And yes, the lines have been long. Judging by the roped off...

The Time Whole Foods Got It Right

Whole Foods has taken a lot of heat recently — mostly due to CEO John MacKey’s Wall Street Journal Op-Ed piece on the Health Care debate. What sparked a lot of criticism was his somewhat clueless opinion that if people would only eat organic food, they wouldn’t need expensive health care. Aside from the fact that this doesn’t take into account accidents,...

Scotch Andrew Escapes from Alcatraz

It’s some sort of Forties thing. When they hit those birthday numbers, men either have to do something incredibly macho or have an affair. Luckily, our friend Andrew (called “Scotch Andrew” to distinguish him from my Andrew, who is “English Andrew”) decided to do the Alcatraz Challenge. (Of course, if you saw his gorgeous wife, Jan, you’d realize...

The Last Living Juror in San Francisco

As I have for the last twenty or so years of my life around this time, I am again serving jury duty. And there is something very wrong with this picture. I’ve done the math and it just doesn’t add up. A little background: when I moved to this city, one of the first things I did was register to vote. Which immediately put me in the jury pool. At that time, you were eligible...

I Loves You Porgy!

Photo by Karin Cooper, San Francisco Sentinel If you want to know what’s going on in San Francisco — at least as far as museums, opera, ballet or cultural events — look to the lamp posts. Oh, we’ve got listings in the Pink Section of the Chronicle and in our two free papers, The Guardian and the SF Weekly. But it’s more fun to look to the colorful banners...

De Young Museum Exhibits World’s M...

I used to be obsessive about museums. I paid my fee. I went in the front door. I viewed every gallery in order on every floor from start to finish until I’d seen every single item. I did this once at the Louvre. Took me eight hours and that’s WITHOUT a snack or lunch break. (Or bathroom break given the state of French bathrooms. But that’s a different post.)...