San Francisco Bay Area Events, Things To Do This Week: May 19, 2025
Memorial Day weekend events Bay Area, San Francisco things to do this week, San Jose activities, Bay Area festivals, street fairs & more.
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Weekly Recommendation
I am sure you have all heard about the French Laundry article in the Chronicle. I don’t know either individual, nor have I ever dined at French Laundry, and am not here to defend any side, but I did want to touch on the dynamics of the restaurant industry and food critics in general.
These days, everyone is a critic and thanks (or no thanks) to platforms like Yelp, Google business listings etc, people are judged daily. Almost no other industry is judged so often, so harshly, and by so many people as restaurants are.
The workers who prepare our meals are often underpaid, overworked, and underappreciated. The failure rate of restaurants is so high that people are constantly on edge with trying to do their best. Imagine having to work sporadic shifts, rely on public transportation, or deal with daily performance reviews by the public, not just every once in a while but regularly. It takes a toll on people physically and mentally.
This week, I recommend watching City of Gold, a documentary about the late Jonathan Gold of the LA Times. He is one of my inspirations for this newsletter. Even though I never met him, he helped me to appreciate not only the food on my plate but also the people, cultures, and effort that made it happen.
Rather than criticize establishments or experiences, he focused his time on what he enjoyed, appreciated, and loved from his dining experiences and the people who made it happen. His curiosity, appreciation for everything, and humility was incredibly unique. I miss him. If you can’t access the film, read some of his reviews here.
See the full archived weekly recommendations here.
San Francisco Bay Area Weekly News Roundup
Curated mix of local/state news. Check out my news write-ups here.
How Nathan Fielder’s The Rehearsal Affirms My Experience w/ Autism -Consequence (this is not a local story, but this show is pretty incredible and likely resonates with many folks in the Bay Area).
'Hoarder' House In Noe Valley Goes Up In Flames, Two Dogs Killed, One Person Possibly Missing -SFist
Second suspicious fire melts Outer Richmond elementary school play structure -Mission Local
Bhangra & Beats Returns To San Francisco On July 25th -Bhangra & Beats
San Francisco Bay Area Events This Week, Things To Do
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All events are held in San Francisco, unless otherwise noted.
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More events in the monthly calendar, (more exclusive, intimate one-time events as well as ongoing events, exhibits and festivals).