Peter Hartlaub
@peterhartlaub
San Francisco Chronicle culture critic. Spends too much time in the archive. Total SF co-founder. S.F. 🌁 Oakland 🌳 Alameda ⚓️
Important note! Our newsroom looked like this ⬇️ No social media, our old Coyote computers had no internet, and the word “viral” still brought to mind smallpox outbreaks. There was certainly no easy way for, say, a half naked photo of yourself to be transmitted around the world in an instant.
The idea was born in 2000, shortly after the Examiner/Chronicle merger. There had been an “anything goes” feeling in the newsroom. Our editor was married to literal Sharon Stone! Also, we had just combined two bitterly competing newsrooms. Things were tense. People wanted to show unity.
Thank you Jeffrey! I'm soooo excited for this event. Had our pre-interview with the mayor yesterday and it went 10x better than I hoped. Such a great storyteller, with many lessons for us in 2026.
Wrote this column in part because my feelings about the Giants/Posey Pride game controversy wouldn't go away. Not feelings of despair, but feelings of confidence and strength that at-will employees — even a beloved World Series legend — can't change the unchangeable in this city. 🌁 ❤️ 🏳️🌈
Don't know another NFL writer whose preseason predictions include the exact number of games a starting QB will miss ... along with the obscure injury that will land them on the DL.
This is my new favorite Chronicle archive story. A gift for sports-haters everywhere. From 1/25/1982: "Doesn't anyone realize this is just a *football* game? This is on the front pages of newspapers, my God. It's totally silly. In 50 years, nobody is ever going to remember that this happened."
My job is basically time travel. North Beach on 1/24/1982. The @sfchronicle.com sent a photographer out to find people who weren’t watching the Super Bowl.
“People who didn’t watch the game — Don’t think football is important.” Love this 1/24/1982 photo negative find in the @sfchronicle.com archive. Photographer Steve Ringman sent to find people NOT watching Super Bowl XVI. There appear to be images from the Condor adult club in North Beach.
Weird that the Muppets were the ones who look MOST like they’re actually playing/singing live.
I’m in Oregon with Milo for his college pre-orientation. Having a blast but soooo sad I missed @sfcityfc.com last night.
Super disappointing. Just one Chronicle colleague complimented my Ryan Gosling/“Project Hail Mary” cosplay yesterday. (My favorite movie of the year so far that doesn’t feature zombies or sheep detectives.) 🌁🐈⬛🪐
Nighthawks!! (USL 2) They have played at Kezar Stadium and have the best kits. (That’s the California bear flag.)
The part I wasn't expecting when I started interviewing longtime Colma residents: The humor. As a rule they're not afraid of death, don't believe in ghosts, and always seem armed with dad joke Colma one-liners. ("People are dying to move here!") Fun story ☠️ 😀 www.sfchronicle.com/totalsf/arti...
Love this! 🏳️🌈🏳️⚧️ I’ve visited Richmond twice this year. The big city has great nurseries and the best rescue dog shelter in the Bay Area. Point Richmond has a century-old salt water natatorium. Closest you’ll come in 2026 to swimming at Sutro Baths. And the first “Toy Story” was made here!!!
New Ripley bed just dropped 🐾 She now has (by conservative estimates) nine.
First day in the @sfchronicle.com newsroom was disorienting but fun! (I’ve been working in the same place for 26 years, and never worked in a high rise.) Walked to work, took the 1 California to an assignment, ate a decent salad, had a good time with my colleagues. Change is ok. Life goes on. 🗞️❤️
I gave SEVEN @sfchronicle.com building tours in the last 72 hours, featuring early history, a look at our Prince file 💜 and a descent into the DEFINITELY HAUNTED subbasement. Fabulous photos by @thebiscuitdan.bsky.social in today's column. Gift link 🎁 🗞️ ⬇️ www.sfchronicle.com/totalsf/arti...
Some scenes from the last 24 hours of the @sfchronicle.com newsroom. 🗞️🍷🏳️🌈
School teacher Lucy Evans and her documents digging single-handedly saved the parkland around San Francisquito Creek, but of course they still named it after the son of a railroad baron who died a half century earlier. 🙄😡
Honored in today’s column to introduce new generations to “Baylands Lucy,” a Palo Alto elementary school teacher who led the drive to protect 1,940 acres of marshland. Filled her home with legal documents and meeting minutes. Drove City Council members crazy. Absolute legend. 🫡 🦆
This is not the same dog. The dog groomer definitely switched pups on us. Can’t believe he thought he’d get away with it.
It said “The Big Bang Theory” was on. Also no sign of the game on any YouTubeTV sports portal. But when you click on it there’s a secret Valkyries game. Because broadcast sports television is a speakeasy now?! (Might want to get it together if ratings are a priority for you @kpixtv.bsky.social)
Our first game of the season at Balhalla. Not sure I’m allowed back …
Glad I got to write about my favorite underrated North Bay landmark: The Big Pile of Manure With Tires on It, located about a mile east of Sebastopol on Highway 12. First saw this in the 1970s I think? People should talk about this like that Livermore fire department light bulb. 🐄 🛞 💯
Hamburger cake at Merritt Bakery. Circa 2012? My younger son Milo in foreground. He loved looking at the cake here. I think there was a Bible cake next to it? Always wondered who got the hamburger cake. It was so big & so random. Later found out that Pixar ordered them for wrap parties. 🍔🎂❤️