Secret San Francisco: A Guide to the Weird, Wonderful, and Obscure

Did you know that there is a redwood forest in the middle of San Francisco? Have you ever heard a brass marching band leading funerals through Chinatown, or taken an underground sewer tour of the city? Where can you wander through a labyrinth where the land meets the sea? It’s all revealed in Secret San Francisco: A Guide to the Weird, Wonderful, and Obscure. Not your traditional guidebook, it will lead you to unlock the secrets and little-known stories behind the city’s most enduring icons. You’ll find directions to the real crookedest street, windmills, and an airport for flying boats. Along the way you’ll encounter some bizarre and often hilarious history. For example, did you know that both Burning Man and Santa Con started here? Or that San Francisco was the site of the last American duel? Learn the story of how the city nearly broke Tony Bennett’s heart, and almost allowed public nudity. International travel writer Ruth Wertzberger Carlson left no detail overlooked as she researched and wrote about her hometown. Her book will take you places locals would rather keep for themselves—that is, if they even know about them!