Several runners of Bay to Breakers seized the opportunity to let their genitals flap free in the breeze. Mostly older men, but also some daring younger participants, skipped the costumes and raced butt naked. Nina, a 22 year-old woman from Berkeley, joined San Francisco’s famous race for the very first time. It took her a while to get over the awkwardness that comes with taking your clothes off in public, but at the finish line she was proud and excited to be one of the nude runners. “When I started I couldn’t find any of my friends so I felt a bit weird being alone and taking my clothes off. So I started running in my shorts, but...

The Fillmore and the Western Addition have witnessed ups and downs over the years, and Elizabeth Pepin, author of “Harlem of the West,” wanted to make sure the people of the Fillmore wouldn’t be forgotten due to the redevelopment of the area. San Francisco born and raised Her passion for the Fillmore started when she got hired by Bill Graham to work for the Fillmore Auditorium as a historian and day manager in 1986. She then compiled a booklet of the history of the auditorium and the jazz scene. Since then, Pepin has written about the Fillmore for newspapers and magazines and worked for the San Francisco Redevelopment...

Twitter has over 140 million users, but the best person to follow in San Francisco is… well, @UppityFag a.k.a Patrick Connors. Ok, that’s according to the readers’ poll of SF Weekly’s Best of 2012. But Patrick has quite a few followers —over 1,800 to be exact, who think he is pretty awesome and… uppity. You know what’s even better? He lives in Hayes Valley! Uppity Fag found a few minutes (No, wait. It was more than that) to answer our questions. If you are already following him, you know he always gives you a piece of his mind. But this is different. This is not just a piece. Who is Uppity Fag —really?...

As you may have noticed the furniture and fashion store on Divisadero and Page streets (289 Divisadero St.) has closed its doors, but the owner of Swankety Swank promises to keep her business going in a different form. After the store celebrated its last day on April 27 with a move-out sale, owner Yabette Alfaro organized a Starseed Event seeking closure with her old space to start fresh. “Moving has been extremely taxing, but I am getting back into the swing of things towards the future,” Alfaro said. Swankety Swank first opened its doors on McAllister and Baker streets in 2007 before moving to Divisadero and Page streets over...

The San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency will continue work on N-Judah, shutting down the line for 10 consecutive days starting May 25 and ending on June 4. The SFMTA  is continuing intensive work on the Church and Duboce Track and Street Improvement Project. “This shutdown will enable critically important work that will help Muni run better and make for safer travel for people on bicycles and on foot.” said Edward D. Reiskin, Director of Transportation. SFMTA is working on installing new tracks, upgrading curb and ramp, improving water and sewer systems and replacing wire poles among other minor changes. Some ways...

Hayes Valley can expect a new temporary business in the name of Streets of San Francisco Bike Tours by June 1. Business partners Tim McLaughlin and Daniel Watson-Weller signed their lease May 14 at a location near the Proxy Project located at the corner of Octavia Boulevard and Linden Street. Started in the Alamo Square area in February 2011, SOSF Bike Tours is growing bigger, and the owners were looking into a more appropriate locale for their business. However, this new locale will only be theirs for three months. “We’ll probably look into a proper retail space,” Tim said about the location they might go to after Hayes...