
Outside Lands San Francisco
Nicole Meldahl and a rotating cast of hosts from the Western Neighborhoods Project (outsidelands.org / OpenSFHistory.org) share San Francisco west side neighborhood history with humor, a real fact or two, and much-better-informed occasional guests.
Latest episodes

Jun 4, 2022 • 34min
459: Charles Looff and the Hippodrome
In the early days, Playland's carousel was called the Hippodrome. The oceanside attraction has an intriguing history and a wonderful happy ending.

May 28, 2022 • 56min
458: Mountain Lake Park
We visited Mountain Lake waaaay back in WNP Podcast #76. Now we tackle the park around it. Mountain Lake Park as we know it today, has evolved over its 150 year span as one of the City's oldest recreational areas. Link to Podcast #76: bit.ly/WNPPOD076

May 21, 2022 • 1h 8min
457: Meet WNP Board Members
Nicole hosts a conversation with two WNP Board members, Eva Laflamme and Carissa Tonner who share their backgrounds and enthusiasm for San Francisco history. We pull back the veil on how Board members contribute their talents, ideas, and energy to support the nonprofit Western Neighborhoods Project.

May 14, 2022 • 30min
338: The Hot House at Playland (Repodcast)
Continuing the Playland theme to dovetail with WNP's 2022 Gala event, we revisit a beloved purveyor of "Mexican" food, the Hot House. Located along the Great Highway, the Hot House was an early innovator of thematic dining.

May 7, 2022 • 24min
136: Playland at the Beach (Repodcast)
To dovetail with this year's Playland theme for the WNP 2022 Gala, we present a repodcast of our Playland at the Beach episode with Woody & David as your hosts. Even nearly 50 years since its demise, there's still a fascination for the long lost amusement area. And OpenSFHistory.org has pictures galore for your viewing pleasure: https://bit.ly/OpenSFPlayland

Apr 30, 2022 • 53min
456: Eadweard Muybridge - Part 2
We conclude the saga of Eadweard Muybridge. At the end of part 1, we left our famous photographer hero bursting in on a card game to confront his wife's lover. What happens next? Visit OpenSFHistory.org to see our collection of Muybridge images: https://bit.ly/emuybridge

Apr 23, 2022 • 51min
455: Eadweard Muybridge - Part 1
The "interesting" life of early San Francisco photographer, Eadweard Muybridge, sounds like a great pitch for a movie. This is a rare, two part WNP podcast where Nicole and Arnold cover Muybridge's early years. And be sure not to miss part 2. Visit OpenSFHistory.org to see our collection of Muybridge images: https://bit.ly/emuybridge

Apr 16, 2022 • 1h 9min
454: Oral History with Adrianne Vincent
Native San Franciscan, author, and special guest, Adrianne Vincent, joins Nicole to share her memories of the West Side. Adrianne recalls personal anecdotes relating to several recent Western Neighborhoods Project podcasts like the SNACK Concert, Baker Beach, Anton Levay, and more.

Apr 9, 2022 • 18min
177: Lowell High School (Repodcast)
Continuing the school theme, this week, we repodcast an episode on Lowell High School. It wasn't always located near Stonestown and Lake Merced.

Apr 2, 2022 • 49min
453: Herbert Hoover Middle School
Hoover Junior High (as it was called back then), was one of dozens of schools built in the West Side of San Francisco to educate the Boomer generation of kids. This week, Nicole and Arnold tell us about the bumpy journey to build "Sunset Junior High".