

Outside Lands San Francisco
Western Neighborhoods Project
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.
Episodes
Mentioned books

Feb 19, 2022 • 59min
448: Presidential Visits to the Outside Lands
Attention is always lavished on US Presidents when they visit Downtown SF. But it's even more notable when they travel to the West Side. WNP Board President, Arnold Woods, shares his research for an article he penned on presidential visits to the Outside Lands.

Feb 12, 2022 • 46min
447: Bernice Rodgers
To help celebrate Black History Month, we welcome Nancy Botkin - who tells us about the remarkable Bernice Rodgers. Bernice was a ground-breaking Rec and Park employee whose was later honored with street named after her in Golden Gate Park.

Feb 5, 2022 • 1h 2min
446: Thorsten Sideboard
This week, we are treated to an Oral History with special guest, Thorsten Sideboard. A local Sunset artist, Thorsten created Western Neighborhoods Project's first activity book for children on the life of Adolph Sutro and WNP's Cliff House Collection.

Jan 29, 2022 • 44min
445: Keepers of the Steps
This week's podcast celebrates 150 years of Irish dance in San Francisco with a trio of special guests: Anne Cassidy Carew, Eileen Mize, and Jamie O’Keefe. They tell us about the United Irish Cultural Center's exhibition called "Keepers of the Steps".

Jan 22, 2022 • 47min
444: Olympic Club Hike N Dip
It's the New Year and what better way to start it off than to take a dip in the frigid waters of Ocean Beach. Special guest, Jessica Smith, joins Nicole and Michael to explain the origins of the Olympic Club Hike 'N Dip.

Dec 25, 2021 • 44min
443: Santa Claus Association
Unlike today's SantaCon, Mabel Hawkin's Santa Claus Association does not involve scores of drunken Kris Kringles. Instead, the Association was a charity group that distributed thousands of gifts to San Francisco's children. This week, Nicole and Michael provide the inspiring story behind this groundbreaking endeavor.

Dec 11, 2021 • 55min
442: West Side Art and Artists
This week, we resume the topic of West Side Artists with guest, John Lindsey, owner of The Great Highway Gallery.

Nov 27, 2021 • 59min
441: The Museum at The Cliff
If you haven't already visited the Museum at The Cliff, where we are displaying many of the Cliff House and Sutro Baths historical items successfully won at action - get to it! We're open Thursday through Sunday from 11:00 - 4:00 PM located at the Cliff House Gift Shop. The Museum would not have been possible but for the herculean effort by our podcast guests: Alexandra Mitchell of ACT Art Conservation and John Lindsey of The Great Highway gallery in collaboration with Western Neighborhoods Project. Hear how a magical series of events had to fall into place to bring the Museum into existence.

Nov 13, 2021 • 40min
440: GGIE art at City College of San Francisco
As a World's Fair, the Golden Gate International Expo, held on Treasure Island in 1939-40, brought together exhibits from all over the globe. One exhibit featured artists (both notable and unknown) creating their art, some of which visitors could actually purchase. Some of the commissioned works were destined to be displayed at City College. This week, Nicole and Michael talk about the GGIE artists and their work on display at CCSF.

Nov 6, 2021 • 22min
178: 50th Anniversary of the Sutro Baths Fire (Repodcast)
Have you visited our Museum at The Cliff? Through mid-April 2022, see artifacts from the Cliff House and Sutro Baths, now on display (Thurs-Sun) in our free pop up museum at the former Cliff House Gift Shop. Some pieces were saved, first from the fire at the Sutro Baths (the topic of this podcast) and again more recently when a fundraising effort allowed Western Neighborhoods Project to acquire these items at auction.


