North Beach

Most of the Bay Area is masking back up, at least in some situations, and tensions are high as COVID cases and hospitalizations tick up. But things continue to reopen, and events are still happening.

The Stinking Rose (325 Columbus Ave.), which opened in 1991 in North Beach and maintains a loyal clientele of tourists and garlic-loving locals, has been closed throughout the pandemic. And now we learn that it won't reopen unless a new owner steps in and wants to keep the concept going, with the original owners deciding to retire.

After nearly two years of being totally dark, the 102-year-old Tosca Cafe (242 Columbus Ave.) is opening its doors again this week, having undergone its second light remodel and refurbishing in the last decade.

Historic, beloved North Beach dive bar Specs turns 53 years old this week, and after nearly 14 months of being dark, the bar and museum of curios is planning to light up again next month and start slinging its cheap drinks outdoors.

Boasting 100 seats outside on two sidewalks, a much anticipated new tapas bar is finally debuting in North Beach following several months of introducing itself to the 'hood via a takeout window.

102-year-old Tosca Cafe (242 Columbus Ave.) is coming alive yet again in North Beach, after a too-brief rebirth last year, and following its much bemoaned 2019 closure.

A volunteer-run used bookstore in the Financial District, run out of some window alcoves near Bush and Montgomery, has a more secure future after signing a 10-year lease.

Legendary North Beach poet, publisher, and bookseller Lawrence Ferlinghetti, has died. He was 101 years of age. The beloved literary icon died peacefully in his San Francisco home surrounded by loved ones, "holding the hands of his son and his son’s girlfriend, 'as he took his last breath,'" his son Lorenzo Ferlinghetti said on Tuesday.

A priest has died of COVID-19 at Saints Peter and Paul Church in North Beach, 27-year-old Muddy's Coffee House has closed at 24th and Valencia, and an East San Jose gym that had remained open in defiance of health orders has temporarily closed.

The Tacolicious locations at San Jose’s Santana Row and in San Francisco’s North Beach are no more – some of the latest casualties of pandemic economics.

A new Spanish tapas and aperitivo bar is preparing to open next month at the prominent North Beach intersection of Stockton, Green and Columbus.

Plus, Mexican-Korean fusion spot Tacorea is expanding to the North Beach/Chinatown border.

Weiss, who passed away on July 31, was dubbed the "goddess of the Beat Generation" by Herb Caen.

Third-party delivery services take a big bite out of revenue for struggling restaurants — a "predatory economy" that volunteers are fighting by delivering the food themselves.

A dog was also rescued from the blaze, which broke out in the middle of the night. According to SFFD, one person was displaced as a result of the fire.

A North Beach bar transforms into a boutique spirits shop, a barbecue pop-up debuts in Cow Hollow, and a French bakery permanently closes one of its three locations in the city.

Plus, the Ferry Building has a new tart shop.

The company has declared bankruptcy and is closing locations across the country, with the Bay Area particularly hard-hit.

Despite getting the OK from the city, a handful of SF's flea and farmers markets still face roadblocks to resuming service.

San Francisco now has a total of 749 social-distancing circles across its city parks.

In one incident, a man broke the passenger window of a car parked in a public garage, setting fire to the front and rear interior.

Thefts and assaults have decreased during the shelter-in-place, but they haven't disappeared.

Housing costs too high? Apartment hunting is hard, but there are deals out there. So what do low-end rentals in North Beach look like these days?

Big museums are likely to survive the crisis, but smaller ones without endowments are staring down a collapse in tourism.

In one incident, a man forced entry into the lobby of a college dorm to steal packages. He was caught by security.