The Balboa theater is Simply the best neighborhood theatre in San Francisco. (Okay, the Castro and the Roxie are certainly contendors, but I’m biased, as it takes me only about two minutes to walk to the Balboa). Unpretentious. Excellent popcorn. If you get on the mailing list, owner Gary Meyer will keep you updated on upcoming shows and special events. Manager Roger seems to really dig his job. So does the hottie who has practically grown up tearing tickets there. Almost three years ago, when she sold us our tickets one quiet evening, she told us she was about...

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A couple of years ago my husband Kevin and I moved to the Richmond district of San Francisco. It’s a quiet area of the city out near the beach, on the Presidio side of Golden Gate Park, known primarily for its fog and its longstanding Russian population. Kevin’s dad grew up in the Richmond, and his mom grew up on the other side of the park, in the Sunset. It’s merely coincidence that my last name coincides with my neighborhood. At any rate, I’ve loved this neighborhood for a long time, felt myself drawn to it years before we...

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