Boom, Bust, and Reinvention: The Story of San Francisco
We’re incredibly excited to announce our partnership with Downtown First Thursdays! We’ll be hosting FREE lectures as part of their monthly programming. ✨🪩
Since we're partnering with DFT, we’re using Eventbrite as their official registration platform. Your ticket will only be valid if reserved through the Eventbrite page!! But we still wanted to share it with our Luma community since so many of you find us here. :)
✨RESERVE YOUR FREE TICKET HERE ✨
Note: Tickets are required for entry. Entry is first come, first served and not guaranteed. Doors open at 7pm.
🌉 San Francisco has always lived at the edges—of empires, of imagination, of boom and bust. Few cities swing as wildly between extremes, or reinvent themselves as completely, as this one.
Join us at Hawthorn SF for an evening with Gary Kamiya, award-winning author, historian, and longtime chronicler of the city’s soul. In this sweeping narrative journey, Gary traces San Francisco from its ragged beginnings as a remote outpost of a fading Spanish empire to the dreamlike era of Yerba Buena, the explosive Gold Rush that created an “Instant City,” the notorious Barbary Coast, the grandeur of the Gilded Age, the devastation and rebirth after 1906, the rise of the Beats and the hippies, and the city’s latest transformation into a global tech capital.
With the storytelling of a journalist and the insight of a historian, Gary reveals how San Francisco’s past continues to shape its identity today—its restlessness, its contradictions, its magnetism, and its refusal to be anything but itself. This is a chance to see the city anew: not just as a place, but as an unfolding story. ✨📜🌁
❓FAQs❓
What should I expect?
7:00 --> doors open, arrival & chats
7:40-8:20 --> lecture
8:20-9:00 --> q&a and more chatting
Who's invited?
Anyone with an interest in learning new things, meeting new people, and doing fun things on weeknights! Lots of people came solo to our last event, so don't be afraid to do the same—you’ll meet some awesome people!
What about parking?
There's no parking on-site, so we recommend street parking or using public transportation.
Do I have to be 21+?
Yes! This lecture is hosted at a bar that requires all occupants to be 21+.
What about accessibility?
We want our lectures to be as accessible as possible. Depending on the venue, some audience members may need to stand, and our rule of thumb is that around 5% of attendees may not have seats. If you need specific seating accommodations, we recommend arriving early to secure a seat, or emailing us at [email protected] so we can make arrangements for you.
Accessibility can vary depending on the space, so please research our specific venue to learn more about things like wheelchair access and service animal policies. If you have any accessibility needs not covered here, feel free to reach out and we’ll do our best to support you.
I can't make it to this event. How do I stay updated for future events?
How do I become a speaker?
Fill out this form and we'll reach out to you if we think your lecture is a good fit! 👉 Speaker form
*For any other questions or special accommodations, please email [email protected].
Presented by @intothestreetssf & @civic_joy_fund in partnership with @111minnagallery @natomacabana @theeastcut and @visityerbabuenasf
DFT is made possible by the generous contributions of Battery Powered (@thebatterysf), Bob and Randi Fisher, Chris Larsen (@chrislarsen.sf), Crankstart (@crankstartfoundation), Friend Family Philanthropic Fund, GAP Foundation (@gapinc), JPMorgan Chase & Co. (@jpmorganchase), Levi Strauss & Co. (@levistraussco), and Salesforce (@salesforce)