This Week's Top Stories

restaurants

Lillie Coit's Finally Opens Its Doors in North Beach After Years of Anticipation

The French-leaning restaurant at 1707 Powell St. — years in the making in the former Washington Square Bar & Grill space — launched a four-day grand opening October 8–11, bringing a Powell Street closure and a reroute of the 39 Coit bus to the heart of North Beach.

Lillie Coit's began its four-day grand opening October 8 at 1707 Powell St., with a 7:33 p.m. sign lighting, a Powell Street closure, and a 39 Coit reroute, according to SF News Today and SFMTA. The French-leaning bistro is named for Lillie Hitchcock Coit, the 19th-century San Francisco figure whose bequest funded the construction of Coit Tower atop Telegraph Hill. The restaurant occupies the North Beach building that formerly housed the legendary Washington Square Bar & Grill — known to a generation of Herb Caen readers as the Washbag.

preservation

Two Competing Plans for a North Beach Historic District Pit Preservation Against Housing

Supervisor Danny Sauter introduced a smaller, locally controlled historic district proposal last week as a counter to a sweeping national nomination that would cover nearly 800 properties across roughly 20 blocks.

A yearslong battle over how to balance historic preservation and housing construction in San Francisco's landmark-rich North Beach neighborhood took an unexpected turn last week. In response to a broader proposal to establish a national historic district, Supervisor Danny Sauter proposed a much smaller, local district that would also focus on preserving historic buildings — but would, he said, keep more vacant lots, garages, and other empty sites viable for development, according to the San Francisco Chronicle.

Fleet Week

Blue Angels, Fleet Fest, and the 158th Italian Heritage Parade All Land on the Northern Waterfront This Weekend

Fleet Week's signature air show runs Friday through Sunday over the bay, Fleet Fest fills Fisherman's Wharf on Saturday and Sunday, and the Italian Heritage Parade steps off Sunday from Fisherman's Wharf to Washington Square.

With the congressional budget standoff resolved, this year's 45th annual Fleet Week returned to full scale after a government shutdown forced a heavily scaled-back 2025 event. Fleet Week is in full swing through Monday, October 12, with events concentrated on the northern waterfront. The Parade of Ships took place Friday morning, October 9, from 11 a.m. to noon, with a procession of military ships led by the San Francisco Fire Department sailing into the Bay under the Golden Gate Bridge.

Upcoming Events

Friday–Sunday, October 9–11

Fleet Week Air Show: U.S. Navy Blue Angels

📍 San Francisco Waterfront (Pier 39 and Marina Green offer prime views) · 12:00–4:00 PM daily · Verify · Fleet Week SF

Saturday–Sunday, October 10–11

Fleet Fest at Fisherman's Wharf

📍 Fisherman's Wharf near the SkyStar Wheel & Pier 27, 2860 Taylor St. · 9:00 AM–5:00 PM · Verify · Fleet Week SF

Saturday–Sunday, October 10–11

Saints Peter & Paul Bazaar

📍 Saints Peter & Paul School, 666 Filbert St., North Beach · Saturday 11:00 AM–6:00 PM; Sunday 10:30 AM–5:00 PM · Verify · SSPP Events

Sunday, October 11

158th San Francisco Italian Heritage Parade

📍 Jefferson & Powell Sts. (Fisherman's Wharf) to Washington Square, North Beach · 12:30 PM · Verify · SF Italian Heritage Festival & Parade

Opening November 4; through January 18, 2027

San Francisco on Ice — Grand Opening at Fisherman's Wharf

📍 80 Jefferson St., Fisherman's Wharf (next to the SkyStar Wheel) · 10:00 AM–11:00 PM daily · Verify · Hoodline

More from the Community

San Francisco on Ice Confirms 125-Skater Capacity as Tickets Go on Sale

Tickets are now on sale for San Francisco on Ice, the 6,300-square-foot outdoor rink opening November 4 at 80 Jefferson St., Fisherman's Wharf, adjacent to the SkyStar Wheel — reported today, October…

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