I first fell in love with the idea of San Francisco while reading Armistead Maupin’s iconic Tales of the City series.

Originally serialized in the San Francisco Chronicle, the first of the Tales of the City novels was published in 1978 and, through the portrayal of characters such as Mary Ann Singleton, Anna Madrigal, and Michael Tolliver, captured a time, a world, and a sprit that was so far removed from my experience that it seemed almost magical.