Nicole: [00:00:00] It's Outside Lands San Francisco, podcast of the Western Neighborhoods Project. I'm Nicole Meldahl.

Chelsea: Cue the kids.

Nicole: She's already gone rogue. Well, okay, it's that time of year again where we think about and talk about all things gratitude, right? And there are literally few people I'm more thankful for than Chelsea Sellin, WNP's first second employee ever, and our newish director of program. So welcome Chelsea.

Chelsea: Thank you Nicole. Feeling is mutual.

Nicole: We are each other's people and I often say that she is my wife, but we should just set the record straight.

Chelsea: We are not married.

Nicole: Not actually married. Not, not physically attracted to each other, although...

Chelsea: Absolutely not.

Nicole: ...that would make my life so much simpler.

Chelsea: We do not live together.

Nicole: We do not live together, although my boyfriend's trying to get her to move in [00:01:00] with me. We're complicated, but, and I say newish because as you've been in the role for a few months, but you've actually been in the organization's orbit for a long time, which means it's high time that our listeners know you better.

Chelsea: Well, I have been on the podcast twice.

Nicole: That's true. That's true, you did your research.

Chelsea: Not to talk about myself.

Nicole: Well, this whole podcast is to talk about yourself. Yeah. You know, it's funny, like I first became a more public figure at WNP because the guys were like, come on, get on the podcast. And I was like, I can't be on a podcast. What do I know? That was a long time ago.

Chelsea: Well, so that's actually how I got involved with WNP was, we were friends and I knew that you volunteered, but I didn't really know much about the organization.

Nicole: Yeah.

Chelsea: Or was involved at all. And then you told me, oh, I'm gonna be on the podcast. And me being your supportive friend, listened to your first episode, which I think was Camp [00:02:00] Merritt.

Nicole: Oh yeah, that makes sense. Yeah.

Chelsea: And then I was like, oh, this is a cool podcast. And I started listening to all the episodes and then you offered to introduce me to David and Woody, and I was like David and Woody from that podcast.

Nicole: The mystery.

Chelsea: So, I think like many of our members and followers, I came to this organization through the podcast.

Nicole: Yeah. You know, the podcast is one of the best things we do. It's the best thing we've ever done, and it still holds.

Chelsea: I agree.

Nicole: Although the podcast has changed over the years.

Chelsea: That's okay. Change is important.

Nicole: Yeah, much, oh, much like the organization. Am I right?

Chelsea: Very much.

Nicole: Oh, this is gonna be a constant PSA for the nonprofit. So, heads up everybody. So, all right. You came to the organization through the podcast and me. You're welcome listeners. But like, let's talk a little bit more about your background. Like, who is Chelsea Sellin?

Chelsea: Picture it. No, my life is not interesting. To get the full [00:03:00] Sophia. Who is Chelsea Sellin? I am, I was born and raised in Los Gatos.

Nicole: Yep.

Chelsea: Which for listeners who are like, what's that? It's the suburb of San Jose. It's about 50 miles south here of here in San Francisco. I had a very Leave it to Beaver childhood.

Nicole: Oh, what does that mean for our young listeners who don't know what Leave it to Beaver is.

Chelsea: Just sort of very suburban and normal and, and, you know, no like tragic backstory.

Nicole: Do you have a scrappy neighbor that came by and caused mischief?

Chelsea: No.

Nicole: No.

Chelsea: I, I think I was a scrappy neighbor that caused mischief sometimes.

Nicole: Interesting. Yeah.

Chelsea: Anyway, yes, I grew up in Los Gatos. My family still lives in Los Gatos. I still visit there frequently. It's a very charming town if you're ever in the area.

Nicole: And it's, it, its mascot is a cat.

Chelsea: Well, Los Gatos means the cat.

Nicole: Oh, look at that. And she's bilingual.

Chelsea: No, very much not bilingual. Also, I took French, not good at French, either. [00:04:00]

Nicole: Same.

Chelsea: So yeah, I grew up in Los Gatos. I went to college at Chapman University.

Nicole: Yep.

Chelsea: In Orange County. I went, well, I mostly went there cause they gave me money, but I also went there because they have an excellent film program. And at the time, my major interest was in film studies. I, I loved watching movies. And I thought that I wanted to perhaps get involved in that industry, which obviously did not happen, which I think is for the best. But, but I, I still hold like a, a deep love of movies and so I went there and then I moved back home. And I wasn't sure what I wanted to do with my life. Well, no, that's not true. I wanted to do several things and I couldn't decide which thing to really focus on.

Nicole: Western Neighborhoods Project, where the people who couldn't decide what to do with their life, find a home.

Chelsea: I did graduate from Chapman with a degree in US History, so, history was certainly something that I wanted to do, but I didn't quite know how, because I think you'll probably relate to [00:05:00] this. Like a lot of people in public history, we all grew up liking history, but we thought that the only way to have a job in history was to be a teacher.

Nicole: Yeah, for sure. And why, why did you switch over? Cause I know why I switched over from a no major to this major, but why did you?

Chelsea: So, I, I started as a communications major, which is what a lot of undecided people do. And I did not like that. So, after a few semesters of that, I, I was, so, I was again about public history. I was sort of just looking through the school's course catalog and looking at the different areas of study and really strongly considering going into journalism.

Nicole: Yep.

Chelsea: And, I saw that there were classes in historic preservation.

Nicole: Ooh.

Chelsea: And I was like, oh, this is interesting. And I'd always liked history, but again, had never thought that you could do anything with it, aside from teaching, which I knew I definitely did not wanna do. And I would never inflict that upon the world. So, I went and talked to the head of the history department and found out that they didn't offer those classes anymore, cause the [00:06:00] professor had left. But I did hear more from her about a career in public history and about working in museums and that really piqued my interest. So, I changed my major and didn't look back.

Nicole: If you think WNP has a terrible branding issue and has a hard time marketing themselves, public history has the same problem.

Chelsea: Agreed.

Nicole: And it's, it's the fun history. It's the best kind of history, cause it's the most accessible. Not to, not to throw shade on academic historians. Y'all get to do very important, very specific work. But I was too afraid of the, the like test.

Chelsea: Oh.

Nicole: Like.

Chelsea: If you go for your doctorate.

Nicole: Yeah. I was like, there's no way I'll ever like just regurgitate this much information. And ironically, that's what I do for a living now. But it's quick. It's, there's a lot of turnover to what we do. I don't spend like five years studying the same subject.

Chelsea: Sometimes I think I'd like to spend five years studying the same subject.

Nicole: I would like to spend more than five minutes prepping for each podcast.

Chelsea: [00:07:00] No, I agree. Public history is not well marketed as a career option and that's unfortunate. Well, I think history in general is getting a short shrift in being in school these days.

Nicole: We're trying to change that one podcast at a time. One child at a time. Cause there's kids who listen to this podcast. I think.

Chelsea: I hope so. Hi kids! So yeah, I, I thought, well, I initially thought that I might wanna go into film preservation, again cause I was so interested in film. I was really strongly considering going to graduate school in England where they have some good programs. But no, I ended up deciding to, to pursue a career in museums. I did a bunch of internships and volunteer work at several museums in the Bay Area. Shout out to History San Jose and the Computer History Museum.

Nicole: Yeah.

Chelsea: And the San Jose Museum of Art. And…

Nicole: And the beginning of our meet cute.

Chelsea: Oh, do you, you wanna tell that story? Should we? Oh.

Nicole: Oh, yes. Our meet cute [00:08:00] was not very cute.

Chelsea: Okay, well, I'll tell you what, I'll tell my version of the story and then you can tell your version of the story.

Nicole: Okay, great.

Chelsea: And we'll set the record straight.

Nicole: Okay. Sounds good.

Chelsea: All right. So again, wanted to go into a career in museums, so I ended up going to the museum studies program at San Francisco State. Shout out to that program.

Nicole: It's true. And like, as you can tell, we get along really well and I think, so bringing you on board was a very strategic decision cause we have more work to do at Western Neighborhoods Project than one person can physically do.

Chelsea: I think we have more work than two people can physically do.

Nicole: Oh my goodness. And we'll get into that in a second. But like it was a strategic decision in that like David Gallagher and Woody LaBounty, our co-founders. They were two, I call them best friends, which I'm sure they're like, please stop calling us best friends. But like they are two people who love history, love each other, and have fun doing history work. And like that's really, when I think about WNP, that's a critical part of who we are and like, in many ways you were cleaning, you were cleaning up the house here, and I really appreciate that. But like you also, made my life so much better because like the fun has come [00:14:00] back to Western Neighborhoods Project. Not that we weren't having fun here, but when you sit in an office alone, doing work, texting sometimes, like you're just like, what am I doing? And now we sit in the office texting, doing work, but together. And it's wonderful.

Chelsea: It's true. It's much more fun, I'm gonna put that on my resume. Brings the fun.

Nicole: Brings the fun.

Chelsea: Also, I think we have very complimentary skills.

Nicole: No, we do. So, I am, let me see if this is how you, we're still working out what exactly each one of us does. So, you’re, you’re director of programs, you picked your own title.

Chelsea: I did.

Nicole: Yeah. I wanted to call you, I wanna call you the director of everything.

Chelsea: I don't know, something ridiculous.

Nicole: And she was like, no, let me give this more thought. Cause that's what Chelsea brings to WNP.

Chelsea: Well, shout out to our board member Kyrie, who actually helped me come up with that title.

Nicole: Yeah. Well she, I let, we wanted Chelsea to [00:15:00] pick her own title. I am really adamant that like, whatever, whoever does work with us, paid or unpaid, they use their time here to go where they want to go. You know, like no one's gonna stay here forever except me. I will be carried outta this office in a pine box, cause the job might kill me.

Chelsea: There's an image.

Nicole: Well, make sure, make sure it's locally made.

Chelsea: We'll have to get the handling services donated.

Nicole: Please have At-How do it. Oh, that got dark real fast. Also, a recurring theme here.

Chelsea: This is what it's like to hang out with us.

Nicole: I know. Oh, it's true, but to get back to the point, which is like anybody who spends time with us, I realize it's not gonna live here forever as an employee or volunteer. So, I wanna make sure that y'all get going where you want to go. So, like you're picking your projects. Well, hopefully one day you'll get to pick your projects based on interest level. and [00:16:00] skills you wanna acquire, so we can send you on your way in a better position to get the job you want.

Chelsea: Yes. So, this is a title for the next job is what you're saying?

Nicole: I mean, whoever comes in next can call themselves whatever they want. But, but yeah. And what we have been working on, so poor, poor Chelsea.

Chelsea: So, let's see, it's been August, September. October, what, three months? Yes.

Nicole: And we knew right away that you were gonna take over pretty much all of OpenSFHistory. Cause it really, I mean, OpenSFHistory, our photo archive, it's a program of Western Neighborhoods Project, but really, it's, its own, it's, its own baby and its own bath water. I don't know where I'm going with this metaphor, but Chelsea's taking care of the baby now.

Chelsea: Well, okay. So maybe we should back up a little bit.

Nicole: Yeah.

Chelsea: Because as much as I appreciate the story about hiring me because we wanna continue on the friendship tradition.

Nicole: Yeah.

Chelsea: I'd like think I'm also qualified for the position.

Nicole: Oh, yeah. Chelsea is eminently [00:17:00] qualified. So, you've been working with us for a long time. You've always, you've been doing the magazine for a really long time too.

Chelsea: I've actually been doing the magazine for about a year or so, but it does feel like a really hard time.

Nicole: It feels a lot longer than that.

Chelsea: So, so let's, let's go, let's do this in chronological order.

Nicole: OK.

Chelsea: Something I'm a big fan of.

Nicole: I don't like it. I'm not a linear person.

Chelsea: So, I got involved in the organization after listening to the podcast, coming to some events, started volunteering at events.

Nicole: Yep.

Chelsea: David and Woody invited me to join the board in 2014, which is, I think, the same time that you joined the board as well. So, we were new board members together.

Nicole: Also the same year we launched OpenSFHistory.

Chelsea: That's true. Oh, 2014, banner year for WNP.

Nicole: Absolutely.

Chelsea: And initially I did all the public events for WNP.

Nicole: Which is funny cause now you're like, you are the events person. I'll take care of behind the scenes.

Chelsea: So, I did events for a while and then I was board president for, [00:18:00] I don't remember how many, I wanna say like 2014? No.

Nicole: 2014 to 2019.

Chelsea: No, it wasn't 20, you know what, it doesn't matter. I know...

Nicole: It doesn't.

Chelsea: I was board president for many years.

Nicole: Yes.

Chelsea: And, when Woody, when Woody became executive director, yes, I have a gavel. Everyone's fascinated with it as if they've never seen a gavel before.

Nicole: And I made this little hand motion of like knocking a little gavel.

Chelsea: Great podcasting, making a hand motion. Good job. So, I was board president for a while and then I stepped off the board so that I could focus on something that I really enjoyed, which was editing the membership magazine.

Nicole: Because all of our board members are volunteers and people only have so much time. Right?

Chelsea: It's true. I would've loved to have done both.

Nicole: Yeah.

Chelsea: But I also had been president for a while. It was time for some fresh faces.

Nicole: Yeah. Some new blood.

Chelsea: I love editing the membership magazine. I'm still doing that, of course. One of my favorite things that I get to do, working with different writers, working with our amazing graphic designer, Laura Macias. When people come up to me and say, the magazine looks great, I say [00:19:00] thank you. But I think that compliment is meant for Laura, because Laura's the one who literally makes it look great. I'm the one who makes sure all the commas are in the right place.

Nicole: And she's also very fun. I drink with her at Specs occasionally.

Chelsea: So, I am still doing the magazine as well as OpenSFHistory, which, we are going to, hopefully next year, sort of put a renewed focus on OpenSFHistory program. It's still going strong. I know some people often ask us, hey, when are you going to add new photos to OpenSFHistory? And yes, we do hope to do that next year, but that doesn't mean that we are not using the program.

Nicole: No.

Chelsea: One of the first things I started doing, I think the first day of my new job here was answering image requests.

Nicole: Yep.

Chelsea: We get lots of requests from people for high-res copies of OpenSFHistory photos, which they put out into the world in whatever way they're gonna use them.

Nicole: Yeah.

Chelsea: So, I spend a lot of time doing that. And of course, you spend a lot of time putting OpenSFHistory photos up on Instagram.

Nicole: Yes.

Chelsea: And we use [00:20:00] them, we use them at the Cliff House exhibit.

Nicole: Oh. And we partner with people all the time to put these photos on exhibit or in use throughout the city. Like if you go to the new Francisco Park, there are OpenSFHistory images in all the didactic panels there. Yeah, people often email us saying, when will you revive the program? And we're very clear to say, there's nothing to revive. It's a very active program. Just cause you don't see new photos online.

Chelsea: Yes. So, we, there will be new photos next year. It's not to say that we're never gonna add new photos, but…

Nicole: Yeah.

Chelsea: I wanna point out that we are still very much using the program in many ways. You and I just saw OpenSFHistory photos on display at the Helen Crocker Russell Library.

Nicole: We did.

Chelsea: The botanical gardens.

Nicole: We did. And KQED has been using our photos a lot. There's one writer who it seems like she discovered it in the last six months and is like, huzzah! Yeah.

Chelsea: Plus of course they're used in our magazine articles, in some of the articles that Arnold puts up. So, active scholarship.

Nicole: Very much so. And [00:21:00] also like, you know, all the best laid plans, right? We have been responding well, first of all, the Cliff House collection and the Cliff House in general, Chelsea got roped into being a public face of the organization right away, volunteering to staff the museum, which has since closed. Which we're very sad about, but also, a little not sad about because it literally took all of our attention and we just, so, having it closed means we can put time, energy and focus back into other things. Most immediately, we had a little bit of a mold situation in our non-collection storage space, so we lost some archival supplies, but, if any of you are in museums, you know that mold is a, is, is one of the worst four letter words. Yes, that is a four-letter word. I just did some finger math. It is terrible. And Chelsea, god bless, just [00:22:00] totally managed that situation. You are now on a first name basis with our mold remediator.

Chelsea: Thank you, Brody.

Nicole: Of Balfour.

Chelsea: Thank you, Balfour.

Nicole: Came in and handled it like bosses. Very, very nice people. Also, mold has been pretty much your life.

Chelsea: There's been a lot of mold in my life. Yes. Unfortunately, I think, for people living in San Francisco, it's not an uncommon adversary.

Nicole: At work, at home. Mold, mold, mold. And also, to, so that kind of kicked off…

Chelsea: My time here. Yeah.

Nicole: It was like, huzzah! Oh no, what's that weird patch of mold on the floor. And so, we had to completely pull out carpet. We had to clean, sanitize, throw away. Everything had to be inspected in our storage space, which actually was a blessing in disguise because that just carried on into the office. We've been doing the same thing to every single thing in the office as we prep to completely rearrange the footprint. So, we can welcome the Cliff House collection back here and, this is, you [00:23:00] know, we have a lot of things. We have a lot of things. I was like, what are we doing with this thing? That can go.

Chelsea: It's been a big reorganization project and you know how much I love organizing things.

Nicole: It's true. And I love decorating. That's pretty much my whole life, is just figuring out where things fit, in an aesthetically pleasing and functional way. And I love pulling things out of boxes. I do this at home as well.

Chelsea: So, let's circle back to the Cliff House collection.

Nicole: Oh yeah.

Chelsea: Because, the museum is closed.

Nicole: It is.

Chelsea: The collection is coming back to our office.

Nicole: Correct.

Chelsea: Most of it. But we very much, it's one of the things I'm looking forward to next year is figuring out how we can keep the party going on the Cliff House collection.

Nicole: Yeah.

Chelsea: Where can we send it to, perhaps be on display in some other places.

Nicole: Yeah.

Chelsea: How can we make it more accessible online? Whether that means some sort of catalog, you know, just because the museum is closed does not mean people are never gonna see this again, and we're just gonna put it in storage and forget about it. So, [00:24:00] I look forward to coming up with some fun and interesting ways to keep that, keep that train moving.

Nicole: Yeah, absolutely. And that's, I mean, I think that's why I love working with these so much. One of the many reasons why. Like these are all problems to solve, right? But like, doing it together makes it a lot of fun and like one, one of the really awesome things about being a tiny, some may say insignificant community history nonprofit…

Chelsea: Who says insignificant?

Nicole: Okay. No one.

Chelsea: Gimme names.

Nicole: No one says insignificant. But, being tiny and scrappy, like we can kind of set our own agenda every year and we're really doing that next year because now that we have a Chelsea, now that I have a Chelsea here, I'm actually able to plan out 2023 like most executive directors, instead of just shoveling sand over my shoulder, filling in the hole. So, we're, we're actively engaged in that right now. Everything from a public program [00:25:00] schedule to some super fun, fundraising initiatives. I, yes, that's not a mutually exclusive term.

Chelsea: You're gonna put the fun and fundraising.

Nicole: Oh.

Chelsea: Oh, you're welcome.

Nicole: Yeah. That's great. That's really great. Yeah, no. It's, it's really great like being able to strategically start a new year. With, with planning and brainstorming and like coming things up because I, I do, I'm pretty good at vision. But like I have crazy ideas and when it's just me sitting here, I'm like, I'm gonna try this crazy idea. And then I have to test that out in public to learn it's not a good idea. Now we just do it in the office and Chelsea tells me, no, don't, don't do that.

Chelsea: I would say, you're excellent at vision.

Nicole: Oh, thank you.

Chelsea: Very excellent. I could never come up with some of these ideas. But yeah, execution is where I come in. What is practical and doable?

Nicole: Cause I have morning shower thoughts and when I come into the [00:26:00] office and Chelsea's already here, I'm like, hear me out. I was thinking this and she's like, no. Or huh, interesting. Let's work out logistics. So, so yeah, we're going into a new year. A whole person bigger. That came out weird. Super energized, very excited. We have the Cliff House collection. We don't have mold anymore. OpenSFHistory, we're really excited to keep expanding and working on, because we do wanna keep bringing what we've always brought, right? That's, that's important. People have come to expect an insane number of photos being uploaded onto the internet at an insane, insane rate. But we want to push the boundaries of what this historic archive can do. We just launched our end of your fundraising campaign. And when I was thinking about what's important about OpenSFHistory. I realized that this really is an archive of us. It's not like an academic archive where we're like, we only collect the photos of preeminent. [00:27:00] individuals who have done something fancy and are rich. Which is how I think of most repositories. We really just, I love the personal, like snapshot photos of people being goofballs in their backyard.

Chelsea: You like photos of lonely people staring off into the middle distance.

Nicole: I also like those kinds of photos. What did we…

Chelsea: Also, pigeons.

Nicole: I love pigeons. What was, would do we call them the, oh God, well, who was that play about death as a Death of a Salesman?

Chelsea: Yeah.

Nicole: Who's the main character in that?

Chelsea: Oh.

Nicole: Oh gosh, Willy.

Chelsea: Oh. Yeah. Willy something.

Nicole: Yeah. David called them my, like…

Chelsea: Wow. Our brains are.

Nicole: My, my like Willy, insert last name, photos. Anyways, but like, we also, we just love photography. I think it, it's, it's an extension of your love for film, which is really just like hyper animated still images.

Chelsea: Actually, when I was a kid, I wanted to be, it was my dream to be a National Geographic photographer.

Nicole: Oh, [00:28:00] that's wild.

Chelsea: Yeah.

Nicole: Yeah. Well, yeah. You have that brownie camera.

Chelsea: I do. I have my grandfather's brownie camera, which I am very bad at using.

Nicole: You actually locked yourself in your closet to try to…

Chelsea: Oh my gosh. Yeah. I, long story short, the, there's an issue. You can buy the film for it, but they don't make the right sprockets the, the reels anymore. Anyway, yes, I made a dark room out of my walk-in closet and, and was respooling some film. Anyway, we're off track.

Nicole: Yeah. No, but this, it's a commitment to, to film, to photography as a passion, as a process. Right. And so, we really wanna figure out how to work with living photographers and to figure out how living photographers with historic archives, right, that date from like the seventies and, and before.

Chelsea: Well, I think there's, it's important to collect now.

Nicole: Yeah.

Chelsea: Because even photos that have maybe only been taken in the [00:29:00] last ten years.

Nicole: Yeah.

Chelsea: They're gonna be history someday.

Nicole: That's true.

Chelsea: They're already history for some of them. And it's best to collect them now when, before people have forgotten about them or thrown them away. Well, they're digital now, so they don't necessarily get thrown away in the same manner, but you know, things get deleted, things get forgotten about.

Nicole: Yeah.

Chelsea: People die and their family members just sort of, it just, it just disappears.

Nicole: Yeah.

Chelsea: So, collecting today is important.

Nicole: It's true. And if you follow our, our OpenSFHistory Instagram account, you see that I'm sharing the work of contemporary photographers all the time. Because like, the same motivations that people went out with their cameras and captured the landscape around them in 1925 is the same for contemporary photographers. They're curious, they're interested in, in the technology, all kinds of things. And we're really seeing a resurgence of film photography again.

Chelsea: That's true.

Nicole: You know, just like we saw with, with vinyl records coming back, I think there is this, this deep love and appreciation for analog, [00:30:00] tangible media because it just, it feels so satisfying.

Chelsea: I would hope that it's gonna spread to movies and we see a resurgence in having actual film stock projected. But that's just me personally.

Nicole: Me too.

Chelsea: Personal wish that's a little different because the public doesn't get to, unlike a vinyl record or a physical photograph, the public doesn't exactly get to go and feel the 35-millimeter film stock.

Nicole: It's true. That's for the best. You know what media we can stop trying to bring back. Look at all of you amazing young indie musicians. Stop making cassette tapes. No one wants that. It's an inferior quality product.

Chelsea: Yes. And on the same note, no more VHSs, please.

Nicole: Oh, you know what though? The Balboa does do screenings of VHSs and like I appreciate the nostalgia of seeing those lines and like the imperfections cause that's what I remember growing up. Popping in my VHS tape to watch whatever.

Chelsea: Well, people using cassette tapes probably feel the same way.

Nicole: Yeah. I also [00:31:00] like going to the Balboa to have them show me something, cause an A-plus popcorn situation at, at the Balboa Theater.

Chelsea: The Balboa is great. It is not my personal neighborhood movie theater.

Nicole: Correct.

Chelsea: Otherwise, I would probably be there more often. I am lucky enough to live just blocks from the Vogue Theater, which I am a huge fan of.

Nicole: Yes, yes. And that one's run by the San Francisco Neighborhood Theater Foundation, right?

Chelsea: Yes, yes it is.

Nicole: Absolute love them so much. They're doing the Lord's work here in San Francisco. All right, so…

Chelsea: What else are we excited about next year?

Nicole: Oh gosh.

Chelsea: I'm excited, speaking of movie theaters, it's the hundredth anniversary of the Alexandria.

Nicole: Yes.

Chelsea: Which might just be a few blocks down the street. We walk, we see it when we go get our afternoon coffee.

Nicole: Yes. And hey, if one of our listeners took the N from the sign, please bring it to me. Because that, like every time I see that sign, I'm like that's the one letter I would like.

Chelsea: We don't have room for that here in the office.

Nicole: Let's figure, figure it out. We'll, we'll figure it out. Yeah, speaking of [00:32:00] next year, we also have a very large model home.

Chelsea: Oh, I'm so, so, I'm so excited about the model home. Not a lot of people have seen it yet because, as we've been saying, our office is in a state of flux right now. It's being reorganized for the better. So not a lot of people have seen the model home, but everyone who has come in here…

Nicole: Yeah.

Chelsea: And has seen it, is, is so charmed and rightly so.

Nicole: It is so adorable. It's a lot larger than I thought it was when I agreed to accept it via email.

Chelsea: Everyone's wondering what we're talking about cause no one has really seen this yet.

Nicole: Let's keep the mystery alive.

Chelsea: Yeah.

Nicole: Let's keep it alive. We…

Chelsea: Yes.

Nicole: We have a local model maker, a Sunset District fellow, who is lovely and he has offered to help fix it up. Because age has, has done the same kind of damage to it that it does to a normal person-sized house. And transporting it here, which he also did for us, was, well, let's [00:33:00] just say it's size surprised us all. So, he'll be working on it hopefully soon if we can make space, room in the office, and then we'll be unveiling that next year.

Chelsea: Yeah.

Nicole: Because Western Neighborhoods Project, the west side is where San Francisco comes to live, so these homes are, are a great representation of who we are as a nonprofit.

Chelsea: Also, you're just excited to put tiny Christmas decorations on it.

Nicole: So excited, in general excited to put Christmas decorations up because it's that time of year. I think this is a good place for us to get into the next segment, unless you have something else you would like to end on.

Chelsea: For next year, I would just also say we, well I personally am excited about maybe restarting our history pop girls.

Nicole: Oh, yeah.

Chelsea: Yeah.

Nicole: I like those.

Chelsea: I do like doing a, I used to give campus tours when I was in college and I got quite good at talking while walking backwards.

Nicole: Oh, I cannot do that. Especially after a pub.

Chelsea: I practiced in my apartment. I walked backwards in circles in my apartment, going through my script. My, my college roommate came home, was [00:34:00] like, what the hell are you doing?

Nicole: In fact, you have a photo of me, that is the profile photo, from on your phone. It was taken after our first pub crawl.

Chelsea: Yes.

Nicole: Yeah, and it's me…

Chelsea: On my couch. Exhausted.

Nicole: Exhausted. I'm like my head's back on the couch. I have a laptop in front of me. I have a glass of wine in my hand because I had to do something. I was in grad school at the time, and so I had to do something. Anyways, yeah, that is the most iconic photo of me. It's the most descriptive photo I've ever taken, and you can't even see my face.

Chelsea: So, I'm looking forward to that and I'm really hoping that maybe, just maybe, there might be some time to do some research and writing.

Nicole: Wild.

Chelsea: I'm a historian and you're a historian, and that's technically what we're trained to do, yet it is often what we spend the least amount of time doing.

Nicole: The business of running a non-profit is a full-time business.

Chelsea: It's true. I've done way more non-profit administration in the last few months than I've done any history work at all.

Nicole: It's true, [00:35:00] but that's one of the reasons why I love the podcast so much. It's one of the main things that we do on a weekly basis that makes me sit down and either research something or provides an outlet for me to share things I've become obsessed with. And that's also a great way for us to just lightly touch on the fact that like our websites are in transition. We've been working really, really hard on trying to get the Outsidelands website shifted onto a new platform that anybody can manage, even, even folks who don't know how to code. Especially folks who don't know how to 1999 code. Which, and that's all involved with branding and the launch of a, you know, little shop. So, like this is all, takes a, it's hard to do for people who know exactly what they're doing and we kind of don't know what we're doing.

Chelsea: No.

Nicole: So, so if you're ever wondering what we do in our downtime, it's now just being like, what does SEO mean. [00:36:00]

Chelsea: I know that one.

Nicole: And thank you for those, we've been sending out a call for volunteers to help us with sort of website maintenance and management. Thank you. We have seen your emails. We will, we will be getting around to following up with you soon, but…

Chelsea: So, I think the sum up here.

Nicole: Oh.

Chelsea: Is that we are in a transitionary period right now.

Nicole: Yep.

Chelsea: We are wrapping up the Cliff House.

Nicole: Yep.

Chelsea: We're changing things at the office.

Nicole: Yep.

Chelsea: We're making some changes for the better to the website. And so, if it seems like maybe there's not a lot going on here right now, there is. It's just not, it's not very visible, but it's very important work and we are actively planning for 2023. We're excited about a lot of things and we, we wanna do things properly and we wanna just come out of a gate prepared for next year.

Nicole: Yeah. Absolutely. So, there you have it folks. You now know the new, which is what people keep coming up to Chelsea and saying, you're new.

Chelsea: I'm the new.

Nicole: But [00:37:00] now it's time for, say what now?

Chelsea: Dun dun dun!

Nicole: And she does sound effects folks. That's what you wanted to be.

Chelsea: A Foley artist.

Nicole: Yeah. So, this is a segment where I, it's, it's our hard-hitting Barbara Walters-style segment that is lovingly fashioned after TotalSF's podcast. This is where I ask Chelsea super important questions, and I know you've all been thinking, so let's just get right into it. Chelsea are you ready?

Chelsea: Are you gonna try and make me cry? That's what Barbara Walters does.

Nicole: Yeah. I'm gonna try and make you cry, which never has happened yet. But, but yeah, so number one, what is the best burrito in San Francisco?

Chelsea: So, I don't like burritos.

Nicole: Oh.

Chelsea: Which I know is upsetting to many people, but I like what I like and I don't care. I don't like burritos. I will, I'll tell you what, I'll give you something though in place of a burrito.

Nicole: Okay.

Chelsea: And it's kind of burrito shaped.

Nicole: Yeah. Can I eat it while holding it in my hand?

Chelsea: Absolutely.

Nicole: Okay.

Chelsea: I think you have to eat it while holding it in your hand.

Nicole: Great.

Chelsea: I will [00:38:00] tell you where to get the best cannoli in San Francisco.

Nicole: Ooohh.

Chelsea: Because I feel fairly qualified to say this as I have eaten pretty much at most of the bakeries in North Beach.

Nicole: Yes.

Chelsea: And I'm a big fan of cannoli. Fun fact. It's, cannoli is plural and the singular is cannolo.

Nicole: Which I can't stop thinking about when she told me about it.

Chelsea: The best cannoli can be found at Stella Pastry on Columbus Avenue.

Nicole: We agree. I have also done my own exploration into the, separate from hers, and came up with the same results. So, okay. Thank you for telling me where I can find the best cannolo.

Chelsea: Oh, now I want one.

Nicole: We're quitting for the day. We're just gonna go to North Beach. So, number two, where can you get the best slice of pizza in the city?

Chelsea: So, I, I mean, I do like pizza. I'm not a monster.

Nicole: We're not saying if you don't like pizza, you're a monster. Don't email me.

Chelsea: I've, I mean, I've not eaten it like every pizza joint. [00:39:00] I could give like a pat answer like Tony's. Do you remember that time we went to the Mill on one of their pizza nights?

Nicole: Oh yeah.

Chelsea: That was some really good pizza.

Nicole: That's a twist.

Chelsea: I live near Pizzeria Delfina. That's not really like a slicey, go for like a slice, but they have really good pizza. I will say I'm very much in the thin crust camp. I have no interest in deep dish pizza. It's just tomato casserole.

Nicole: Yeah. Oh, okay. Fighting words for some, but I, David Gallagher introduced me to Tommaso's in North Beach and like, allegedly they were the first ones to bring like Woodfire Pizza to San Francisco. I have not done my research, not calling you liars, but I have not done my research. I will say it's one of the most fun experiences, cause you're like, I'm eating, I'm eating the pizza. Oh boy.

Chelsea: Don't do that.

Nicole: I shouldn't do that. But you, you walk in and you're like, this is an old school joint. I, it, it, and everyone there feels like family. It's wonderful. So, there's like copper pots hanging on the walls and like all kinds of stuff. So, alright, so Pizzeria [00:40:00] Delfino. Number three. Where do you take tourists when they're in town?

Chelsea: I mean, at this time, I've, I've lived in the city for 12 years now. So, at this point, most people visiting me have been here before, which means fun. It means we get to go to places you don't usually take tourists. In my early years, when people would come visit me for the first time, I would often take them to Clement Street in the Inner Richmond.

Nicole: Yep. Yep.

Chelsea: Cause it's near where I live. And it's great fun. I think it's got just great food and great fun shopping and going to Green Apple is always a great experience.

Nicole: Ah, so good.

Chelsea: So, I would definitely take people there. I also always like taking people to Fort Point.

Nicole: Oh yeah.

Chelsea: Yeah.

Nicole: That's a good one. And sometimes old timey reenactments happen there. Which depending on how you feel about that, is either fun or not fun.

Chelsea: Yes. And I also, I don't know if you can do this anymore, but you used to be able to get coffee at the Warming Hut. I don't know if they do that anymore.

Nicole: I think that closed.

Chelsea: Yeah.

Nicole: Or changed hands.

Chelsea: I always liked getting coffee at the Warming Hut and then walking across, down the, down the shore [00:41:00] to Fort Point. That's a nice experience.

Nicole: That's a good hang.

Chelsea: Yeah.

Nicole: For sure. Okay. Now, number four. What's one thing you would bring back if you could?

Chelsea: Like a, like a San Francisco thing that I would bring back? Oh.

Nicole: I know. It's really hard. Should we just say Val's preemptively?

Chelsea: Oh.

Nicole: I know.

Chelsea: First of all, not in San Francisco.

Nicole: Oh, it's, it's south of the border, but it's still counts.

Chelsea: Actually, if we're talking restaurants, I would bring back Green Chili Kitchen.

Nicole: Ooohhh.

Chelsea: Pizzaiolo I miss desperately.

Nicole: That's true.

Chelsea: And I would bring back Q on Clement.

Nicole: Oh. God, that's the, I was trying to remember that restaurant name the other day. Couldn't come up with it.

Chelsea: Do you remember they had the macaroni and cheese with the tater tots on top. I mean, you can't do any better than that.

Nicole: I have made that for myself at home a few times, so I'm not proud of that.

Chelsea: I am absolutely 100% not surprised.

Nicole: Yeah. I also make a mean tachos, which are tater tot nachos. And if you put an egg on it, it's breakfast. Okay, number [00:42:00] five. This is an actual real question, not that the others weren't, but why do you think history is important?

Chelsea: I. I mean, the fact that that question even has to be asked, like I wanna ask people why they think history is not important.

Nicole: But some people do. Or maybe they don't think it's unimportant. They just don't think about it. Like, why should history be a part of our daily lives?

Chelsea: We're not, we don't exist in a vacuum.

Nicole: Yeah.

Chelsea: You know, we, we are all products of what came before us. Whether we want to be or not. It and our personal histories are part of our lives. They influence who we are and then our collective histories are part of who we are as a, as a community, as a nation. There's so many different ways to look at history, but it's all, it's all part of who we are. And in order to understand where we're going, we have to understand where we came from.

Nicole: Yep.

Chelsea: [00:43:00] And I don't, I'm really not a big fan of the little sayings, like history repeats itself. But it is essential to understand what came before, if we wanna move forward with any sort of intelligence or intention.