San Francisco, CA
San Francisco Travel Launches First-Ever Martini Trail
True Laurel in San Francisco is among the 23 locations along the new San Francisco Martini Trail.
Courtesy of San Francisco Travel
The origin of martini often stirs up disputed theories involving hotels and destinations such as San Francisco.
Yet the City by the Bay is now stirring its claim with the San Francisco Martini Trail, a curated journey highlighting 23 standout martinis and their establishments.
Having made its debut in late October 2025, the San Francisco Martini Trail marks the city’s stake in this cocktail’s history.
San Francisco’s side of the story goes like this. It’s said that the martini was created at the city’s Occidental Hotel (now the Galleria Park Hotel) by bartender Jerry Thomas, often called the “father of modern mixology,” in the late 1850s or early 1860s.
Raise a toast to Balboa Cafe’s Espresso Martini. As a stop along the new San Francisco Martini Trail, this restaurant’s version of this drink gets high marks.
Courtesy of San Francisco Travel
That concoction was allegedly prepared for a gold miner who was on his way to the Californian town of Martinez. This new drink would become known as the Martinez, a precursor to the modern martini.
“As tastes evolved and drier spirits took hold, the martini transformed into the classic we know today—and San Francisco’s innovative cocktail culture continues to influence its evolution,” said Anna Marie Presutti, president and CEO of San Francisco Travel Association.
Today, the San Francisco Martini Trail spans the city’s distinctive neighborhoods, from the Embarcadero to the Richmond. Stops range from downtown institutions to chic newcomers and from longstanding establishments to inventive modern spots.
Sip on a martini at The Progress in San Francisco.
Courtesy of San Francisco Travel/Ed Anderson
The trail’s 23 establishments are: Absinthe, Balboa Café, Bar Iris, Bar Maritime, BIX, Brazen Head, Californios, Club Waziema, Hi Dive Bar, Holbrook House, House of Prime Rib, Lillie Coit’s, Martuni’s, Osso Steakhouse, Pearl 6101, The Progress, Sam’s Grill & Seafood Restaurant, Starlite, Stookey’s Club Moderne, Tadich Grill, True Laurel, Wildhawk and Zam Zam.
Each location offers a distinct interpretation of the martini, with many planning food pairings and special promotions to complement the trail experience.
The self-guided trail was curated by San Francisco–based food, drink and travel writer Omar Mamoon. His work has appeared in Condé Nast Traveler, San Francisco Chronicle and Esquire’s “Best Bars” and “Best New Restaurants.”
Wildhawk in San Francisco, a stop on the San Francisco Martini Trail, offers a Tini Flight. Courtesy of San Francisco Travel
“We wanted an independent expert who lives in and knows the city to develop the trail,” explained Presutti. “Omar became involved through his deep background covering food and drink culture in San Francisco and other cities, and he crafted the trail as a way to spotlight the city’s talent and diversity while encouraging visitors to discover even more outstanding martinis across San Francisco.”
The San Francisco Martini Trail’s website features Mamoon’s favorite 11 establishments to drink a martini, plus details on the evolution of the iconic cocktail.
“The list shines a light on just a fraction of the many bars and restaurants in San Francisco making excellent martinis,” said Mamoon. “The Martini Trail is just a starting point—use it as a fun way to explore the city and make your own trail, too.”
San Francisco Travel held their launch event for the trail at Le Parc Bistrobar in the Galleria Park Hotel, in homage to its martini lore. The hotel’s daily Sipping Hour offers complimentary gin martinis in the lobby to hotel guests.
“The Martini Trail is both a toast to San Francisco’s history and a taste of its future,” said Presutti. “This is where the martini found its swagger and where it continues to be reinvented.”
Get a San Francisco Martini Trail map and more details here.
San Francisco, CA
49ers Sign DL Gracen Halton to a Four-Year Deal
The San Francisco 49ers today announced they have signed DL Gracen Halton to a four-year deal. With the signing, the 49ers now have all eight of the team’s 2026 draft picks under contract.
Halton (6-3, 293) was the first of two fourth-round draft picks (107th overall) selected by the 49ers in this year’s draft out of Oklahoma. He appeared in 47 games (10 starts) over four seasons at Oklahoma (2022-25) and finished with 84 tackles, 17.5 tackles for loss, 8.5 sacks, three forced fumbles and two passes defensed. In 2025, he appeared in 13 games (seven starts) and tallied 33 tackles, 7.0 tackles for loss, 3.5 sacks, two passes defensed and one forced fumble (returned for a TD), earning Second-Team All-SEC honors. In 2024, he appeared in 13 games (three starts) and recorded 30 tackles, 6.0 tackles for loss, 5.0 sacks and two forced fumbles. In 2023, he appeared in 11 games and tallied 11 tackles and 3.5 tackles for loss. As a true freshman in 2022, Halton appeared in 10 games and recorded 10 tackles and 1.0 tackle for loss.
A 22-year-old native of San Diego, CA, Halton attended St. Augustine (San Diego, CA) High School.
San Francisco, CA
Multiple people lose eyes, hands in illegal fireworks-related injuries in San Francisco
SAN FRANCISCO (KGO) — San Francisco emergency departments and first responders experienced a sharp increase in serious injuries over the Fourth of July weekend, with illegal fireworks and electric scooter crashes contributing to some of the busiest days in recent years.
At Zuckerberg San Francisco General Hospital and Trauma Center, medical teams treated a wave of patients suffering severe trauma. In one incident, bystanders rushed to help a person who was bleeding heavily after a hand injury. A 911 dispatcher described the call as “Extreme Trauma. Hand injury.”
Dr. Christopher Colwell, chief of emergency medicine at Zuckerberg San Francisco General Hospital, said surgeons worked to treat patients with devastating injuries.
“We are able to do a lot with and sometimes save the function of the hand and eye. Unfortunately, there are injuries that exist every year where we are not able to do that even with the expertise that we have,” Colwell said.
MORE: SF police in riot gear crack down on 4th of July illegal fireworks shows: ‘It was crazy’
According to Dr. Colwell, four people lost eyes, five lost hands and at least 15 people suffered serious injuries related to electric scooters over the weekend.
“We saw a lot of electric scooter accidents. And I think part of it was that their traffic was such that that was a more efficient way of getting around town. But we also learned very clearly that the combination of electric scooters and how fast you can go in San Francisco, particularly going downhill along with not wearing a helmet and adding alcohol on board, is a really bad combination,” Colwell said.
ABC7’s data team reviewed San Francisco EMT data and found that medical incidents on July 4 and July 5 were about double the number reported during the same period in 2025.
Lt. Mariano Elias of the San Francisco Fire Department said emergency crews handled significantly more calls than usual.
“We had almost 200 more calls than we normally have so we had roughly 576 calls in a 24-hour period,” Elias said.
MORE: Over 400 people arrested during chaos at Newport Beach July 4th celebrations, police say
Illegal fireworks activity also sparked fires across the city. Firefighters responded to Telegraph Hill, where crews quickly contained a blaze.
“We did have two house fires that night on the 4th of July, due to fireworks activities,” Elias said.
City officials estimated that more than 100,000 people were in San Francisco to watch Fourth of July fireworks, creating traffic congestion that complicated ambulance response efforts.
“All the gridlock between, people coming and going from, the Golden Gate Bridge. The city was very impacted on the streets. So that was an issue. The one particular ambulance did, involve themselves in an accident. So, someone hit the ambulance. So that patient had to be transported and moved to a different ambulance,” Elias said.
First responders warned that illegal fireworks activity typically continues for days after the Fourth of July and urged the public not to take unnecessary risks.
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San Francisco, CA
Terrified passengers film Waymo autonomous vehicle driving into live fireworks in San Francisco
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Passengers in a Waymo vehicle were terrified as the car drove into lit fireworks in the middle of a San Francisco street during Independence Day celebrations over the weekend.
Video footage of the incident shows a group of passengers who were shocked as the driverless car seemingly approaches lit fireworks in the middle of a street as the explosives are about to launch.
As the car gets closer, someone on the street appears to warn the vehicle to stop by waving their hand.
DELTA FLIGHT STRUCK BY FIREWORKS WHILE LANDING IN CHICAGO ON FOURTH OF JULY, FAA INVESTIGATES
Passengers in a Waymo vehicle were terrified as the autonomous car drove into lit fireworks in the middle of a San Francisco street during Independence Day celebrations. (Rose Peterson via Storyful)
“No, no, no, don’t go, don’t go, don’t go,” one of the passengers is heard saying off-camera.
The autonomous vehicle then passes over the colorful flames and sparks.
“Our Waymo just drove into a firework,” a passenger says in the clip.
ZOOX ROBOTAXI REDESIGN BRINGS BIG RIDER UPGRADES
A Waymo vehicle sits idling at an intersection with no operating traffic lights due to power outages, in San Francisco, Saturday, Dec. 20, 2025. (Jeff Chiu/AP Photo)
“Are we on fire, dude?” a fellow passenger asks.
A Waymo spokesperson told Fox News Digital that the company “is committed to keeping our riders safe and earning the trust of the communities where we operate.”
“We take situations like this seriously and are committed to evaluating and learning from these events,” the statement continued.
BROOKLYN BRIDGE CATCHES FIRE AMID NYC FIREWORKS DISPLAY AS TRUMP HAILS IT IN DC SPEECH
No injuries were reported to either the passengers or the vehicle, and the company reached out to the riders after their trip. The possession of fireworks, even “Safe and Sane” explosives, is illegal in San Francisco, the city’s fire department said.
One woman was killed and two other adults and a child were injured Saturday in a separate fireworks explosion, the San Francisco Chronicle reported.
Elsewhere in San Francisco, some Waymo vehicles were towed when their batteries died after vehicles became stuck in traffic for hours.
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“Our priority is keeping San Francisco moving safely, especially during major city celebrations,” the Waymo spokesperson said. “On the Fourth of July, extreme traffic congestion in northern San Francisco disrupted normal operations for several Waymo vehicles.”
“In coordination with local authorities and emergency services, our roadside assistance team worked quickly to clear our vehicles from the area,” the statement continued.
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