San Francisco is enjoying a Golden Age of magic – there are more live magic shows playing in town than there have been in over 100 years, when Vaudeville brought professional entertainers to town, before the talkies really caught on. In the old days, San Francisco had dozens and dozens

By Jessica DeJesus The magic filled streets of Coney Island date back to the 18th century, when one of the world’s greatest escape artists, Harry Houdini himself, performed small tricks on the infamous boardwalk. The crowds would be in awe of the shows such an inspiring performer would put on.

San Francisco is an old, iron safe filled with gold, glory, disaster, and secrets. SFCentric History is a new column, by SF writer V. Alexandra de F. Szoenyi, that digs in the vaults of local history and shares the sensational people, places, and things that rocked San Francisco. Harry Houdini (born Erik