Ali Wunderman

About the Author

Ali Wunderman is a fourth-generation native San Franciscan. Her parents met while working in the mayor’s office in city hall and thus instilled in her a deep love of their city, from the cold, foggy beaches to the heights of the Golden Gate Bridge.

After leaving to study animal science and linguistics at the nearby University of California Davis, Ali returned in 2011, unable to resist the sirens call of the Barbary Coast. Her love of San Francisco’s history quickly led to a job as an impromptu SF tour guide for the fast-growing population of newcomers drawn in by tech jobs. Stories about Emperor Norton, dogs of lore Bummer & Lazarus, and the abandoned wooden ships buried beneath the Financial District were her favorites to share. This led to sharing her local perspective more widely by writing for San Francisco-focused publications like SF Weekly, Eater SF, 7×7, and The Bold Italic. Ali has also contributed travel stories to Travel + Leisure, Smithsonian Magazine, Misadventures, Jezebel, and Matador Network. She founded an online magazine, The Naturalist, which takes her on wildlife expeditions outside the city.

Ali’s home base is in San Francisco’s Castro District, where she lives with her husband and high-school sweetheart, Michael Siracusa, and their dog, Sophie.