The pandemic has presented many a sad sight around San Francisco and beyond—anyone who always got a smile from the city's passing cable cars has missed the ding and whir and those historic trolleys, which went on hiatus during quarantine. Guess what? They're back.

Plus, SF's big new crop of parklets is here to stay, one of Oakland's Victorian homes could be yours for free, and more local headlines to make you feel warm and fuzzy.

Cable Cars Return For Testing and (Maybe) Free Rides, SFist

In the coming weeks, expect to see some cable cars cruising around the city as they gear up for full service in the fall plus free rides in August. If you're lucky, you just might find an operator willing to welcome you on board for free this month. Read more.

San Francisco makes parklets program permanent, SFGate

Thanks to an unanimous board vote, SF's beloved sidewalk-adjacent parklets can stay long after the pandemic is over. Fees for restaurants won't begin for two years and businesses can opt to close their parklets overnight. Read more.

Meet the Bay Area word nerds that make New York Times crosswords, Berkeleyside

Ever wondered who makes the ever-so-puzzling crosswords? A couple of Bay Area residents have contributed—and there's a budding collaborative community here too. Read more.

How Berkeley Bowl cashiers memorize literally everything in their legendary produce department, SFGate

With some 3,000 produce items and no standard codebook, getting familiar with all of Berkeley Bowl's offerings is no easy feat. To get started, new cashier trainees have just one week to memorize codes for the 100 most popular produce items—and take a test. Read more.

S.F.'s Kuinini "Nini" Manumua will represent Tonga as a weightlifter in Olympics, SFChronicle

Less than a decade after she began weightlifting at Lincoln High School, Hunters Point resident Kuinini "Nini" Manumua is heading to Tokyo to make history. Read more.

Oakland Victorian house on the market for free—on one condition, Kron4

If you've got some extra land on hand and are prepared to undertake the home's relocation process and much-needed makeover, then the house 2428 Chestnut Street could be yours. Check out the Craigslist listing. Read more.