Plenty of long tables and chat with a large group. Large beer selection. Split a pitcher of beer amongst me and my two friends. The vibe is different than what I'm used to. A little more grungy feel to the space. Good use of the backyard transformed into an outdoor seating area read more

Zeitgeist - Bars Near Me - San Francisco, California

This place has great food and a no bullshit atmosphere. One of the bouncers/card checkers is a bit of a control freak, and the bartenders aren't going to bend over backwards to please you. I love it precisely because it doesn't cater to the privileged whitebread douches in this city. My only real criticism here is that the juke box has too many obscure thrash bands and new wave bands, and not enough death metal. The outdoor patio would do well to have some Marina-bro clearing Bolt Thrower, Carcass, Cannibal Corpse, and Meshuggah available. Lets get some more blast beats and breakdowns on that patio! Please and thank you. read more

If you're a masochist, this is the bar for you. Apparently the new hipster trend is to not care about customer satisfaction, customer service or ever human decency. I wish I could say that the customer abuse was limited to one staff member, but it seems that staff training is focused on be an asshole first, everything else comes second. It has a nice outdoor area, which is why I have given the bar two stars. Beer is also good and there's a great selection. Advice: You're posting tiny signs throughout your bar that are clearly positioned to be inconspicuous. Instead of harassing customers who are there to have a good time, be responsible and have no negative intentions, realize that you're unclear about your expectations and be understanding. Kindness goes a long way. read more

I love Zeitgeist and I come here often with friends. The bar has a great vibe and there's always a great selection of beer. I would give this place a 5 star review but some of the bartenders just have way too much attitude for my liking. Maybe that's intentional since it's a neo-punk spot, but it doesn't feel like it. I'll still come back here just wish the customer service was better. read more

very fun brewery! the outside setting was cool. the drinks were delicious and decently priced. overall, would come back! read more

Zeitgeist - bloody mary - Bars Near Me - San Francisco, California

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Cheap beers, great outdoor space, slow and overpriced food and asshole bartenders. Don't give me shit for ordering a Tecate. You sell it, I want it - give it to me without snide remarks. Plus for good pinball. Honestly if I lived in SF I might end up drunk here pretty often but it would never be my first stop. read more

Zeitgeist - Bars Near Me - San Francisco, California

The only "MUST STOP" of every trip to SF! Heaven is a Bloody Mary from the bar and cheeseburger from the kitchen out on the patio on Saturday morning. Always awesome tunes, and great people around. My absolute favorite hands down. read more

Divey biker bar vibes with tons of great outdoor seating. Perfect for a warm day. Lots of beer options on tap, but be careful because it's cash only. Occasionally they will have live music on the back patio. I'd definitely say this is a place better to visit during the day than at night, but I'm sure both would be fun. read more

So I was sitting in the beer garden in a cloud of Parliament smoke playing poker with hipsters on the hottest day so far this year...... OK, that may take some explaining; let me start this review again. I've made friends with yelper Cecilia b and she's been going on about how great the bloody marys are at Zeitgeist. I used to hang out there all through my twenties and early thirties but rarely go in there any more. I agreed to meet her there last Sunday. While I wouldn't call Cecilia a hipster, she's more of a mad Viking, her friends that we met there definitely are. They weren't the obnoxiously rude type but except for drinking decent beer all indications point to hipster. Someone said, "what's with all the mountain bikes". I replied with "Pffft, gears. What posers". Anyway Cecilia loves playing poker and she never goes anywhere without cards, chips, and back up chips. She's very good too, although I'm pretty sure that I've got her game figured out. Zeitgeist is known for their snarky bartenders, their bad service, and their a-hole security guys. They are notorious for these things and if you can't handle that don't go in there. I was well aware of all this but what I didn't expect is that they also make terrible bloody marys. Eight dollars for a bloody mary made with Zeitgeist's crappy well vodka is not a good deal anyway but the way they make them is just crazy. After a long wait the bartender finally asked us what we wanted and we ordered, but instead of making our two drinks he yells to the crowd "who wants a bloody mary, hold up fingers for the number you want". Then he proceeds to make 16 bloody marys at the same time. He just ran the bottles over the glasses with no measuring and no care at all. The consistency was terrible, mine was too strong, and hers was too weak. They were just not worth the money or hassle. Since I don't like second hand Parliament smoke, I don't smoke other things, and I don't need tons of attitude from the staff I probably won't be back for a while. This place was cool up until about ten years ago, right around when the old owner died. I'd like to blame the staff but to be honest that's also about the time that the place started getting over run with douche bags so perhaps the attitude is a response to the customers. read more

I think it's pretty backwards that they don't allow dogs here. They have a huge outside area and a well trained, 8lb Pomeranian should be allowed to simply sit there. We were kicked out promptly after ordering our Bloody Mary's by a short Hispanic guy with slicked back hair. It's just weird and awkward.... I've literally never been to a bar in SF (even one that serves food) that didn't allow a tiny little amazing dog to be there in his bag which he blends into completely. Zeitgeist would be one of my favorite bars if they allowed dogs, plus it would be an amazing vibe overall. But nah, fuck Zeitgeist. Won't be back. -Koda the Pom read more

Zeitgeist - Koda the Pom was here. Fuck the naysayers. - Bars Near Me - San Francisco, California

Sorry, when I went to Zeitgeist I just wasn't in the mood for their schtick. You know--super aloof, self important, hipster bs. Sometimes I can jive with that. Sometimes. More often than not--no. I had no patience for that. I knew it was going to be a bad scene when I walked in and the guy checking my ID told us "no pictures." UGH. I just find that bit so tired. Then I heard some dudes talking smack about Detroit. That don't fly with the Detroit Yelp CM. Sorry, yo. THEN the patio was a hot mess. Just way too crowded and the only open table was by the port-o-potties. Delicious. It was a beautiful day and all of SF rolled up and were ready for some brews, taking over the entire backyard. It looked great! I can totally see how the patio might be a good time if you get there early enough and were able to pull up a table (although we got there around 4 on a Friday and it was still nuts) but on that day it was just too much. Too much. Then the metalcore started blaring over the speakers and I was out. I still had 15 minutes before my friends were showing up and I couldn't do it. I left and dragged myself to the resale shop across the street to kill time (awesome, btw). I came back and my friends already had beers. Damn. Although they too agreed that despite the lovely day this was not the best spot for catching up. We stood around feeling awkward. "Do you want to get a drink here before we go?" they asked me. "If we are leaving after you finish yours--no." I didn't want to hang. So they chugged their brews and we hit the road. Listen, I'm not against dives. Or even hipster dives. Some of my favorite drinking spots have that vibe. Lots of mustaches, fixed gear bikes parked out front, asymmetrical hair cuts. Hell, some of my best friends have ironic mullets! But everything about this joint just intersected into a big pile-up of NO for me on that particular day. I will say the beer list looked pretty great and I loved the grillin' they had going on. That could probably be fun. Maybe you're not so bad, Zeitgeist. Maybe I caught you on a particularly crazy day. Maybe. read more

Maybe we've both grown up Zeitgeist. Because on two spontaneous trips here this year - I have had an overwhelmingly good time. The weather has been perfect here each time. The company has been perfect. The bathrooms have been clean with no line. The free water has been accessible. The crowd has been friendly and what's up. The food all looked and smelled delicious. And let's face it - love Zeitgeist or hate it - it's so uniquely San Francisco. Trust. read more

Awesome burger. Great staff. Great patio. Very welcoming for recovering alcoholics like me.

This place has gone DOWN HILL real quick. I came when the first opened on a Sunday. There was LITERALLY 2 people in the whole patio, and this patio is huge. Some guy sat me in a corner on a bench with no table and not at a table. I thought this was just protocol to order and then get seated. They bring me my beer and I ask him when I can be seated at a table. He said "we save those for other people, 2 or more". WTF!! The patio is literally empty. It's not like people are lining up outside. There is a thunderstorm happening. They make people eat on a bench with no table because they come alone???? And because I said "wow, really". I'm the rude one, lol. I would think they would be a little more considerate to locals who are trying to support them through this devastation. NOPE , I will pick a different place to go. Very disappointing to say the least. I've been coming to this car for almost 30 years. My old band sticker is on the old register that they display. read more

Zeitgeist - Bars Near Me - San Francisco, California

Tonight was the night I find out if Zeitgeist is all that and a bag of chips. Pros: We came here on a Wednesday evening, so there wasn't much of a crowd. Just chill regulars. We were honored to be among their presence. 4 girls = 4 beers = $16. Each of us took turns to buy rounds. For 20 bucks, I got pretty toasted. Chill beer garden in the outside with picnic tables. So chill. Literally and figuratively, so bring your jacket. Cons: The only con I have are the smelly port-a-potties outside. I felt so grungy afterwards that I wanted to disinfect my bootay with lysol. Good thing I had a bottle of purell with me. I suggest you bring yours too. The bartender dude who gave me attitude when I wanted to take a pic of all the taps behind the bar. "You're not allowed to take pictures unless they're of yourselves." But I'm posting these pics on Yelp you party pooper. Overall, a good chill spot to hang out. To truly enjoy this spot, visit when it's not crowded. 3 and a half stars round to 3. read more

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Someone suggested having lunch here and why not? A drink can sometimes make the rest of the day seem a lot more bearable. I was wrong. This outing actual involved getting something to eat - and here I thought this place only served drinks. So we get here and are immediately greeted by a friendly dog at the door - good boy. Once we get pass fido, we get a lot of mean mugging from folks sitting at the bar - not so good. Whatever, it's time to eat! I opted for a burger - not half bad. It's a good size patty with a real nice smokey flavor to it served with a side homestyle potatoes. Now I prefer my burgers to be more on the well side and would rather have fries, but for $6, it works. For my follow up review, I'll try having a drink out here. Maybe. read more

Always a good time here. Food is decent drinks are good. Garden is a lot of fun any time of day

Zeitgeist is one of my favorite spots in SF. I think they did a great job with reopening since COVID. I was impressed by the amount of cleaning/attention to detail they had. However, the hostess (female, long brown hair) was very rude and condescending from the moment we got in line. She made several passive aggressive remarks and it made for a bad experience. May think twice before coming again just because of that. read more

There are two distinct smells in San Francisco: piss on the streets and pot in the air. It was late. I was tired. Hungover. Jetlagged. You name it. But an old study abroad friend had me brushing all of my pansy ailments aside to go out for a night on the town (or at least a couple hours, until I admitted that I couldn't keep my eyes open any longer). Requirements for destination: late night food, casual, one-of-a-kind. Solution: Zeitgeist My initial plan for the evening was to give my body a bit of a break, cleansing if you will by eating a veggie-friendly/light meal. I'm not sure if you're familiar with the dive bar food scene, but they typically don't offer a hearty menu of soups and salads. My order ended up looking more like this: Gloveless moneyman/chef: "What do you want?" Hungry hungover traveler: "I'll have a grilled cheese and tomato with a side of coleslaw, please" (coleslaw - sort of "light", right?) Gloveless moneyman/chef: "We're out of coleslaw, so it'll be potatoes." Hungry hungover traveler: "Oh! Okay! Great! (inside: damn, there goes any chance for a detox)" While I ordered our food at one bar (note: cash only): my friend purchased our bebidas at the other. Calling all spicy Bloody Mary lovers (a special note to my mother, the Queen of spicy Bloody Marys): this is your place. They mixed all sorts of mysteriously good spices into the drink along with the classic olives and some surprising pickled green beans (makes up for the coleslaw, right?) Don't come to Zeitgeist looking for special treatment and excellent service. It's all about the atmosphere - hipsters, grungy décor, cash only/no-nonsense, beer garden, pink elephant mural, picnic tables and smell of pot wafting in the air. read more

Got to say... a cool bar, with awful bartenders. I've been to probably over 100 bars in the Oakland and San Francisco area... While this place was great as far as atmosphere, the bartender was the rudest I've ever experienced. In his defense, if I was age (55+) and serving beer for a living, I would be bitter too, but... The dude was an a-hole... I asked for a good on-tap IP and he basically told me to f* off and look at the menu. read more

My favorite things about Zeitgeist: -It used to be a (messenger/motor) bike-only bar. -There are loads of great local (and imported) brews on draft. -The only other SF establishment that sells more beer is AT&T Park. -It boasts a large outdoor patio with beer-garden-like patio tables. -The bartenders can be snarky. -Open seven days a week from 9am-2am -Their Bloody Marys are bloody delicious. (http://www.yelp.com/biz_photos/zeitgeist-san-francisco?select=qFa13249ax6n8OgtIk_wfQ#2SS3EeJtU6iOo3q2xQSCrw) Thanks for knowing how to make a proper beverage, folks. Not my favorite: -On a sunny day (or warm evening), it's insanely crowded. -The bartenders can be snarky. -Cash only. read more

Zeitgeist - Bloody Mary time - Bars Near Me - San Francisco, California

I'm pretty sure that I had an out-of-body experience here. At times of great stress and trauma, the mind can wander to images of pleasant things while the body goes through its ordeal. Being someone who enjoys things that are... clean... Zeitgeist was an interesting experience. I'm not a man who believes that good food and good beer have to come with an attitude problem or less-than-clean surroundings. I walked in to find folks smoking all sorts of things, leaving a thick haze in the air. Isn't this California? Wasn't this the birthplace of no-smoke eating? It had been such a long time that I had to share my food space with smoke, I'd forgotten how much I dislike it. And, I really dislike it. The patio was filled with folks sporting ironic mustaches, tight jeans and bored looks. Since I was sporting a snazzy goatee, smart jeans and an annoyed look, I was the point man to find a table for my group. After fighting my way through the crowd, I fought my way back through it to get some beer and food. Hoo boy. We walked to the bar to get some beer and glasses. We waited... for a while. Just as I was about to cause a slight scene, the bartender deigned to take our money and give us beer. We order a couple of pitchers. We were all set, but we needed some glasses. No worries, yes? A busser was walking by with dirty glasses. The bartender told him we needed glasses, so he dunked the glasses in some water and gave them to us. I almost passed out. I was hanging out with a bunch of guys of varying acceptances of filth. I decided to drink my beer with a straw -- and dared someone to say something. Straw in beer, I made my way to the grill hut to order my brat. Wearing my perma "I-am-not-here-to-play-give-me-my-food-sans-attitude-everyone-lives" face, I got my brat with onions, mustard and fries quickly. It tasted good. In fact, one might say it was A-OK. It wasn't until I left the premises that my brain fully realized all that my body had experienced. Thanks, brain. Next time, stop me from even walking inside a place like this. It's probably perfect for some, but it's not for me... unless I am wearing a hazmat suit. read more

You either always start or finish our night at Zeitgeist. The beer garden/patio in the back is a blast. You never know who you are going to run into and meet. It almost seems like a foreigners bar somewhere in Europe. Zeitgeist is never the go to place for the night, but is always where the pregame starts, or is the final stop of the night. Would recommend to anyone in the mission, looking for a laid back place, and for anyone who is trying to meet fun people read more

What an inconspicuous bar - I woulda never known of this place had it not been for waze. Cash only, large selection of brews, dog friendly, and appetites and welcomed. Parking sucks but the punk rock atmosphere is totally worth it. Made me feel that part of me that's been missing for the last two years. read more

This review comes after my 3rd visit. Zeitgeist is a true punk bar. I haven't been to many, but I'm not surprised people have complained about rudeness and roughness. If you've ever had any punk people in your life you know it ain't roses and sunshine! Their beer selection is fantastic, the biggest reason why we keep coming back. Never tried their food so I can't speak on that. Just know what kind of place this is before you come. Don't expect a white cloth, prissy, gentrified San Francisco bar. A bunch of punk rockers enjoying their local dive bar read more

It's cold again in SF (boo), but I was lucky to have made it to Zeitgeist for a warm sunny Sunday before winter came back. Zeitgeist is likely one of the top 5 places to spend a sunny day drinking in the Mission. The backyard patio has a very distinct feel. There are people of all ages sharing picnic tables and just enjoying themselves. You'll see everything from people playing chess, to folks eating lunch, recovering from hangovers, meeting their neighbors and just keeping it real. One of the calling cards for Zeitgeist is a good bloody mary. I'm somewhat of a picky bloody fan because I like mine real spicy and the ones here don't disappoint. Another staple is a tamale from the Tamale Lady. If you want to see a liquid entrepreneur, she's definitely one. The lassie charges $4 for a reasonably sized snack and seems to have quite a following. I tried my first pork tamale with extra hot sauce and that plus my bloody made for a great start to the day. The only drawback I noticed was the music was a little too loud. It made it hard to have good conversation, but kept the energy up. Second small drawback was that seating was hard to come by. Fortunately I got there before the rush and had a spot for my friends in the sun. But some folks weren't as lucky and had to stand. Standing does not equal relaxing. Keep it classy San Francisco... read more

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I just love the outside, spacious patio in the back! It's a chill grub, dive bar to grab some drinks, particularly their inexpensive draft beers, and hangout for awhile. I tried their Bloody Mary and it was not only strong, but you can really taste the zest of the Tabasco sauce. They were giving on that part. They have a pool table inside, pinball machines and a kitchen if you're feeling hungry. Zeitgeist offers a really down to earth vibe that I like uberly! read more

I've been going to Zeitgeist for almost 5 years now and I can honestly say it's gone extremely downhill. It used to be a chill bar full of metal heads and locals just looking to hang out and drink. I never had an issue with service or drinks. I've heard stories about the rude staff but I had yet to experience it for myself. I went today with my friend and I saw that they had a board with a list of "new and distinct" beers. I decided to try one of them. The way it was worded on the board was "Omission Pale Ale / Hoppy Caramel Flavor!!! $6/bottle" My friend got in line to order it along with her drink and the bartender with shoulder length scraggly brown hair (looks like it has never been washed) and full sleeves of tattoos, was inexcusably rude to her. I also heard him say something rude to the girl in front of us. She asked him a question about a beer and he replied with, "NO!! If you know what you want I can help you." Anyway, my friend asked him for the Omission and he said "which one?" And she turned to me and asked me to point to the board to show him, so I did, and she told him it was the one in the bottle. For no reason at all he started screaming as loud as he could, "PALE ALE???? Fucking idiot!!" The people in line next to us were just as shocked as we were and one of them turned to me and said "it's fine, don't worry about it", and have me a reassuring pat on the shoulder. I understand that it was a busy Saturday at 6pm, but there is absolutely no excuse for such rude customer service. This guy needs to go through a customer service training session again. If you can't handle the Saturday rush, don't work the hours. Not everybody is a fucking beer lord, so obviously there will be questions and confusion when you're being a dickwad. We didn't tip him a single penny. He didn't even deserve the payment for the beer. I'll probably never return to Zeitgeist. It used to be one of our favorite bars but it slowly dug its own grave. EDIT: I forgot to mention that they have mice running around inside and outside the bar. This includes inside their kitchen. The entire 5 years I've gone here there have been mice, which means that they also aren't taking their public health obligation seriously. Just sayin'. read more

This just in: The Tamale Lady has been exposed (no permit) and won't be selling her delicious tamales in Zeitgeist or any other bar anymore (or until further notice). :( Here's the article: http://sfist.com/2013/06/12/tragedy_tamale_lady_can_no_longer_s.php Zeitgeist just got even less appealing now. Boo. read more

Come in. Drink beer. Do what you want. Nobody gives a shit. My kinda place. read more

What can I say about Zeitgeist, can't stay away from it when I visit San Francisco, great beer selection and cool crowd.

Hey to all the people who are excited for the patio to be open post-quarantine! Listen up. You will stand in a line. You will be excited to be somrwhere social (finally). You get in. You'll stand in line waiting for drinks and a place to sit...surprise!!! You get told to take your food and your cases of Truly and WhiteClaw and LEAVE. It's bullshit. Stick to drinking in peace at home. Not worth it. Never worth it. Stay safe SF. read more

My roommate, Si-Eun, and I had dinner in the Mission and wanted to try a new bar that we both have never been to. I've been wanting to check out Zeitgeist for a while now, but never got a chance to until last night. When we walked in, I was surprised. I totally expected something different about the crowd. After my Si-Eun said, "it's a biker bar," the first thing that came to mind was older men in leather jackets with tattoos. I was wrong, not bikers like motorcycle, but actually bikers in bicycles. After getting our beers (Hoegaarden for me), we headed outside and sat on the stools, not the picnic tables. We chilled, people watched as we enjoyed our beers. Big, big, space. I like the open area outside and it looked like everyone was having a great time with some food and their pitchers of beer. The crowd was super friendly last night, maybe too friendly... Si-Eun: "Oh, no." Celeste: "Hmmm?" Random Guy: "You gals wanna smoke some weed?" Celeste: "Ummm... no thanks." Si-Eun: "No, we're okay." Random Guy: "Want to hang out? Come hang out with us." Celeste: "No thank you." Si-Eun: "Hey, that's a Goorin hat!" Celeste: "We're wearing Goorin hats, too!" Random Guy: "What? Yeah, I guess it is." ***silence*** Random Guy walks away... thank you Si-Eun for changing the topic of conversation... Will I be back? Maybe... maybe not :-)! read more

Inside smells of Budweiser-soaked piss, Outside smells of pot Bloody Mary's are strong and spicy, Tap list is thick and saucy Tat's are impressive, Music is hard, Chicks are soft, Freaks are out during the day The tamale lady comes out at night This is the bar you LOVE to hate! The shite service, nasty flippers, and eclectic following give it the right kind of character, and keep you coming back every time you visit SF! read more

No frills punk bar with an amazing beer selection. I went for beers with some friends and we all had something different from the food menu. The burger was absolute fire. I'm wanting another one while I type this review. My other friend had the California burrito and loved it. Good service good food cold beer. read more

Kayla B is out to lunch. Punk bar? Really? Hang here often, mostly 80s and 90s rock. Good people. Great beer selection. Be yourself and don't settle for phonies like Kayla B. read more

Zeitgeist - Rocking in the free world! - Bars Near Me - San Francisco, California

This neighborhood is crap now. It's oozing with gentrification and can be seen, from the lack of porta-potties at Zeitgeist. The tamale lady now charges like $5 per tamale. I still love Zeitgeist but seriously it's no longer a dive, more like a mid level self respecting bar (but slightly dirty) with outdoor seating & 4 star BBQ. The hipsters moved to Dolores Park on nice days with bagged beer cans. Cash only, great for a group & don't forget to bring a coat. read more

The hits don't stop, Zeitgeist is quickly becoming my favorite place to booze on Friday night now.. I came back a here a few times and ordered more of the same pint sized greyhounds. You'd think it might get old but it just doesn't, the novelty of pint sized wells reigns supreme. I split a Bloody Mary with a friend recently that almost ruined my life. After a few gulps I was breathing fire, luckily they put in a toothpick full of olives and pickled green beans in the drink which helped me break up the heat. On my last visit I also sampled their Long Island. Considering how much booze I saw poured in, I'm surprised it didn't taste all that stiff. Well I guess if it's made right you're not supposed to taste the booze. Well done Zeitgeist... Well Done. read more

Another fun evening at Zeitgeist. Though, it didn't start out that way. I was just going to write a glowing review for Zeitgeist (before heading out tonight), based on my 2 day-drinking visits there, and how I love the back patio when it's sunny and warm in SF. Then, tonight, we had bad experiences all around - from b*tchy bartenders to patio enforcers (of the aisle/walkway/etc). However, we later learned there may have been extenuating circumstances, and all could be explained. Well, shortly after leaving Zeitgeist, I found myself at Balboa in the Marina (my posse's decision, not mine - even though I live in Cow Hollow, but largely b/c Balboa is one of my ex's & his friends' favorite haunts), and it was then that I realized just how much I appreciated Zeitgeist. Man, now I know why people don't like the Marina. Sure, I live here, and I'm not going to lie and say I'm a hipster that fits into the Mission, but I would MUCH prefer meeting and talking to people at Zeitgeist than the ones at Balboa. Maaaaaan. 5 stars for Zeitgeist, based on tonight. Easy. Done. *please pardon obvious errors* #ishouldnotbeyelpingwhenimdrunk read more

Wow, I love this place and I'm sad that I didn't discover it earlier. Everyone was trying the Bloody Mary's so I had to sample one. WOW, there was like 10 ingredients in it, very tasty. They charge a lot for some drinks there, but damn, they really pour a drink. The outside patio is kick-ass as long as it's nice out. We stayed till around 7pm and I was freezing my ass off! Awesome cheeseburgers too, it took forever to get them but was worth it. I have to definitely take my friends from out of town here next time, I think they'd dig it. One bad thing is that I had to go move my damn car and it took me a few minutes. Once I got back they weren't letting anyone else in and I had to wait 10 minutes! Check out my pics from the Zeit: http://flickr.com/photos/maidelba/sets/72157594545829677/ read more