“Everything’s getting fancier,” said Rick McKay, a waiter at Mel’s Drive-In, and apparently that’s all it takes to make the New York Times a believer. The newspaper travel section sees Lombard as a new hip and happening spot, thanks to karaoke, saketinis, and sightings of George Lucas at Hime.

• Article: “Lombard Street, San Francisco, Begins to Shine” [NYtimes.com]