Mission Mission

Carlos Reyes peeped the scene earlier this evening. Cheap chicken? Hot jobs? Link (and beware the autoplay).

More:

Bonafide Chicken at Popeye’s by Zoe Stagg

So, does anybody have any ideas about who this guy is?

(Found at 23rd and Capp, 24th and Capp, and 18th and Shotwell)

There is an artiful truck that I often see parked on Capp. I am not sure if this is the same one with a new set of designs or we have a second vehicle now amongst us. Feel free to click any image to see how bad the iPhone photos look at full res:

This week on I Heart Street Art, we compare a big famous SoMa mural to a tiny little SoMa tag. We conclude that both are pretty heavy. Also, we share a bunch of research involving science and chemicals and symbols:

I Heart Street Art: Signage Art

Word on the street is that these gorgeous garments will be for sale at the merch table at tonight’s Casiotone for the Painfully Alone concert at Bottom of the Hill. Why? Unclear.

Whose Fault Is That yesterday published an extensive interview with Chris Wayan, builder of worlds. WFIT asks him where he discovered world building, to which he responds:

Science fiction and fantasy. The term is common in sf circles, though of course they usually mean building a world entirely of words. On the physical side, I think I was most influenced by Poul Anderson and (more recently) Kim Stanley Robinson in his Mars books; they showed how planetary-scale factors interact to shape quite local matters–even the shapes of bodies. On the sociological/cultural side (and also presentation and style!), Le Guin and Tolkien were my role models. They all kept it just words on a page, though.

This dude goes way beyond words on a page. Note the lyrelaffs in the graphic above. WFIT recommends losing yourself on his website for hours on end some time. Read on. (Full disclosure: I haven’t actually read the whole thing yet, for it is looong and I am fresh out of Adderall.)

Our good buddy Edward from b e r l i n ‘ just spotted something unreal: Ribity in Berlin! Edward fills us in:

Came across this tag in Charlottenburg. [...] More to come as we find them.

By the way, German frogs say “QUACK”= quackity.

On a not entirely unrelated note, did I mention my favorite German brand name? Not “Froggy”, or “Froglet”, just plain “FROG” brand detergent.

Quack! Ha!

Detergent pic after the jump. Thanks, Edward!

Previously:

Relaxed Attitude Toward Graffiti in a Dolores-Like Park in Berlin

Berlin-SF Neighborhoods Map Mashup

Mission-Style Burritos in Berlin

(more…)

Emo princess is emo.

Okay, I know this isn’t the Cacophony email list, but who doesn’t love getting drunk in costume?  Besides, is there a better way to relive that time you threw up all over Valencia St. at 4pm during SantaCon while dressed as a homosexual elf than by dusting off your best princess costume and getting lit on Christmas in July?  500 Club, this Saturday at 8:30 PM:

Are all of your friends talking animals? Do you spend your day cleaning up after 7 very short men? Do you dream of your prince coming one day? Do you often find yourself sitting in a dark room wearing a crown, rocking back and forth, and screaming “BUT MOMMY I AM A PRETTY PRETTY PRINCESS!!!” ? Do you want to laugh at a bunch of people dressed up doing a bar crawl?

Well then the Princess Pub Crawl is just for you!

Join us Saturday July 25th dressed as your favorite Princess, Villain, Ugly Step-sister, or Prince. Yes boys this pub crawl is for you too! We’ll be hitting all the good bars in the Mission that have photo booths (and a few bars without in between!)!

Bring your friends! Everyone is welcome!

Important Points:
1. We’ll be starting at 500 Club around 8:30 PM. A map of the crawl and contact numbers will be given out before the pub crawl. Be at 500 Club before 10:00 PM or else!
2. If you do not dress up be prepared to wear an embarrassingly pink fluffy princess crown provided by the organizers. Costumes are required.
3. There will be prizes for the best dressed so bring it.

(link)

16th and Valencia: What we currently see and what we can expect (click to enlarge)

The San Francisco Department of Public Works and StreetsBlog brings us news that the Valencia Streetscape Improvements Project is set to kick off this week.  Unlike the proposal from June 2006, Valencia will only be renovated from 15th to 19th this time around.  Okay, we’ll take it.

Construction is expected to last 9 months and will proceed block-by-block.  From the DPW’s factsheet about the project:

A Renewed Valencia Streetscape between 15th and 19th Streets will provide sidewalk improvements on both the east and west sides of Valencia Street. Improvements include: removal of the striped center median, better spaced and more accommodating curbside loading zones for trucks, improved traffic/parking and bicycle lane alignment, sidewalk widening, bulb-outs, pedestrian scale lighting, art elements, bike racks, kiosks, and new street trees. The aim is to provide residents and visitors with safe and easy access to businesses, schools, shopping and regional transit connections, enhancing the sense of place with a unified ribbon of streetscape improvements. (link)

Most importantly, the city expects to install “bicycle oases.”  From StreetsBlog:

One feature of the project will be unfamiliar to most San Franciscans: mid-block bicycle oases. “On the mid-block bulb-outs and a few of the other corner bulb-outs, we’ve actually planned bike oases,” said Opbroek. “There’s an example of this up in Portland, where they’ve done a space on the sidewalk with rows of bike parking.”

If the bicycle plan injunction isn’t lifted before the project is completed, however, there’s a chance the bike oases could be jettisoned. In that case, “they’ll have to be installed at a later date,” said Opbroek. “If for some reason that didn’t happen – I expect that it will, but if it didn’t – that space could also be used for tables and chairs or additional merchants spilling out.” (link)

There better be palm trees.

The plan for Valencia between 15th and 16th (click to enlarge)

The plan of Valencia Street between 16th and 17th St. (Click to enlarge)

The plan for Valencia between 17th and 18th (click to enlarge)

The plan for Valencia between 18th and 19th (click to enlarge)

They are also proposing to transform the bike racks into pieces of art. Here were some concepts. How badass will it be to lock your dumpster bike up to some dancing skeletons? (click to enlarge)

(StreetsBlog coverage | the DPW’s informational page)

Previously on Mission Mission:

• Valencia Improvement Plans (81 New Trees!)
• Coming Soon: Wider Sidewalks and Slower Traffic on Valencia (With a quality discussion about the question “Will improvements curb our beloved boulevard’s fundamental charm?”)

In case you missed Sunday Streets and everyone else’s coverage of the event, I took a stroll down 24th and Valencia Streets with my crappy camera. Feel free to click any image for a larger version of it:

It only took me 3 minutes to find my first scene. While the Aztec dance demo was going on, this, what appeared to be, homeless man decided to start breaking it down. He danced for a solid 5 minutes. And what an outfit!: purple wig, multiple ties, a plastic Rancid purse, high-waisted poka-dot pants, and a hot pair of shades. He should be on Fashionist.

After stopping off at Pop's for a refreshment, I stumbled across a unicorn walking down the street along with a crazy lady chasing the mythical beast with a snake. I immediately became concerned that the bartender drugged me and I was tripping balls. After some passersby checked my pupils to confirm my sobriety, I watched in awe as the woman tried to mount the snake on the back of the unicorn, much to the apparent protest of the humans inside the animal.

For serious, there was a unicorn walking around 24th St. How awesome is that?

It would not be a social function in the Mission without the obligatory protestors shouting in your ear with a bullhorn. This time I learned about how the SFPD was racially profiling latinos by arbitrarily pulling them over while driving just to check on their immigration status. What particularly interested me about this exhibit was the depiction of the police. Until yesterday, I always thought flies spawned from my compost, not the crack of a cop's ass.

The operator of the tow truck was depicted to be a lot more cool and collected than the police. That's probably because he's smoking a spliff.

One cyclist had the style and swagger of a champion. If he showed up to any alleycat or Soil Saloon with his full Mexico kit, he'd receive an honorary award just for being a complete badass.

I was surprised to see all the pigeons that loiter at 24th and Mission not know how to handle all the people and take refuge on a neighboring roof. NYC pigeons they are not.

Some guy was rocking out from the 2nd floor of his apartment. Bonus points for rocking the aviators indoors and having a grill on your roof that was too off-camber to use effectively.

Finally, my favorite thing about Sunday Streets was watching adults completely forget how to play playground games. Fearing embarrassment delivered by the 6th graders, I played the role of the sideline recluse.

In other news, SFist's Brock Keeling noticed that "Valencia St. smelled like b.o." Unfortunately, I missed that.