Mission Mission

After many months of waiting for the right moment, Allan and I finally got to tour supposedly the first bowling alley to open in SF in decades, Mission Bowling Club. We all know how much Allan likes ping pong, well my indoor drinking-with-balls sport has always been bowling.

Lane view from the mezzanine. [photo by me]

Back in high school we used to take the 22 to Japantown Bowl, with two floors of lanes and some of the worst food items in town. It was awesome. But it closed down around 11 years ago, and nothing has taken its place. Though I wait patiently.

Future bar view from the mezzanine. [photo by me]

Mission Bowling Club isn’t trying to be what Japantown was. With 6 lanes, a sit-down restaurant headed by neighborhood celebrity chef Anthony Myint and a full bar, they’re going after something different. Which is not to say that they want to restrict the crowd they attract. During our tour, co-owner Sommer Peterson was clear to stress that they wanted to be able to welcome neighborhood families as well as the 21-35 year old Mission nighttime scene, which they’ll have no trouble attracting.

[photo by me]

Future restaurant seating. [photo by me]

On the weekends they’ll be open for all ages, with weeknights reserved for the 21 and over crowd. Of the six lanes, three will be open for walk ins, the other three available for reserving by phone or website. You will pay by the hour, rather than game, to keep people from just hanging out in a lane all night. In addition to brand new lanes (brought in on two semi trucks in the middle of the night) they have all new bowling balls and shoes. The bar top will be made of a reclaimed lane from newly refurbished Morgan Hill Bowl. Sommer, who created the Divisadero Art Walk, will also be curating art for a large side wall, as well as rotating art installations for the huge wall above the lanes.

[photo by Allan]

Now, I know how excited I sound. Because I am. Because bowling is awesome. Yeah, it’s gonna be crowded, and cost more money then I wish it did, because I wish it was free, or as cheap as an old ass bowling alley. But there aren’t any around here, so we get a brand new one. So sure, there are plenty of things to gripe about (already well documented on this site) from the vocal minority, but I think we mostly want and deserve a bowling alley. One that isn’t a car. One where we can eat Mission Burgers in actual chairs. One that actually sounds welcoming. And I get the impression that these proprietors are sincere about really opening this up to the whole neighborhood. They know they’re going to make mistakes, so they’re open to reasonable feedback. As Sommer said, they’re opening three new businesses all at once, “I’m happy, proud and scared.” So I’m giving them the benefit of the doubt and I’m excited to see what happens.

Says Andrew Mundy:

Thank you rolled gold for reminding me that I’m hungry for tampons. [link]

Brain Pickings has unearthed a “don’ts” list for female bicyclists in the 1890′s.  Here are a few favorites:

• Don’t wear loud hued leggings.
• Don’t use bicycle slang. Leave that to the boys.
• Don’t refuse assistance up a hill.
• Don’t imagine everybody is looking at you.

Read on.

[via PavBlog] [photo]

Bonus: it’s been blessed by the Lucky Cat.

Rad!

[via The Fog Bender]

We’ve noticed all sorts of interesting and eclectic things locked to poles, parking meters, construction equipment, or whatever immobile objects happen to be convenient; so it should come as no surprise that we eventually come across something like this.

To be clear, I’m not making fun of this at all. Just the opposite, in fact, as I think this is rather bad ass! I mean, when I’m old and decrepit and can’t walk around on my own any longer, I’m definitely going to lock one of these babies outside my door so I can still at least attempt to get a slice of pizza down the street without any help.

[via We Built This City]

As of February first, Scottish Spirits Imports (A Fort Lauderdale company, of course) plans to bring this appetizing alcoholic treat to a janky liquor store near you. From their website:

Is there any better sound than the crack of a beer can being opened after a long day of work? What if the can was filled with something a little stronger than beer, say Scotch whisky?

Our “Scotch in a Can” has eight shots (12 ounces) of Scotch straight out of the can − which is indeed a recyclable one. Keeping qualitative and quantitative standards intact, Scotch in a Can maintains high quality without compromising the tone of the beverage.

Retailing for $5, this thrifty, convenient and pool-safe beverage option is sure to be a hit. Enjoy!

[via Reason]

I’m walking down 20th Street minding my business when an old lady leans way out her big front window and shouts, “Excuse me! Excuuuse me!” I look up and she continues, “Will you please take that off my railing?” She’s pointing at this Chinese takeout menu. I wonder if she thinks I put it there, but then she says, “I tell them not to put those there, but they don’t listen.”

I go over and tug the thing off her railing. “Just throw it in the street,” she says, “They’re sweeping the gutters tomorrow morning.”

I held onto it and looked for a recycle bin, and then threw it in a trash can after seven blocks of no luck.

The Roxie explains:

SAN FRANCISCO THEATRICAL PREMIERE! Exploding out of South Central LA with a previously unthinkable and utterly undeniable funk-thrash swing and a joyously chaotic stage show, Fishbone quickly ascended to the top of the hyper-competitive heap of Hollywood club bands in the 1980s. But selling something so awesome and unusual to the American public? That’s where the trouble began. EVERYDAY SUNSHINE ecstatically traces the tangled threads, simultaneously shooting straight about Angelo Moore and Norwood Fisher’s dogged persistence in continuing the band amidst innumerable setbacks. Dirs: Lev Anderson & Chris Meltzer. Interviews with past and present members of Fishbone, Flea, No Doubt, George Clinton, Mike Watt, Tim Robbins & ?uestlove. 2010. Digital. 103 mins.

Both Friday night shows include acoustic performances by the band and Q&A with the band and the film makers! See a week’s worth of showtimes and buy tickets here.

To win a pair of tickets to the Friday night show of your choice, leave a comment below explaining why you deserve to win. Contest ends at 5PM on Wednesday, January 4, 2012. Winner will be chosen based on merit.

Now let’s rock: