Mission Mission

I can’t tell if this Smart Car was tagged or decorated.

For future generations to enjoy, Mr. Eric Sir has posted a comprehensive look at the “art wall” that has developed on the abandoned storefront on 17th and Valencia.

One of these days I’m going to force myself to make it over to that flea market at 15th and Mission next to the Kink Armory.  San Franciscans seem to love waiting in lines, be it for allegedly killer sandwiches, hip new restaurants, or bathrooms at Dolores Park. 

I wanted to check it out Thursday morning, but that robust line managed to dissuade my desire while also calling into question my San Francisco-ness.  Obviously there must be some great deals to be found there besides stolen bicycle frames (oh wait that’s the Laney College Flea Market).  

Have any of you dear readers ever braved the line?  What’s the coolest thing you’ve managed to find?

I accidentally turned left onto Valencia from 15th Street this afternoon, and it was like I was teleported into the post-apocalypse version.  What could have caused all this havoc to take place?  Luckily, intrepid MM “videographers” provide a peek below into the process behind the repaving of Valencia for the Streetscape Improvement Project:

1. Humongous cement buster pneumatic drill to loosen up the pavement
2. Group of foremen standing around chit-chatting
3. Scoop shovel breaks up the street concrete into chunks, which are then scooped into an adjacent disposal truck for removal
4. Cement crew gets busy and springs to action, with more cement trucks mixing in reserve

Previously:

Coming Soon: Valencia Streetscape Improvements

Getting A Feel For The New Valencia

(file photo)
Sirron Norris has been working on a new mural on the side of Revolution Cafe. The artist who’s whose piece (seen on the wall above) had been replaced has thrown his objections up in street art form. Mission Local has the story. Luckily Sirron sounds like he’s interested in having a discussion with the previous artist, rather than reacting with the same kind of aggression.

Pretty sure that’s not his bike . . .

[Photo and caption by my buddy Johnny]

Preliminaries will be held this evening in Dolores Park.  Singing and swimwear competition tomorrow at Benders and Zeitgeist.

from Sweet Melissa’s video voter guide (via generic)

Encountered this scene while on the way to El Farolito for an Al Pastor Super, attempting to shake the awful memory of Canadian burritos from my mind.  Needless to say I lost my appetite as soon as I realized what was underneath the yellow tarp.

This guy standing here on the right was allowed to remain inside the yellow tape, calmly smoking a cigarette while waiting for officers to question him (as a witness, not a suspect).

The victim was reportedly an “older guy” whose death was not immediately attributable to violence (I had heard what sounded like a gunshot moments earlier, so I initially assumed the that to be the cause), which leads me to believe that he may be a member of our populous homeless community.

Police had not yet determined cause of death and were waiting for the coroner to arrive.  A number of onlookers had gathered across the street to watch, the mood somber and surreal.

RIP Mission Guy.

As part of their neighborhoods issue, Good Magazine hired Volume Inc. to design some neighborhood flags. Here’s what they came up with for the Mission:

Bikes and tacos! Clearly these guys are thinking OUTSIDE OF THE BOX!

Personally, I think they should have consulted us for a flag design consisting of scenes from the Mission Mission top posts of all time. Who wouldn’t want a flag of a lady shitting on her house while a scantly clad woman struts down the street drinking moderately-priced Kombucha and a BART train speeds by in the background (passenger with a visible boner in window)?

Oh, and this flag would never fly from a pole, it would always be presented draped over a life-size marble rendering of Sasha Grey.

See the rest of the series (mostly not-SF) neighborhood flags here.

Thanks Elizabeth S.!

A long time ago in this very land (sometime in 2003) I sat alone in my living room, looking out the window onto Guerrero Street and wondered how I could connect with the people of the neighborhood, hear their thoughts, start a dialogue, without having to actually leave my house and face people in real life. Yes, it sounds sad and lonely. Whatever. The point is, I didn’t know about hyperlocal blogs or anything, so I made do with what I had. Which, apparently, wasn’t much. I figured I’d have to do some fishing.

One morning I tied a piece of paper onto a length of fishing line, attached a pen at the end and lowered them both out the window. I left my house for the day and when I came home that night I reeled the paper in (pen gone).

Here’s what I got:

GOOD MORNING. (if evening, please reverse)

What were you just thinking about?

being @ the beach w/ my aunt

eating pastries

putting a battery in my garage door opener

taking this pen

Hope and nothing but

des paturages sublimes de betes vertigineuses

The other side after the jump (Hey! The other side is the original after the jump!)

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