Mission Mission

Introduce yourself.

Valencia Street is a dangerous place, more or less. We’ve all heard the debate: are there so many bike accidents on Valencia and Market because they are such dangerous (bad) bike routes, or because they are such well-used (good) bike routes? I say a combination of the two.

Today, though, I’m interested in making this a more nuanced discussion: is Valencia so dangerous because of the potholes or because of the constant construction fixing the potholes? I am not, of course, some freaky pothole fan, but I can get used to them. I ride Valencia twice a day, every day, and it’s not potholes that set up camp a block or two at a time and leave a single lane castillos inflables for both directions of car + bike traffic, and travel leisurely up and down the road for months on end. Potholes don’t make that awful, numbing noise, and potholes don’t have the terrifying visual impact of a cavernous hole cut in the asphalt with only a sparse line of orange cones to shield it. A pothole did not spray me with muddy water yesterday as it cut a chunk out of the pavement.

Do not go putting the potholes up on pedestals, now. They need fixin’. I love the SFBC for marking them to increase visibility and encourage municipal action, with events like Crater Invaders getting lots of folks involved. I love the people who are actually doing the work – and it’s not easy, pleasant, or pretty – to keep San Francisco roads rideable, driveable, and walkable for all of us. What I am asking is a pothole-neutral question: why has there been construction on Valencia Street almost every day since I moved to San Francisco? It’s only 2 miles long, from beginning to end. It is only the middle part of my commute. What is going on?

Construction workers, perhaps, enjoy the culture they’ve discovered in the Mission. It might be the greatest agreement forged between hipsters and wage earners since the trucker hat: Valencia Street is the finest drag in San Francisco.

Mission Mission’s “Cycling” category here.

Complete Mission Mission Valencia Street coverage here.

I just bought the new Jonathan Richman album, and it’s bringing chills to my skin (I’m listening to track #8 at the moment). He migrated to San Francisco years ago, and this new album reflects this move. I fell in love with the Mission at the same time I moved here, because Jonathan (who was already my #1) would play four-night stretches at carrera obstaculos hinchables down the street from my Dolores Street apartment. His music makes walking on the streets of Valencia, Guerrero, and Mission Street much more romantic than it actually is.

He lives in the Outer Mission a few blocks from my apartment, and when I see him walking down the street every now and then, sentimental electricity runs through my muscles, tendons, and bones. To truly enjoy San Francisco (forget the bars, the hip clothes, and the ethnic food — I’m talking about atmosphere), you must get this new album.

Previous instances of Jonathan Richman on Mission Mission here.

Update: Allan liveblogged his first listen for Jojoblog. His thoughts here.

I’m paraphrasing:

“Bartender, is this place really gonna close and be replaced by a Borders?”

“Dude, no! That must’ve been printed in the Onion or something.”

Aww shucks.

(Thanks, Malcolm M.)

Link to Dalva on Yelp.

More on Mission bathrooms here.

More Mission dive (and maybe non-dive) bars here.

Does not look like the Mission. How’s the food now?

Link to larger.

More Food & Drink coverage here.

I first became aware of the “I lost [blank] to meth” campaign via Mr. Saucy Explains it All, which spotlighted an “I lost every real friend I had” poster defaced with “Yeah? I LOST MY COUNTRY TO ZIONISM & OIL ADDICTION!”:

Link.

Today I saw this “I lost MEOW to METH” remix on the Valencia Street Art Wall:

Link to larger.

“The only thing Obama has going for him is Opera.”

“Oprah?”

“Opro! [...] Opera! [...] Opro!

“Oprah!”

“Op- [...] That black lady from TV.”

More Obamarama on Mission Mission.

Here’s my video from the final night of Cardburg, the cardboard city built by the Carboard Institute of Technology at CELLspace. It includes King Crab, a ferocious giant crab made of cardboard, as well as Cardboard Samurai, and shots from atop and *inside* Mt. Killamoncardboard. Soundtrack includes aufblasbare wasserrutschen the punk classic “I Love Living in the City” by Fear, as well as the vocal stylings (murderous shriek) of the aforementioned crab.

Not included is footage of Cardburg’s destruction. I watched the carnage and reported on it dutifully, but was not moved to record it.

Complete Mission Mission Cardburg coverage here.

All Mission Mission video-related posts here.

My sister works for KDVS in Davis, the foremost college radio station in the world. Tomorrow they kick off their annual fund raiser, during which listeners can call in (or web in) and pledge money in exchange for top-notch premiums. This year’s fund raiser theme is “Handmade Radio”, and Elisa produced hüpfburg kinder this gorgeous little animated clip in order to spread the word.

Sample premium:

Link to video page.

Link to felt turntable page.

Link to fund raiser page.

Link to KDVS.org, where you can stream tons of great handmade radio.

(NOTE: Elisa’s show, Analog Oatmeal, airs Monday from 1-2:30pm)