Mission Mission

Berlin-style ping pong and DISCO!!! $5!!! Here’s the deal:

We’ve paired a lot of different musical styles with Berlin-style ping pong over the years, but this February, with the help of celebrity DJ COSMIC AMANDA (http://quonky.tumblr.com/), we’re taking AMERICAN TRIPPS to the DISCO for the very first time!!! Get ready!

Plus, we’re at Rickshaw Stop again, so be prepared for skeeball and foosball upstairs — and lots of snuggling in their fleet of comfy rickshaws.

RSVP and invite your friends! And then get down to the disco classic “I Like Love” by Norma Jean Wright:

Mayor Ed Lee and SFPD Chief Greg Suhr came to the neighborhood to tell merchants all about their plan. Mission Local reports:

SFPD is doubling the number of officers on the street during the game compared to the force deployed after the World Series, Suhr said.  Rather than wait until the game ends, forces will be pre-deployed during the game along major thoroughfares including Market Street, Hayes Street, 16^thStreet, 24^th Street and Mission Street.

During the World Series, people put their garbage out and bins were overflowing, offering fuel for bonfires.  This time, officials are working with Department of Public Works to empty cans every hour during the game.

After 5 pm on Sunday, buses will no longer run along transit lines, but use diesel fuel so they can carve alternate routes around celebrations and avoid any crowds blocking the streets.

Can’t wait! Also, a threat:

In a veiled warning to Super Bowl revelers, Chief Suhr said: “Carry yourself as if you’re on television, because somebody is probably be videotaping you.”

“Know that if you’re acting out, someone is going to have a video camera and they’re going to send it to us,” Suhr added. “  Don’t let this be a life-changing experience.” [link]

Well, I for one, I mean, I’ve always wanted to be on TV!

[via @quonky]

Four big pieces, plus biscuits and gravy and sides. At an even $25 for the spread, it’s a little pricier than Popeye’s, but good lord the Maverick fried chicken is top notch. Normally this will be available Mondays only, but this week only, in honor of the Super Bowl, they’re doing it Sunday too. Plan ahead.

I also recommend making an awesome sandwich the next day with whatever leftovers you might have:

[Photo by Chris W. via Sarah Noel]

Dolores. DOLORES. dOlores. Really, it’s not that hard.

— marmotilla (@marmotilla) January 30, 2013

Thanks!

I think we have a serious contender to the legendary Slime Time van.

Next time you’re in the Cesar Chavez and Precita area, please take ten minutes to take in all the incredible things happening on this automobile which, at the bare minimum, can be referred to as the “9/11 Tupac Freedomn van”, but may also be called the “Mushroom pedobear Jesus heart of gold van”:

[click for larger version]

Update 2/1: For more about the sordid nature of this van, head over to Jezebel.

All of your nostalgic comments pertaining to the demise of Giant Value seems to have elicited a similar reaction from distinguished reader David, who contacted us with a blast from the past:

All this recent talk of thieves on roofs and yesteryear’s Mission (Value Giant) makes me think of Crackers, that 80s B movie caper flick starring Donald Sutherland and a young Sean Penn and set on 24th and Alabama, right where Discolandia would later come and go.  Recently found the whole movie on YouTube.  Really fun to pick out the shops that are still here (hey Casa Lucas!).

Wow, he’s right!  And look, just down the street is La Palma (only the best place to buy tortillas en todo el mundo)!  If the avocados at Casa Lucas are sometimes 5 for a dollar these days, I wonder how cheap they were in the 80s?  Anyway, let us know what other spots are to be found after you watch the whole thing here:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W5vL_WyffzQ

Our pal Todd from Bernalwood sent us a tip about a situation that didn’t exactly turn out as planned for an aspiring ninja:

Getting reports from a friend who lives there. Thief jumped a fence, then took a stand on a roof on Alabama St, threatening to jump. Police scanner says two hostage negotiators were on the scene. He was just taken into custody.

Reports that the two negotiators were in fact Samuel L. Jackson and Kevin Spacey remain unconfirmed.

UPDATE from Lysol Tony on our FB page:

I live at 25th and Florida, a man snuck into my house to hide from the cops. My roommate came home, opened the door to her room and the dude said “don’t scream!” She screamed, roommates ran out of the house, I followed because the cops were yelling at us to get out. 2 hours later he’s still on a roof on Alabama.

In case you haven’t heard, the Mission’s iconic Giant Value building is closing and being converted into “market-value” condos. Here’s what they will look like, next to the forthcoming renovation of the New Mission Theater:

[via Kwan Henmi Architecture]

Otto Venta recently snapped some shots from the current interior:

Over the past couple of weeks they have been liquidating their stock at 50% off, including the following near-luxury fragrances:

[photo via Chirp]

Even though I’ve only set foot in the building a handful of times, I’ve always admired the huge block letters on their facade and intimidating selection of 1970s deadstock goods at reasonable prices. What’s it going to be like in a post-Giant Value world? Will our children’s values not be as giant? Will the boxy condos stay true to the spirit of their ancestors and offer affordable housing? (Not-fucking-likely)

Check below for some of Mission Mission’s Giant Value posts over the years. And what the hell, if Giant Value meant anything to you, please share your fondest or worst memories in the comments. Maybe you picked up a bottle of BOOS cologne and it sealed the deal on a first date you were nervous about. Perhaps you remember how devastated the community was when they switched the words from “VALUE GIANT” to “GIANT VALUE”. Or how about that time Apple maps took you there when you were really trying to find the SF Giants ballpark?

Selected comments will be printed on a commemorative plaque to be installed in the sidewalk in front of the building. (Not-fucking-likely)