Mission Mission

If you didn’t make it to the Bicycle Music Festival yesterday, you missed out.

For a little while, there were performances in the middle of Dolores St. Oddly enough, this did not appear to bother the police.

As soon as they tried to setup in the park, the police tried to shut it down. Luckily they were able to get permission to use the movie night's permit and eventually played.

This is the power-generating setup they used. 5 bikes in total; the three far bikes were all connected to the same unit.

After everyone confused this object with a bong, it was revealed to be the power meter. There was a fan at the bottom of the tube whose speed was regulated by the power being generated by the cyclists. As they pedaled, an empty beer can would move up and down the tube--into the red if they were pedaling too much and into the orange if they were not pedaling enough.

I never did figure out if this was a cello case or a coffin...

An anonymous tipster tells us of pretty crazy scene from Saturday morning.  Allegedly two men were driving along Folsom and parked at the 22nd St light.  With multiple witnesses standing around the intersection, the passenger then got out of the car and started smashing the windows and body of an adjacent parked car with a large object (presumably a crowbar).  After making quite a scene and not even stealing anything, they sped off down Folsom.

If you haven’t tried SF Vegan Tamales yet, get on it.

They have an inactive Twitter account, but Manu says they may start using it soon.

Last week, The New America Media recently posted an illuminating interview with Lorenzo Armendariz, a 62-year-old street musician from Zacatecas, Mexico, who performs on Valencia St.  He tells his tales of obtaining fake documentation, paying taxes, missing amnesty in the 1980′s, how 9/11 effected tips and immigrant’s optimism surrounding Obama:

I think el negrito [Pres. Barack Obama] is going to help us. He’s going to give us amnesty before 2010 because la raza supported him and, if other black candidates want to run again, and he doesn’t fulfill his promises, well, we won’t vote for them again. In 2010, I will be turning 64, almost 65. And if I get my citizenship, well, the problem is solved.

(hat tip Mission Loc@l)

It appears the heated debate over Mission street food being “trendy” or not is settled.  SFoodie brings us news that Fox Searchlight is promoting a new movie by giving out free street food.  I can only hope Fox pays Crème Brûlée’s fine when the cops shut this down.

(link)

eviloars spotted this recently:

“Colorful mess disrupting the nice, gray, flecked asphalt.

15th Street near Minna and Capp.”

(link)

Go spoil your appetite and support a new local bakery Sunday afternoon (1-4pm) in front of Little Otsu (Valencia n’ 20th).

(link)

Curbed SF has linked to an excellent new website of historical photographs of San Francisco, LookBackMaps.  In the event you don’t want to squander a few hours like I did, here are some highlights from the Mission:

Mission Woolen Mill, 1862 (Now Alabama and 16th)

Jewish Cemetery, c. 1860 (Now Dolores Park)

Old Engine #7 Firehouse, 1885 (Now 16th @ Albion)

The Willows, 1885 (Now Mission at 19th).

The Great San Francisco Blizzard of 1887, 16th and Bryant

The 16th St. Bridge, c. 1860 (click the image to see an awesome fullscreen of the painting)

The Original Hipster Hill, c. 1860

Valencia St. Between 21st and 22nd, 1898

Capp St @ 21st, 1906.

3 Engine Freight Train on Harrison St. near 21st. St. 1905

J.H.Kruse Plaining Mill 23rd and Treat

Christmas Shopping, Mission and 22nd, Dec. 1926

Layover Shelter, Capp and 20th

Mass on 17th St. after 1906 Earthquake

1906 Ruins, 17th and Dolores

Temporary Freight Train, 20th and Capp, 1906

(Credit Curbed SF)

Woke up one mornin’
Had some skid mark on my porch
Empty bottle of Smirnoff
and some very happy flies

Time for the haters to hang their heads in shame.  Rachel, the girlfriend of the cyclist we mentioned who got taken out a couple of days ago, fills in the details:

This was my boyfriend, I was riding in front of him.

We had lights on our bikes, were in the bike lane, single file and as far to the left as possible in the middle of the block riding north on Valencia.

I passed this parked car, she zoomed out after me and my boyfriend hit her front tire and went flying.

He suffered multiple facial fractures, some stitches and a bruised shoulder and is damn lucky.  He also doesn’t have insurance so there’s that.  Probably the worst part of it was being stuck in the emergency room of SFGH for 15 hours.

Thanks for the words of concern and those who realise that it is not always the bikers that disobey traffic laws that get hit. (link)