I studied ‘upstate’

This is how people in LA dismissively refer to the Bay Area while they’re drinking their champagne and eating their fancy dinners.  Upstate.  Like Berkeley is Syracuse or something.

So, how do we feel about this?  Perhaps it’s finally time for that Great War of California to happen.

Wolf horror on BART

[via Everything Forced]

Get to know your local bike messenger

Deal With It today published an interview with Storts, our favorite messenger. Here’s an excerpt:

What’s the craziest think you have seen while at work?

Craziest thing at work would probably be the time I saw a bummy fight, and one of the dudes was tossed into on coming traffic and got hit by a car. Smashed the cars front window, but just got up and continued to fight with what I’m sure was a broken everything! Man that PCP is one powerful drug!

What are your top 5 cities for riding and why?

Cities I love to ride in would be SAN FRANCISCO, Portland, L.A ., Hawaii, and OHH anywhere in Japan! But I’m going to europe for the CMWC’s (Cycle Messenger World Championships) so there might be another one we gotta add, but I’ll let you know how it goes when/if i come back.

Read on.

[Photo by juicyrai]

BYO bus stop

Hampshire House yesterday spotted this enterprising young man making the best of a long wait for the 27.

More importantly, what do we think of these newfangled portal-into-the-center-of-the-Sun stop signs they’ve started installing ’round the ‘hood?

[link]

America is the shit!

This delicate spectacle was spotted at 23rd and Guerrero, right after I almost stepped in it. If the moon landing was the greatest achievement in American exploration, then this one would be Number Two.

‘Balls of orange-painted steel’

Holy shit. I guess this is kinda old, but back in February these crazy MFs scaled the Golden Gate Bridge, hung out for a while, took EPIC pictures, and left without getting caught (or sleeping with the fishes). Here’s a snip of their riveting tale:

I had a sure grip on the cable but could not pull my self up. My mind raced. I was about to lose my holy grail because I had let myself get out of shape. My partner in crime dropped from the rail in exhaustion and warned of approaching vehicles. Adrenaline kicked in and I willed myself onto the orange cable.  “Just go!” she yelled.

Read on at No Promise of Safety.

Palm trees chopped down at 16th and Mission

Our favorite irate aged mission fella brings us this news:

Last night, all the palm trees at the 16th Street & Mission BART Plazas were sawed-off — both sides. Don’t know why, but the BART website says that, back in 2009, one tree had to be removed because it was dead. These trees did not appear to be dead, but it might have been a case of vermin control — they were hosts to hordes of pigeons — in which case, blame Swan.

Anyone know the real reason why the trees were extracted? My first guess would have been coconut related injuries, but I doubt these oversized monocots were fruit-bearing.

Update:

Mr. Eric Sir took a nearly-identical picture! Is Mr. Eric Sir Cranky Old Mission Guy’s alter ego?

Update 2:

triple0 adds that this might be a part of a public works project:

In 2009 at the Mission Streetscape Public Workshops, they said that BART planted them without considering the root systems, so they were stunted and going to be removed at some point, likely in preparation for re-doing the BART station. But, that might have been 24th Street – I can’t remember.

City’s website about it: http://www.sf-planning.org/ftp/CDG/CDG_mission_streetscape.htm

 

Mission-style burrito wars heat up in Oxford, England

Last summer we heard all about some place in Oxford called The Mission Mexican Grill. Yesterday, word came down that there’s a new game in town (in Oxford). It’s called Mission Burrito:

These exterior pics are great, but what about the grub??

[via Kate]

Fucker/fuckee relationship advice

Ryan D. found this posted in his apartment and thought he’d share:

Some might mistakenly call this this a passive-aggressive note, but there’s really nothing “passive” about it. Please folks, tell your hook-up what apartment you live in. Using the process of elimination doesn’t work so well at 2:30am.

Late-night sidewalk bounce house action

Synecdochectomy came upon this scene the other night. It’s a SpongeBob bounce house straddling a stretch of sidewalk, from house to gutter, full of screaming tots, late at night.