Mission Mission

Kevin at The Bygone Bureau gives it a shot:

I’ve never felt this way before. I hope you don’t think this is too forward but… would you want to get coffee sometime?

Read on.

Previously:

Banned American Apparel Ad

“And like that, poof, he’s gone.”  I am inclined to think that Otter was not in fact behind it this time.  It’s a good thing that everybody and their brother already photographed this to death, because now it’s really dead.  Alas, no one had the foresight to put up a sign in Cantonese warning that this art is “very hard to get it.”

Anyone know the story behind this Banksy whitewashing?  Any of the other Bansky pieces throughout the city suffer a similar fate?

UPDATE!!!  An anonymous commenter seems to have the scoop:

The building owner lives in Texas and received a notice from the city. Not knowing the significance of the piece, or what it was, he had it painted over. The owners of The Curiosity Shoppe live in the building and were obviously unable to convince him to keep it.

Yikes!  However, this is the kind of thing that happens when you have an out of state absentee property owner who doesn’t seem to know or care about the culture of the area in which his property resides.

Also, I was able to get a free Chinese language lesson out of this too.  Apparently, Cantonese and Mandarin refer only to spoken language, whereas written language is always known vaguely as Chinese.  So, even though most of the residents of Chinatown happen to be Cantonese speakers, that sign was nonetheless written in Chinese.  Case closed! 

Previously:

San Francisco Has Banksy Fever!

Banksy Fever Continues!

Enough Banksy for Chu?

Remember the debate surrounding whether or not this scrawled tag was promising work or not a few weeks back? I just realized Oddfellow is this dude:

Promising indeed!

Top by Sexy P.; middle by kapshure; bottom by jen maiser.

This just in from Dolores Park Works. Porta-potties will be installed along Dolores St. this summer! I guess petitions really do work!

On non-event weekends (event producers are required to provide portable toilets), RPD will provide five portable toilets and a hand washing station.

The Association of Creepy Muni Track Peeping Toms (ACMTPT) is expected to protest this development.

(photo by superdillettante)

@johnxorz sends us this Bay to Breakers costume honoring transportation lost. (I think you could fit a lot of beer in there.)

I miss that bus.

Any other Muni-related outfits? Maybe Nate Ford holding a giant axe and burning money?

A bit refreshing to see a little piece of the Mission while in enemy territory.  They were belting out their ferocious rhythms at the end of the Panhandle and attracting quite a crowd.  Seems like they made some new fans, too!  I managed to count quite a few wasted sorority chicks approaching between songs trying to make out with them while mumbling, “So what are you guys called?  The Precocious Two?  I love you guys!”

One of them even tried to steal a t-shirt, but she was apprehended and reprimanded by the supportive crowd.  Her response?  Well, there’s not much you can do when outed as a kleptomaniacal douchebag other than a double-fisted middle finger salute.  Marriage material right there, eligible bachelors.

Previously:

Buskers Busted

The Ferocious Four

Ferocious in the Streets

The Ferocious Few Rocks Out

Well, how’s this for a scoop?  While the letters are still literally being added!

I’m not sure if this place will still be hair salon, or if it’s to be transformed into a retro thrift store, antique boutique, or gallery of some sort.  According to the overhanging sidewalk sign, though, so far it looks like a good place to score some blow.

Previously:

Vertical Clearance Needs Sidewalk Clearance

Doc Pop heard a rumor that the dudes behind the counter at Mission Burger might be moving their operation from the Duc Loi kitchen to somewhere more permanent. According to this rumor, this move has nothing to do with Commonwealth, so be on the lookout for two new Mission Street Food-related endeavors to begin dishing up goodness later this year. According to rumor.

Previously:

Commonwealth

Mission Burger

Duc Loi

Local artist Rio Yañez laments another neighborhood closure:

The closing of US Video marks the final death of Video stores in the Mission that cater to working class Latino families in the neighborhood. All that’s left in the neighborhood is Lost Weekend. I never thought I’d live to see the day that it would be easier to rent a copy of some obscure Orson Welles film than a copy of Transformers (or some other commercial mainstream movie).

Read on.

I guess working-class Latino families are just going to have to learn to love Mr. Arkadin and rad t-shirts.