Mission Mission

On my way home from work today, I caught what is sure to be my last glimpse of a dying beast: the 26 Valencia.  It totally made that mraaawwwghhhh sound that dinosaurs make when you shoot ‘em as it lunged away from its stop.

Unlike KevMo, I’m a longtime Muni lover, Fast Pass collector, and old lady seat offerer, so am sad to see this piece of shit bus go.  I think it only proper I write up an homage of my own to add to Kevin’s post (I’m the nice one, he’s the mean one, haven’t you been paying attention?).

Riding the 26 always made me feel like I was taking public transit in Santa Barbara.  I saw it referred to as the “rich man’s 14″  somewhere online today, which I thought appropriate.  One time I was on the 26 and a Norwegian woman started telling me about how certain types of  hamburger meat paralyzes you for life and also that I have really good skin.  Yes, this bus is totally useless, but how awesome was it to conveniently bump into it and ride the 4 blocks down Valencia you were planning on walking?

RIP, 26 Valencia.  There will be tears in my beer and on my Fast Pass tonight.

I know you already read SFist, but I want to mention this anyway. Creativity Explored‘s Annual Holiday Sale starts tonight and runs weekends through 12/23. They’re at 3245 16th Street, between Dolores and Guerrero. So you can get a slice at Deja Vu afterwards. Anyway, check it out, it’s good stuff. I have a few pieces from years past.

Here are some images grabbed from Flickr to give you an idea of their artists’ work.

Michael Bernard Loggins by emwilska.

John Patrick McKenzie by boltron-. (Thanks, Tens)

Read here first.

If you didn’t already know, the kind of useless Muni line is shutting down tonight.  Personally, I’ve never ridden the Muni so I don’t give a shit, but presumably some of you do.  Honestly, I like biking and I don’t like buses.  Getting stabbed does sound like fun though.  Once I was taking the MBTA-70 into Boston and  watched what I assumed to be a homeless man stand up  and piss right there on the bus.  From that day on I swore to never ride the bus again and live on Capp St so I could watch people piss right in front of my house on an hourly basis instead.

But seriously, you can get anywhere in the city faster on a bicycle.  I don’t really see the point of taking it unless you are physically unable to get around without a motor (you could probably get around faster on a rascal scooter though).

Anyways, I felt it would be inappropriate to not honor the line in some way, so I asked a bunch of people who ride the line to write up obituaries for it.  Most people were like “who gives a shit?”  Figures.

From the smart and stylish Laura Beck:

I used to take the 26 from glen park to the mission on the regular(ish). what to say?

cons: this bus NEVER, and I mean NEVER, came.
pros: more time to play flight control on my phone and avoid Real Work.

cons: one of the regular drivers told me some awkward sexual jokes…is he hitting on me??
pros: i feel pretty!

pros: cleaner than your average city bus.
cons: no stabbings! BO-RING! perhaps this is why they are canceling service?

pros: drops you off in front of zeitgeist. entire days spent in lovely backyard garden, surrounded by awesome folks!
cons: drops you off in front of zeitgeist. entire days wasted in shitbox backyard garden, surrounded by assholes!

I had never been down to Clooney’s before but commenters constantly mentioned this as potentially one of the diviest shitholes in the Mission.  Turns out it isn’t that shitty but a pretty badass spot.  There are no $2 cans of PBR but $2.25 Busch pints seem like a worthy replacement.  Bonus points for n’sync on the jukebox, free hot dog night (Vegans: call Clooney’s and demand Soy Pups!), an uncrowded pool table, a mini library (complete with legendary titles such as Star Trek: Possession and Gone with the Nerd), and the “I don’t give a fuck” attitude that you come to expect.  Best of all, the weekend warriors that bring down the quality of other Mission bars won’t come within striking distance of the place, so it can easily become the Mission’s cool kid refuge camp.

Clooney's Tavern: 1936

Found above the urinal

I pass by this Virginia Slims ad in the window of Thanasi’s Market on 23rd/Valencia every day and smile to myself.  Finally, a cigarette for ME!  Gentlemen, you simply wouldn’t understand.

Anthropologists: what era is this ad from?  My guess is 1992.  No use replacing the ad with a new one, the ’90s are cool again.

Honestly, I didn’t even read this poster or click on a link to find out what it is all about because it is a cat drinking Hamm’s.

Our buddy Alex from Static Fix recently returned from a quick tour around England, Scotland and Ireland. His “I’m back” post sums up each city with a single photo. Above is Glasgow, and the rest are just as good. Link.

Check this: reader Mission Mistaken was just in Paris and stumbled across this museum featuring an installation of graffiti as pop art.  Nothing really shocking here, but it is another check in the column of legitimizing graffiti as an art form.

I was just in Paris and the Cartier Foundation Museum (yes, as in tank watches & diamonds) featured a comprehensive show on the history of graffiti as pop art.  But being French they couldn’t just settle for a tame treatment.  Rather, everything was game for a coating of spray paint.  The building exterior, even the basement corridors and the bathrooms.

I really couldn’t figure out what was going on here.  I keep hearing that the “wind tunnel effect” is just a fictitious excuse for the filth of the Mission made by white, yuppie apologists.  But I swear I saw these balloons blowing around Folsom.  Couldn’t have been the wind… must have been the DMT.

Outside the MacD’s on 24th and Mission.