Yard Sale at 17th and Mission

Look at all this good stuff! For sale, on the cheap, right now!

How Bikes on BART is Broken

Doctor Popular reminds us how bicyclists often get shafted on BART:

Yesterday a rider cut in front of me as I was boarding the train and she took up this whole seat. There were at least 40 other seats open for her, so I asked if she would mind letting me use that space. “I was here first” she replied. Then I asked if she would at least move her bags so I could sit in the seat next to her while I propped my bike against the wall and she said “I need the whole seat”.

All this seems to come from a general sense of passenger animosity towards people who have the nerve to bring their bikes on board. I’ve had some seriously unsafe rides due to folks not offering up those spots. In a way, it forces you to take up more space and disturb even more passengers.

Doc Pop commenter Colin brings up a great point about how the whole process is flawed:

Note that even in that space the bike wheel sticks into the doorway. Bikes on BART is a kludge.

Newer cars have improved designated bike areas, but they are few and far between. The SF Bicycle Coalition confirms that they are working to address the issue:

We are asking BART to allocate space on board their trains for bikes so that they won’t interfere with other passengers and can be stowed safely for the duration of your trip. BART plans to remove seats on 80 of its 500 train cars for a first phase and is expected to modify the rest as funding becomes available.

For many, the commute hours rules (bikes only allowed 8:50am-4:25pm) eliminate the practicality of biking for many daily work commuters. A 2009 SFBC survey of BART riding cyclists confirmed that the commute blackout period is one of the biggest headaches about commuting. No word on if or when lifting this restriction will ever be considered.

Twin Peaks Buttons

Jen Oaks will have these beauties and more for sale at her SF Zinefest booth this weekend.

Previously:

Jen Oaks’ Beater

Jen Oaks’ Kitty Tattoo

What Do You Wear When You Take Out the Recycling?

Armand On The Mission

Recent J-school graduate, Mission Local alumni, and black & white photographer extraordinaire Armand Emamdjomeh is at the De Young!

…the short video I made as part of my thesis project, New Mission, is going to be showing as part of the Friday Film Night at the De Young Cultural Encounters series! It’s basically a slideshow of my Mission photography, with little bits of video, all to the narration of the poem “In Twenty Years” by Marcella Ortiz.

It’s kind of an ode to the neighborhood and the character that it has now.

It will be part of this very Friday Film Night at the De Young Cultural Encounters. The event is free!  (Facebook event page here if that’s how you roll.)

If you can’t make it, Armand’s work will also be at SF City Hall on the 16th at the Night/Light exhibit.

(Someone get this man a job so he can stay in the Mission, OK?)

SF Zinefest Benefit at DEBASER

You remember zines, right?  They were the blogs before there were blogs.  If Allan was born 10 years earlier, Mission Mission might have been a zine!  I think we can all agree that zines are awesome.  After all, if I hadn’t been reading Cometbus back in high school, I probably would have chosen Cal Tech over Berkeley, and the world would now be in the grip of the tyrant who managed to abscond the Lambda Laser from my quantum physics lab.  So, luckily, you don’t have to worry about that.

Anyway, SF Zinefest is a rad event this weekend in the Hall of Flowers at GG Park where zine authors congregate so anyone can check out all their recent work.  In addition to the totally worthwhile experience of checking it out yourself, you can also support the scene by dancing to 90′s music at the Knockout, as DEBASER is hosting a benefit this Saturday night for the SF Zinefest.  So although you can get in free before 11pm by simply wearing a flannel, DON’T!!!  Wear a hoodie or something instead and help support the Zinefest!

Previously:

KevMo Starts a Flame War with DEBASER

Mission Hipster, 1988

Photographer alvaro offers no further explanation regarding this epic scene. Well done, alvaro.

Previously:

Mission Hipster, 2010

Mission Hipster, 2003

Mission Hipster, 1998

Blue Bottle Coffee Coming To Dolores Park

Sick of hearing about Dolores Park yet?

Last night, Parks and Rec approved a 2-year lease allowing Blue Bottle Coffee to post up in Dolores Park, meaning we’re going to start seeing some long lines for something other than the bathrooms. The cart will operate from 8am-4pm.

Local businesses, such as (shocker!) Dolores Park Cafe, aren’t too crazy about this development and are hoping to prevent the kiosk from being located in “the heart of” the park. Hey, don’t worry guys: I’m sure a steady amount of sales come from folks wanting to use your customers-only restroom. Or maybe it’s time to protest the park bathroom renovations too?

In other related news: do you think the park “jumped the proverbial shark,” as Brock puts it?

[via the Examiner, photo by Lauren Hoernlein]

San Francisco Stairways iPhone App

My favorite San Francisco stairways are the Filbert steps, the Jupiter steps, the Harry steps and the Detroit Steps. What are yours? Don’t have any? Maybe you need San Francisco Stairways, the new app by Barbara Rockwell.

No-Bikes-on-the-Sidewalk Ticketing Sting at Ferry Building Today?

A hot tip from reader Eric E.:

Not exactly Mission but I heard from some various sources (i.e. friends at work & this guy on twitter) that SFPD is orchestrating a “no bikes on the sidewalk” ticketing sting in front of the Ferry Building this morning. Guess Spare the Air days would be the most profitable time to do it, no? =P Lame.

Careful out there, everybody!

Mission Fashion in the New York Times

Here’s a passage about “Holly Golightlys,” AKA the girls of the Mission:

You see them flying down Valencia Street on Vespas, their wildly improvised get-ups composed of, say, rags scavenged from the Bay Area’s fabled thrift shops (Out of the Closet in the Castro, Eco-Thrift in Vallejo, the Goodwill outpost just off the 101 Freeway in San Rafael), Marni skirts, vintage SM leathers culled from an eclectic assortment of goods at Marc Josef’s locally legendary antiques shop, Tradesmen, and wingtip shoes. You see them particularly on a stretch of 18th Street, where Dolores Park vies for landmark status with Tartine, the upscale pizza joint Delfina and Bi-Rite grocery, a kind of foodie Vatican.

Read on.

(Thanks for the tip, jinksy!)

Dangerous Eggs in Your Fancy Cocktail?

Probably not, but Queena from Bay Citizen is producing a series of videos about eggy drinks in the Mission just to make sure. The first one takes place at Elixir.

A Great Film About Two Cats in Love, Trying to Get into Space

Says our buddy Cleary:

This is the video that took first place in The Three Minute Picture Show film festival at the Victoria Theater last weekend.

No one can deny this isn’t a great film about 2 cats in love, trying to get into space.

Be forewarned: This song is great and infectious.  You’ll be humming it for a while after.

Be forewarned.

Aren’t You The Guy Who Did That Radiohead Album Art?

Not in the Mission, but you’ll probably recognize Stanley Donwood’s artwork from the covers of Radiohead albums (which I’m sure you’ve got taking up bytes there on your Zune or Creative Labs Zen).

When thinking of iconic imagery in music from the last 20 years, Stanley Donwood’s work with Radiohead invariably comes to mind – and for good reason.  Where Radiohead’s music stretched the auditory horizons and painted musical sceneries of mans place in the modern world, Donwood’s imagery and packaging forced us to face the gravity of the music from the minute the album hit our hands; and by creating cryptic, academic and (at times) dystopian layouts, the albums themselves became as striking and relevant as the music they contained.

His show, entitled  ”Over Normal”, opens tonight, Thursday September 2nd, from 7:30-10pm at Fifty24SF gallery on 218 Fillmore St. I’m sure he wants to tell you all about what Thom Yorke is like and would gladly deliver your demo tape.

Flyer here. More info over at fify24sf.

Planet Booty At The Blue Macaw 9/11

Woah woah woah… having a show on 9/11? Isn’t it too soon? Intergalactic dance band Planet Booty has the answer:

FYI I will continue posting Planet Booty’s shows as long as they keep making these amazing promotional videos.

Previously:

Planet Booty This Friday @ the Blue Macaw

Dolores Park Community Meeting Recap

The Dolores Park Community Meeting at Mission High School wrapped up at 8pm Wednesday. There were a lot of strong opinions, but the meeting stayed civil. We focused on two main topics:

Traffic Safety on 19th and Dolores

Neighbors and park-goers agree that 19th and Dolores is a dangerous intersection. With the unlikely combination of dog walkers, children, and intoxicated you-know-what-sters it’s a miracle that the street doesn’t get a splattered with a daily red paint job.

Manito Velasco of the SFMTA did most of the talking and plainly stated that no new stop signs will be installed. They have have studied the traffic flow on weekdays and don’t think it meets federal guidelines for signs. One guy said that they should study the traffic on weekends because, like doye, it’s totally different. Zing. Velsaco said he’d do that. Also, nuh-uh to traffic lights, ’cause those sons of bitches cost $350,000.

What they do propose is some combination of the following:

• High visibility and way-fun “zebra striped” crosswalks (you know, for kids)
• Yield notifications
• Pedestrian Xing stencils
• 20th and Dolores traffic light timing tweaks

They are also looking into:

• Disallowing U-Turns (To which one neighbor replied to the effect of, “But then I can’t go home without doing a lap around San Francisco first!” Somebody get this lady google maps STAT.)
• Remove some parking spaces on the corners to increase visibility
• Reduce the San Jose 280 offramp to one lane to discourage people from taking shortcuts through the Mission

After some prodding from the audience, Velasco conceded that they are “not opposed” to stop signs but want to check out other options first. Oh ok, so “no stop signs” is now “maybe stop signs”.

Sorry what were we just talking about again? I got distracted looking out the window at the people in Dolores Park having an awesome time in the 70 degree weather. Oh yeah, traffic on 19th and Dolores.

Two diagrams for the redesigned intersections were shown, featuring neat “bulb outs” and “pedestrian refuges”. A guy pointed out that the diagram showed a clip-art car making a dangerous U-turn, or a sorry excuse for a left turn. Someone fire that illustrator.

Enforcement of Park Rules

Supervisor Bevan Duffy gave a long rambling introduction for the Mission Police Station’s Captain Corrales in which he called the dude a total hard ass, but damn it all, he respects him. Corrales, who would really rather have been at the Giants game, reminded us that drinking and smoking have always been illegal in Dolores Park. That being said, if there are no complaints, they don’t go out and bust people. He added that after the park stabbing in early August neighbors got spooked and increased complaints about drinking, smoking, and other fun stuff in the park so they sent those motorized robocops around to issue citations. How many? 28, to be exact. 19 for drinking, 9 for smoking. He then rolled his eyes about emails whining that the sight of patrolling police cars was “ruining the ambiance” of the park. This guy is pretty snarky! I like it. He should write a blog.

On to the comments which, like on a Mission hyper-local blog, is where things get a little tense.

This guy whose name rhymes with “Tevin Tontgomery” said that SF has a history of not enforcing laws and that the city often pioneers the legislative destruction of outdated laws. He added that cops should be busting killers and stuff, and not jerking around fun-loving 20-somethings which is “ageism”. Corrales shrugged and said, “speak for yourself, dude. I have been enforcing the law for 40 years”. Wow! That guy is cucumber boy, as in “cool as a”. Bevan Duffy got HELLA PISSED and said some stuff about how immigrants are protected by law and that he visits crime victims in hospitals, which was sorta confusing, but got some woo-hoos and applause.

A Latin-American 20-year resident of 19th and Dolores who kinda looks like John Tuturro brought up how young brown kids growing up in the ‘hood see cops turning a blind eye to the whiteys in the park partying down, while busting them for the same stuff, leading to the perception that cops and hipsters are full of shit. Touché, sir. No one’s touching that one.

Neighbors holding babies chimed in. They’re not “anti-fun”, just anti-people barfing on their doorsteps, dancing on their cars, stealing their cell phones, leaving trash everywhere, and having loud non-permit raves (Fun facts: only 2 permits are issued for Dolores Park events a month, and none of them allow events after 6pm). One reminisced about the old days where the young people would chillax with one discreet bottle in hand, as opposed to wheeling in kegs and smoking the doobies everywhere. They also zinged the cops for the handling of the nighttime crowd dispersal last week, which involved bullhorns and bright lights. Cops said they would try to do better.

Later that night, the cops dispersed the crowds in the park with bullhorns and  bright lights from a menacing cruiser. Not that I was, um, there or anything.

One park-goer commented on how she drinks in the park (Oops! Hear that Captain Corrales?) but totally respects the space, sympathizes with the neighbors, and cleans up after herself. Yessir, it’s probably those ruffians with the arm tattoos that are just ruining it for everyone. Neighbors nodded in approval as if to say, “you’re one of the good ones, babe.”

Then there was some more chatter about the trash can and bathroom situation. In short, the renovation will address all these things. For now, port-o-johns on somewhat arbitrarily selected days will have to do. As for trash? No word, but you’d be surprised how much of it you can stuff in a medium Timbuk2 messenger bag.

Wrap-up

I haven’t been to a lot of these sorts of meetings, so I’m not sure what to make of the outcome. Crystal Vann Wallstrom of Dolores Park Works was optimistic about everyone coming to agreement which didn’t happen. In the end, she shrugged and said, “we’ll keep doing this every year until we all agree”. No hurry, folks. On the other hand, it was a chance for people to be heard by parties on all sides, which must be positive.

In all seriousness, thanks for Dolores Park Works for setting up the meeting. It was a good experience to hear all sides of the argument in a controlled fashion. Organizing and moderating these meetings seems exhausting, and it’s not a task I’d be up for. I hope you all make it to the next one.

Deep Thoughts

If I have sarcastic facial hair that makes fun of ironic facial hair does that make it moronic?

See also the Side Stash . . .

And the Ironic Combovers.

The Best Burrito in San Francisco

Wow, lots of breaking burrito news lately!  Let’s review, shall we?

First up, the 2010 Mission Burrito Book named its controversial choice for #1 burrito in San Francisco.  I won’t ruin the suspense by spoiling the winning taqueria here, but I will say that it’s not Lady Gaga fave El Farolito, Papalote, Cancun, or El Metate.  Who could it be then?  Check it out for yourself!

Speaking of Papalote, Aggressive Panhandler is reporting that the Bobby Flay-slaying taqueria will now be selling their more-addictive-than-crack secret salsa in jars for people around the world to purchase online.  No longer will you have to remember to order (and pay for!) an extra container when you get your burritos to go!  How much would you pay for this 60-gallon vat of Papalote salsa?

Hott Pole On Pole Action!

Somebody erected this fertility monument on Shotwell and 19th. Note how when the sun is at it’s peak elevation in the summer sky, the shadow cast by this masterpiece forms a perfectly-rendered ball sack.

This may be the most important dong discovery since the Cerne Abbas Giant.

[Photo and title Jeff D., Spots Unknown]

Thank You For Not Going To Burning Man

Hey check it out, Local Mission Eatery on 24th thinks it’s just swell that you didn’t go to Burning Man this year and wants to buy you a beer.

I guess technically every deal in town this week could be perceived as an “anti-burning man” deal. I think I’m ok with that considering everything for the last 3 months was billed as a “get ready for burning man special!”

In that spirit: here are some other awesome “Thank You For Not Going To Burning Man” deals this week:

• The Exploratorium’s “Steampunk Is Not Real Science” free admission today (Wednesday!)
• The SF Zoo’s “Just Because You Hot-Glued Fur To Your Bike Doesn’t Make It An Animal” free admission today (Wednesday!)
• Amnesia’s “Burning What? Happy Hour” (5-7pm Every day this week!)
• The Earth’s “You Don’t Have To Be In The Desert To Have Warm Weather” awesome SF weather forecast (Limited time offer!)

Junior Banksy?

Someone seems to be timing the re-issue of the Banksy film with some new art of the same style.

Regardless of who did it, what do you make of the message?

(Thanks for spotting and sending, reader Dave!)

Update: Another one spotted on Lexington at 19th. (Thanks Jeannine!)