Mission Mission

Congratulations, San Francisco!  In August, we set a new national record!  Guess which airport had the worst one-time performance in the nation?

The Cranky Flier reports that with only 70.2% of flights arriving within 15 minutes of schedule this August, SFO beat out stalwarts like La Guardia, Chicago and Atlanta.  (Number 2 was Miami at 75.9% and #3 was La Guardia at 76.4%.)

Fog of course is always a threat — bad weather means only one runway can be used — and our absolutely craptacular summer seems to have pushed us over the edge.  Here’s a chart of on time arrivals by time.  (Note to self, do not fly in at 10 AM in “summer”.)

Departures were not great either — August numbers below. The bottom 5 are no big surprises for anyone who’s been on an airplane in the past 10 years but I found our #6 position kind of surprising.

In September we were 9th worst for departure delay, and July we were 28th worst (aka 13th best).  Someone with more money and time than myself really ought to chart this by time and cross reference to weather, kthxbye.

Of course, what’s an SFO post without a link to Telstar Logistics’ glorious air highway map for Bay Area airports?

(Presidio Bowl by Thomas Hawk)

A few weeks after hearing that some high end exclusive club (that also happens to let you bowl for a small fortune) plans on opening in SoMa* Paolo Lucchesi tells us that Brooklyn Bowl might be planning to open a new location on Mission Street. Unlike Berkeley Bowl**, Brooklyn Bowl actually has bowling.

Taking a look at the Brooklyn Bowl website, I’m  wondering how much less of scene this place is. I guess it’s unrealistic to just want some lanes and a pitcher of beer. The food looks good, realistically expensive. $25 bucks for half an hour of bowling. Not too bad, I guess, if you’ve got a bunch of friends. But is this place cool? Can you go there without spending a week’s paycheck? Can I wear a white t-shirt? Do you have to come straight from Medjool?

Anyone been there? Is this what people want to have on Mission Street?

*Seriously, no white t-shirts? You open a bowling alley and kick out the rockabillys and greasers? I get that you don’t want poor people, but someone has to actually throw some balls down some lanes at some point, right? Or is it really just decor? What if I come dressed in a bathrobe or a purple jumpsuit? No, you’d throw me out. I have to bowl in a dress jacket? But I bet it’s all right if I unbutton it enough to show most of my chest, as long as a white t-shirt isn’t covering my chest hair.

**That’s right, Berkeley Bowl, I haven’t forgiven you for kicking me out just for tossing frozen tofurkeys down the aisle at a row of soy milk bottles!

Vicki here had an epic stumble home from Dolores Park this evening. Luckily, her buddy Carlos Reyes was there to document some highlights.

Seriously, though. What’s more fun than a nice stumble through the neighborhood on a warm summer evening after a pleasant chill-out in the park with good friends?

So was this the result of some kind of emergency? Or did somebody just forget to do their job?

Also… dibs!

Photo by Dylan Bigby.

A Beautiful Life explains this photo:

[S]ee how they look like Gypsy caves when the sun hits them just so?

Yes! Party in the gypsy caves!

I’m totally using that next time I get invited to a party in that neighborhood. (I know, that probably means never.)

Says our buddy Kerry in a recent Facebook post:

Check out (and buy) these awesome kits my friend Britta invented and sells! You can grow a hydroponic garden from recycled water bottles plus they look really awesome hanging in a line in your window. Also if you know of any investors, tell them, so Britta can really get this project going next-level-style.

The Windowfarms Project website is pretty fun to look at, so do visit it, and perhaps buy a kit as well.

I know we’ve all been waiting a long time, but the day is here at last and Arizmendi is finally ready to serve you delicious savory and sweet pastries (in addition to the best tomato-less pizza around) all day, every day.  Even though we’ve been stopping by for free samples the past few weeks in hot anticipation, we just had to check out the official opening ourselves to see what the scene would be like.

Savory

And what a scene it was!  A friendly milieu of fixies and strollers, everyone happy to have the opportunity to finally enter the bakery on such a wonderfully sunny day.  There was even a video camera crew from a local food blog asking one of the workers (soon to be co-owners–that’s the beauty of this place) about the elusive “Chocolate Thing” that seems to be such the favorite that it sells out within an hour of morning opening.

Sweet

While we were definitely drawn to the tempting display of both sweet concoctions (the tantalizing brioche knots and pecan rolls) and savory treats (especially the zampano, a roll sprinkled lightly with cheese and pepper), we just had to get our first try of their ever-changing but always delicious pizza.  It had that chewy yet firm consistency that has become the trademark of the cooperative bakery, topped with a pungent mixture of cheese that complemented the baked mushrooms nicely.  Truly worth it despite the scorching weather.  Can’t wait to see what tomorrow’s pie will be!

Pizza Time!!!

Vélo Vogue just published an interview with Taco Bike Timmy. Asked if he has any wild Dolores Park stories, he answers:

Wow, many, but my favorite was the 20 year old guy who walked up, ordered two tacos and then proceeded to take out a whip-it cartridge and cracker. He cracked and huffed right in front of me. When I asked if he wanted sour cream he responded with that very deep, sluggish voice “hell yeah man”! Almost pissed myself.

Read on. (But beware the crazy angles of all the photography; I forgot to pop a Dramamine and now I’m all dizzy.)

Previously:

You Forgot Your Whip-its!

The press release lists a bunch of bands that are playing and then says:

PLUS a special, secret headliner!!! We can’t tell you who they are just yet, but there’s a pretty good chance you bought their new album from us… and their shows are usually at places a bit bigger than the DuNord… and they’re on the poppier, sunshinier side of things… huge faves here.

Girls? Foot Village? Third Eye Blind? Brian Wilson? Who will it beeeeeee?

$10 advance tickets are for sale now at Aquarius and Cafe du Nord.

Read the full press release after the jump:

(more…)

Take a quick peek at this gorgeous video following local artist Mark Warren Jacques as he makes his way through the chaos of the City on foot, bicycle, and skateboard.  Shot by Joe Lumbroso of Gallery Hijinks for Mark’s upcoming showing featuring a new direction of work incorporating form, figures and anatomy along with his existing spectrum of clean, fluid lines juxtaposed with bold geometric shapes.

Check out the opening this Saturday at Gallery Hijinks on Bryant at 21st!