Mission Mission

A promising development seems to be afoot in some of the city’s newer taxi cabs, which I noticed for the first time the other day as I was stepping into the shiniest, cleanest cab I’ve ever seen around here.

Oblivious taxi passengers exiting the vehicle have long been a constant menace to cyclists on Valencia and other streets with bike lanes for some time, so let’s hope this addition becomes more widespread and actually encourages clueless folks to check before carelessly flinging open their door!

We received the following email this evening, which has been circulating in a few neighborhood email lists. The original message was written by a female Mission resident who was attacked on Saturday evening. The assailant is still on the loose. Please stay safe and be cautious and vigilant if you are walking home alone late at night.

Update: According to Mission Local, “authorities described the suspect as an 5’8-tall Asian man who weighs approximately 160 pounds, between the ages of 20 and 30. He has a buzzcut and a slight beard and was wearing a dark hooded sweatshirt and dark pants.”

Hello -

If your getting this email its because you are a female friend in my circles, live in my neighborhood-ish, or have a large circle of women friends. I wanted to spread the word of what happened to me so hopefully you and your circles can be more aware, street smart and vigilant about your personal safety.

On Saturday evening I was walking home from a friends potluck through the mission when I was attacked – an attempted rape. I was actually being quite conscious of those around me due to the fact that I’m heading to Nairobi in several weeks and personal safety has been on my mind. As I turned up 23rd street, I noticed a man walking to me that ‘zero-ed’ in on my presence, locking eyes on me. There was no side street to turn down, and I didn’t want to turn around, exposing my back to him, so I kept walking. As we neared each other, I tried to walk around a tree quite close to the curb, before I could do so he lunged at me.

(more…)

Q: How do you protect your brand new Benz when parking in the mission?

A: With padded car diapers!

(more…)

There’s a familiar local restaurant (that is, its NYC counterpart) reference in Elizabeth Wurtzel’s latest polarizing spew of unhappy humblebrag:

But I don’t think I really want to be going to the new P. T. Anderson movie and Mission Chinese with someone new when I’m 85. And I don’t think anyone will want to be doing that with me.

I sure hope P.T. Anderson is still making movies when Elizabeth is 85.

Two full weeks after it toppled, and they finally got around to propping it back up. First, they lift it off the ground with a bigass crane:

Then they weld some shit back together:

Done.

The one redeeming quality of all this rain is that it creates ideal conditions for some curious sidewalk cultivation.  Just don’t eat any!

[Photo by eminent botanist Lauren B.]

Some friend of yours who just moved here from New York? Spotted on Bartlett.

Looking for a new bike and a new burrito all in one easy transaction? Well, look no further Missionites, cause we’ve got a deal for you, freshly (hopefully) posted on craigslist -

“This is a most excellent electric blue vintage ladies Schwinn road bike. La bicicleta is ready to ride and is in mucho bueno condition (actually it’s in perfect condition but I don’t know the word for perfect in Spanish) The frame is sized for for a gal (or guy) 5’5” to 5’9”. The price is firm at $185. Also, the bicycle comes with a free burrito. Hooray!”

Whether or not chips and salsa are included will probably be up to your negotiation skills. Original craigslist link here.

On Blue Fig’s window.

I have been putting off going to Locanda, the newest addition to the Craig Stoll empire, because I figured it would be 1) a shitshow and 2) incredibly expensive. After continually seeing it referenced as one of the best places in town to get a drink, I stopped by last week and found neither of my suspicions to be especially true. I easily got a seat at the bar around 6 and ordered Il Professionale, a mix of bourbon, sweet vermouth, Amaretto, and a bunch of mystery bitters.

It was great. The Amaretto makes the drink considerably sweeter than your usual Manhattan variation, but it was strong enough to balance it out. If the rest of the drinks are as good as they sound on the menu, this place joins The Hideout and West of Pecos as one of the best places to get fancy cocktails around here. Hey, when is Trick Pony opening?

Drink of the week is brought to you by Poachedjobs.com.