Mission Mission

From the radar of the meteorologically astute Cranky Old Mission Guy:

“Weather forecast: extremely low clouds!”

[Thanks, Cranky Old Mission Guy! And now...Andrew with sports?]

In honor of what is apparently Bodily Functions Week here on Mission Mission, my microscopic bladder, and as a visiting blog tourist, I’d like to take this opportunity to praise your bar/restaurant restroom options.

Here’s my unofficial Mission Sit or Squat break down.

(Note: these reviews are strictly for the ladies, although on a previous visit I did  sneak into the men’s room at Beretta and found it to be quite clean.)

Shotwells- definitely a sit. Nice and clean, with no shortage of soap or paper towels.

Amnesia- ugh, squat! On two separate nights I visited, and between them I got in all my isometric exercise for the week. But, I don’t blame the bar, I blame the near-sighted lady patrons.

Tacqueria Cancun- I think I’m going to go with sit, although my judgment may be blurred by the muchas cervezas I consumed earlier in the evening.

The Uptown- hmm, this was kind of a sit/squat situation. On the one hand you have to pass through a completely pitch black room containing the sink, which was almost creepy enough to make me abort mission entirely, but once I braved it I found the toilet itself to be super clean.

But the winner of the week was Benders, if only because the first stall contains this mystical unicorn graffiti!

Unicorns are magical creatures, even when watching you do your business.

Overall, you Mission ladies seem to be way less nasty than us dirty birds back in Boston, or at the very least you have some pretty diligent toilet scrubbers working the bars.

Either way, give yourselves a hand! (but make sure you’ve washed them first, okay?)

Good thing I was trounced in pinball last night. Had I not been moping down Shotwell in defeat, I wouldn’t have noticed this stencil, which offers an important update on the state of fake mustaches.

I threw a mustache party back in 2008,  still have a supply of pretend pencil thins, and have wondered “are they passé? Or still good for a few chuckles?”

Although, not being a native, maybe I’m misinterpreting  sarcasm here? Best to be cautious next time I encounter someone sportin’ a faux meat sweeper and look for social cues before laughing too loud.

Cosmic Amanda, here.  First time poster, long time commenter. (insert rim shot)

I’ve been digging Mission Mission for a year or so now, despite having never lived or visited here. In fact, I hail from Haverhill, MA, a city with great potential but a bit of a self-esteem crisis. I recently started a blog about it, with the lofty dream helping people all over (and even in Haverhill itself) realize how cool we actually are.

So, what am I doing getting all up in your blog right now?

Sometimes it’s hard to see potential in something you’re immersed in. How can you know what you can do to make a difference without getting out there and exploring the possibilities? The Mission is one of the coolest neighborhoods around. And, since your neighborhood and mine share a lot of basic similarities,  it’s exactly what I’d love for my city to become. I’m here in town this week, stocking up on inspiration.

Encountering this street art was like looking into a plywood mirror and seeing my own soul reflected back

Here I am, shacked up in an apartment on 25th and Shotwell, stuffing my face with burritos and Mission Pie, photographing street art, and generally basking in the atmosphere of a neighborhood electric with creativity. Just like the lucky writers of this blog get to do all the time. So far some highlights have in included chatting with Toshio after his performance at Amnesia, walking home and finding a fresh stencil on the sidewalk, and sitting in the cool grass of Dolores Park.

I destroyed this burrito.

Some people think it’s kinda weird that I’d travel all the way across the country to experience first hand something I’ve only ever read about in some random dude’s blog. But, it’s already kinda weird that I’ve been experiencing all of this vicariously for so long, so why not go all in?

I think my friend Chris put it best when he asked “So, like, instead of sex tourism, are you doing blog tourism?”

Uh, yeah. Totally creepy to think of it that way, but I guess there’s something to it.

Anyway, I’ve been lingering in the background of a few posts this week. Now, I hope you’ll indulge me in a post or two here at Mission Mission. (And, if by chance you’re not quite feeling my flow, you can breathe easy knowing I’ll be on a plane and out of your hair in only a couple more days.)

So, hi there, Mission! Love what you’ve done with the place!