Mission Mission

After a long absence from San Francisco, Pal’s is back!!! Every Friday at this place Birba, which is an acclaimed but modest little neighborhood wine bar full of nice people and plenty of places to sit and scarf a big ol’ Pal’s sandwich.

And despite the long absence, the sandwiches are just as we remember them — big and richchateau gonflable and full of character and freshness and fun flavors and textures. (And when we went a couple Fridays back, the menu was very familiar — 4 or 5 sandwiches to choose from, including that legendary Lao sausage.)

It’s 11:30am to 3ish, every Friday now. Birba is in Hayes Valley, yes, but think of it more like a 5-minute bike ride from Zeitgeist:

Here are a couple more closeups, courtesy of the Pal’s Take Away Instagram, to help warm up your tastebuds:

[Map by Google]

inflables

For sale online now or on the corner of 23rd and Valencia this weekend!

[via Amos Goldbaum on Twitter]

[Photo and headline by Ariel Dovas]

Neighbor Brett inquires:

Lately I’ve been noticing these piles of mixed-color jagged glass in the Valencia bike lanes. It’s possible these come from trash cans or trucks or something, but at the risk of sounding conspiratorial, I find myself wondering if someone with a beef for bicyclists is doing it. There’s something kind of purposeful about how they are right in the middle of the lanes, and other people in my office have seen them as well. This was between 15th and 16th this morning. Wondering if you guys have heard anything about it?

Noise Pop this week announced all the non-musical stuff booked for this year’s 20th Street Block Party. First there’s the food:

• Alicia’s Tamales Los Mayas
• Bonito Poke
• El Pipila
• Farmhouse Kitchen Thai
• FK Frozen Custard Bars
• Flour + Water
• Humphry Slocombe
• Kahnfections
• Rollin’ Deep (Little Star Pizza)
• Media Noche
• Mission Language and Vocational School
• Rookies
• Savourie Streets
• Seoul of Taipei
• The Pop Nation
• Universal Cafe
• WesBurger N’ More

And then there’s the nonprofits and businesses that will have booths or whatever:

• Boys & Girls Clubs of San Francisco-Mission
• 826 Valencia
• Notes for Notes
• Alternative Cure
• Workshop SF
• ArtSpan
• Mission Community Music

And a few other bits and pieces:

Block Party guests can also stop by Mutiny Radio on 21st and Florida to watch the live broadcast with a full day of comedy, interviews, and performances from the volunteer-run organization. Visit the Rocket Dog Adoption Zoo to check out dogs of all ages in need of a loving home, play with these pups and maybe even take one home! The San Francisco LowRider Council will bring choice classic and modern cars to display on 19th Street and Bryant. Harken Chardonnay will have a special boardwalk installation featuring Live DJs from the Magnificent 7, a pop-up record shop by Amoeba, vintage VW photo booth by Das Bus, wine tasting, and so much more!

And of course, in case you forgot, the music:

Let’s listen to the Tambo Rays again:

RSVP and invite your neighbors!

[Photo by Paige K Parsons]

Mariachi’s, located at 16th and Valencia and beloved for its wide variety of different veggie options, closed in 2010.

[via Ariel Dovas on Twitter]

UPDATE: Scandalous!!!!!

A lot of fun @roxietheater meals there. They used to sell sangria in to-go cups!

— Mike Keegan (@keegskeegskeegs) July 10, 2017

Last week we did a post about protected bike lanes being a good thing, inspired by this photo of demonstrators demonstrating on Valencia Street:

Reader mushmouth has a different take:

No please no as a cyclist those things suck, I constantly get stuck behind two people riding slowly side by side chatting. They do nothing to stop cars but you will likely be hurt if you hit them on your bike. I highly doubt there were many injuries in the places they have been installed before they were installed. Seriously they are a solution searching for a problem.

SFBC if you want to make the streets safer get the quality of the pavement improved, and fixed right, maybe starting with the pothole that has been growing for the past year 20 feet from your HQ door on Market and Valencia.

[link]

Follow the SFMTrA (not affiliated with the SFMTA) for more.

[via Roll Over Easy]

Full disclosure: As the project manager, I may be biased. Feel free to take this post with a grain of salt.

So here’s what’s up. Tomorrow, Mission Bicycle unveils (thanks to Betabrand for the veil) what we’ve been working on for the last 2 years.

• Integrated lights
• GPS tracking

Starting in 2018, all Mission Bicycles will come with theft-proof lighting. Front and rear.

Two lights, one battery, one button. Close to a month’s worth of commutes with one charge of a removable rechargeable battery.

Mission Bicycle is adding a GPS tracking device to help reunite bike owners with their bikes in the event of theft. “The bike industry regularly takes note at what’s happening in the Mission. The suits literally come into our store for ‘inspiration.’ ” gloated Jefferson McCarley, General Manager of Mission Bicycle Co. “I actually hope they rip us off.” McCarley said. “More bikes on the street with GPS tracking will help us move the needle in reducing bike theft. Might take them a couple of years, but I really do hope that more bike companies can figure this out.”

An Android and ios app shows Mission owners where the bike is at all times.

Tuesday night at 6:00, Mission Bicycle staff will be on hand to answer questions and demo two prototype bikes in their R&D workshop which is located on the 2nd floor over the 766 Valencia storefront.

If Mission Bicycle Company’s Kickstarter campaign is funded then the LYRA will be available later this year to Kickstarter backers and to the general public in 2018. 

The company is planning to host a Bait Bike project in June as a part of their research and development. We’ll be posting videos of those adventures here.