Mission Mission

I thought it would only be for that first day, but nope.

[Photo by Jessica Gonzalez, via It's Always Sunny in San Francisco]

[via It's Always Sunny in San Francisco]

Woohoo! Just in time for the weekend! Let’s take these babies straight to the budget yacht!

[via Bay Area Bike Share]

[via Dale Thorn]

The other day I was reminiscing with my buddy Jay Beaman about what it was like to see the Fucking Champs at 12 Galaxies right here in the Mission.

The Fucking Champs were sort of a metal band for non-metal-heads I guess? One serious metal fan laughed at me when I said I was a fan, explaining that the Champs were “hipster metal.” I was like, wellllll whatever you want to call it I fucking loooove it.

12 Galaxies was a gloriously scuzzy rock club in the spot on Mission near 22nd that is now called Balançoire. During the early-to-mid ’00s they booked seemingly every band I cared about, and they had cool wraparound mezzanine. It was probably the first place during my tenure in the Mission whose closure hit me really hard (other than KFC).

I was telling Jay that one of my favorite memories was during the period where Bender’s was closed and in limbo after being firebombed. Johnny Davis from Bender’s, one of my all-time favorite bartenders, had picked up a shift or two at Doc’s Clock (right next door to 12 Galaxies) and so I’d walk over there early, buy a drink from Johnny, go see a band, pop back over and buy a shot from Johnny, go back and see the next band, go back and do another shot, etc. etc. until last call. Gooooood times.

I’m pretty sure this was one of those nights:

Excellent news! Remember how sad we all were when Pop’s got busted for doing DJ nights under the radar? Such a bummer!

But a new era is about to begin. Mission Local reports:

The historic bar’s new owner, Michael Krouse, who also owns Madrone on Divisadero, applied for a permit to have a full entertainment license, meaning the bar could legally offer its patrons live bands and DJs. With some conditions, the commission unanimously approved the change of use.

“Pop’s Bar has been around for 79 years, and through 11 owners; our goal is to continue that tradition of a great neighborhood bar,” said Krouse, who bought the bar last fall. “We want to complement the district with a variety of music and entertainment options.”

The change of use was greeted with no opposing public commentary. Erick Arguello, of Calle 24, shared with the commission that he’s been working closely with Krouse, who has been responsive to most of the merchant association’s concerns.

“As a Latino Cultural District, we’ve talked about how they are accommodating us by playing once or twice a week Salsa, Cumbia, Reggaeton or other Latino music to connect with the existing community in the area,” Arguello said.

Read on for more info.

[Photo by Google Maps]

As part of a digression in a great post about Thomassons (objects in cities that are useless but still remain, like these hitching posts from the days of horses in SF), TK from 40 going on 28 poses a question:

When you’re saying something is located in a neighborhood that ends in “Hill,” do you say “in” or “on”?  Like, I say “You know, Thee Parkside, over on Potrero Hill,” or “That is the douchiest place on Russian Hill, and that’s saying something.”  Sally obviously prefers the “in” usage, as in “My bro sold his startup to Google and bought a place in Rincon Hill.”  Is either one right or are they both cool?  I don’t know.  *shrugs*

Tough one! Maybe think geographically? Thee Parkside is technically in the Potrero Hill neighborhood, but it is not on the hill. So I’d say “in.” Whereas Blooms Saloon is definitely *on* Potrero Hill, so maybe I’d say, “Blooms, on Potrero Hill.” Or would I? Hard to say.

There’s a movement brewing. Not an organized boycott of NFL football per se, but basically that people are feeling disinclined to watch the sport because of the growing sense of dread that comes with it. Jason Kottke, one of my favorite bloggers, explains:

I’ve been a steadfast fan of NFL football for the past 15 years. Most weekends I’d catch at least two or three games on TV. Professional football lays bare all of the human achievement + battle with self + physical intelligence + teamwork stuff I love thinking about in a particularly compelling way. But for a few years now, the cons have been piling up in my conscience: the response to head injuries, the league’s nonprofit status, the homophobia, and turning a blind eye to the reliance on drugs (PEDs and otherwise). And the final straw: the awful terrible inhuman way the league treats violence against women.

It’s overwhelming. Enough is enough. I dropped my cable subscription a few months ago and was considering getting it again to watch the NFL, but I won’t be doing that. Pro football, I love you, but we can’t see each other anymore. And it’s definitely you, not me. Call me when you grow up.

Getting dressed up in red and gold and going to Thieves Tavern is sure fun, but, I dunno… we’ll see.

Read on for more.

[Photo by Honey Jets]

Pretty light on detail, but it looks like we’ve got Mission Dolores, Mission High, Seals baseball, booze, boozers, the pound, a factory, firefighters’ school, and lots of train tracks.

[via The Bold Italic]

Sleek!

[via Capp Street Crap]