Mission Mission

Details are constantly emerging regarding new legislation the city is considering that would expand the current ban on indoor smoking to include anywhere within 15 feet of entrances and exits to ALL buildings in San Francisco.  This verdict would ostensibly include enclosed smoking patios, such as that within everyone’s favorite place to get yelled at by barbacks (although a final decision on this specific point has been stalled and will be revisited in 2 weeks). 

Assuming that this zany legislation somehow passes despite its detrimental impact on businesses already weakened by the recession, what will this mean for Zeitgeist?  Do people just go there because they can smoke in the backyard?  Or is it all about the mass appeal of a sunny outdoor space for drinkers (especially since lately this seems to be an endangered species)? 

Furthermore, what will this mean for non-tobacco-smokers who exploit the freedoms of Democracy by blending in with smokers (and carrying identical implements) only as a guise to stealthily engage in, um, other activities?

UPDATE!  Commenter dave has the answer:

I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again, the only thing that can save that place is a highly publicized stabbing.

[photo (and somehow not getting kicked out of the place) by gweedo]

“You had such an opportunity!  Why didn’t you go for it?”

“I dunno.  I guess I’m sad.”

Update! Agent Chaos of The Derailleurs is here to spread the word that there is a Bike Dance Cabaret in town. The Derailleurs will be debuting their Tweed Ride Polo Dance Movie and also the Derailleurs Coloring Book.

Come see what the saucy cyclists have cooked up for you.

Dance performances by the Derailleurs, the Bombshells (punk rock burlesque), and the Cheese Puffs (lounge burlesque)

Live music by The Nerv (hard hitting, straightforward inspirational punk), Jessie Roadkill (quirky singer-songwriter), and Tongue and Teeth (haunting and passionate)

Dance music by DJs Zelko (of Kafana Balkan), Miss Rowdy (booty), and Mega Bitch (more booty)

When: Jan. 30th

Where: The Box Factory 865 Florida #1 @ 21st

How Much: $7

[photo by derailleurs]

Biking to work down Market today, I noticed the Muni buses begin to pile up.  It was rather narrow to squeeze through but fairly safe since traffic was stagnant.  The drivers all had their doors open and were casually chatting with one another, and some were even hanging outside their buses.  Looks like this was a good day to take the Letters, unlike yesterday.

I finally approached the scene, but only emergency vehicles and the offending taxi remained.  However, my friend Aiko-Sophie witnessed the ordeal and provides the following account:

I was on the 21 and saw a pedestrian that had just been hit by a taxi.  His head was resting on the curb with his body still in the street.  Blood was coming from the back of his head.  His eyes were closed and he wasn’t moving.

Doesn’t sound very good.  Let’s hope this turns out ok.  Please be careful when crossing the street, pedestrians!  Those taxis can be maniacs, but you would not believe how many pedestrians just blindly cross Market street right in front of my bike (without looking) every week!

The taxi in question can be seen being inspected here.  MORE PHOTOS of the scene of the crime after the jump (always wanted to say that):

(more…)

Burrito Justice, the Mission’s top historian, has done it again, this time with a full-scale expose on the storied history of business at the corner of 26th and Valencia.  He also comes up with the line of the decade so far:

“24th is certainly a hipster semipermeable membrane.”

Perhaps Capp Street is the voltage-gated ion channel in this scenario.

I’ll admit I was a little skeptical when it first arrived in the mail.  Being a neighbor living within 500 feet of the new proposal, I received a letter from owner Jeff Segal about his ambitious plans to open a wine bar just around the corner, right next door to my landlord’s laundry place (damn–I knew there was  a reason why there’s no washer or dryer in my building!).

It was full of well-intentioned statements like (paraphrasing) “I live in the Mission, and I saw a really big need in the community for a place that brought wine and food to a place that makes it accessible,” and “I’ve been waiting my whole life to start a wine bar and restaurant like this.”  My roommates and I each rolled our collective eyes and thought “here we go again . . .“  Who needs another douche-and-yuppie magnet on Valencia Street?

Well, it’s finally here.  Furthermore, I think I might actually go check it out.  Perhaps Rosumunde and Pi Bar have softened me up to the idea of the casual eat-and-drink spot, but I find myself kind of rooting for this place a little bit.  The collaberation with Kitchenette might explain some of that, since so far every time I’ve biked out to the Dogpatch to try them out for lunch I’ve been greeted by an hour-long line.  Now maybe I’ll finally get to taste one of their beef & pork polpette sandwiches with amatriciana sauce (tomato, fatted calf bacon, chile flakes) and parmesan cheese or their sautéed chinese broccoli leaf and roasted butternut squash side salads with sultana raisins, slivered almond, chili oil.  They really know how to title entrees.

And it doesn’t look that bad in there!  I don’t know.  Am I misguided?  Do we really need a place like this on Valencia?  I do know one thing however:  the fact that co-op Arizmendi Bakery (whose mission is basically to bake delicious bread while training its staff how to own and operate their own bakery) is also opening a location right next door is a damn good thing for Valencia.

UPDATE:  MissionMission reader Mike Z. saw it go down:

i got a burrito at papalote yesterday and the crew that were putting up the sign on that place were punk/metalheads.  they had just finished and were drinking beers out of bags.  outside the wine bar.

[exterior photo from SFoodie]

[interior photo from Judy Parker]

Be careful when bumming out cigarettes to random strangers!  The SFAppeal Crime Blotter recounts a startling story that could happen to any of us:

10:40 PM: A man was at 21st and Capp when another man reportedly asked him for a cigarette — but that request was, seemingly, a diversion, as another man came up from behind the requestee and knocked him to the ground. The two men allegedly robbed the grounded guy of his cell phone, then fled on foot. The victim’s injuries weren’t serious, and no one’s been arrested.

The only solution seems to be outright scroogery regarding all street tobacco requests, or at the very least only buying hand-rolled from now on.  Wait, are people even bumming cigarettes out to strangers on the streets anymore?  Don’t they cost like 50 cents each or something?

Anyway, I’m excited about SFAppeal Crime Blotter’s new Google Maps mashup.  Very helpful for pinpointing exactly how close violent crime is happening next to you.  Let them know if you like it or think it’s obtrusively unnecessary.

[image courtesy of MissionLoc@l]

Update: Now with more Ackbar!

I know.  You want to do your part for Haiti, but you’ve already stuffed your face to the limit with Bi-Rite bake sale goodies and texted 90999 from your mom’s cellphone at least twenty times.  Well, there’s more!

Mutual Aid Disaster Relief in Haiti is hosting a benefit tonight at El Rio (Mission @ Caesar Chavez) featuring quite a diverse collection of musical performances.  Headlining is Brass Menažeri, a frenetic, cascading rhythm of Serbian, Macedonian, Greek & Rajasthani Roma.

Other acts include the percussive jazzy stylings of Ezra Lipp and Ofir Uzier; Sean Lee with some one-man-banjo old timey twanging; Arthur Adams strumming some Haitian pop guitar (H-Pop>J-Pop?); and of course the Mission’s own La Corde opening everything up with some loud punk rock.  Makes sense, right?

$1 PBR and $2 well drinks!  Determine your own legacy of generosity at the door with a sliding scale that starts at only $5.  The music begins promptly at 8pm.

This high-riding cyclist, spotted outside Four Barrel, was able to generate admiration from members of both the cycling and motorbiking communities, groups who often find themselves at odds with one another (usually over disputes involving the bike lane).  While I tend to support anything that can elicit agreement between such diverse citizenry, and I applaud this guy for apparently commuting to work on such “cool shit,” I’ve got to wonder:

How is he going to get off of this thing?  Does he need someone at his destination to hold the bike while he dismounts?  Does he just pedal up to a parked car and step off onto the hood?  Does he have to trackstand at every intersection since he can’t put his foot down?

These are questions that need to be answered!

<photo courtesy of Bikes and the City>

While not quite as bad as recounting your teenage diaries to strangers, the idea of someone judging your taste in music can induce squeamishness in even the most confident would-be DJs.

Nonetheless, the San Francisco Mixtape Society wants you to put those fears aside and check out its inaugural event at the Makeout Room on Sunday, January 31 from 4-6pm.  They propose a “Secret Santa” gathering where everybody who brings a mixtape leaves with one created by someone else.  Of course, there will be JUDGES and prizes to entice along the way.  No word yet on whether the $2 Pabst and $3 well happy hour prices will be in effect, but early indications are favorable.

USBs and CDs are acceptable, but Cassettes are marriageable, apparently.  We’re letting you know about this early so you can get to work!  The theme is “Cities vs. Towns,” but I already suspect my extensive ABBA collection will be the deciding factor here.

<image by fitacola.com>