Mission Mission

I was strolling down an alleyway that’s familiar to many but new to me and thought this lo-fi mural was pretty special.

Not sure I get this part but then again, I don’t get a lot of things:

I felt like kicking it old school this morning by putting something in the mail.  Turns out there was some easter egg sticker art in there paying homage to my favorite sticker artist.

On Capp St., where else?

Warning: Bike geekery via painter’s tape.  On Mission at 23rd.  Ask the folks at Valencia Cycles to show you how it’s done.

If I was a real journalist, I’d probably do a little research behind how these started popping up around the Mission.  Oh well.

Found in Berkeley but too awesome to ignore.

I’ve been watching Union SF building project lately because it seems like this building in particular attracts people that don’t get the neighborhood.  Reader Mission Mistaken once described prospective buyers as “the most vapid, frazzled and unfriendly looking group of Marina moms one could imagine.”  Well, looks like she was right.  On Friday, Curbed SF mentioned that 29 “homes” units have been sold over the last 3 weeks.  Best of all, one buyer said they moved in because it’s the “right location in an up-and-coming neighborhood.” Really?  Didn’t the Mission up-and-come years ago?

Pack your bags kids, cool has left the neighborhood.

The Wall Street Journal actually produced an interesting piece on how “yupsters” and capitalists made a shitty part of Oakland cool and profitable.  Choice quotes:

Over the past five years, Temescal has become Oakland’s answer to San Francisco’s Mission District and the city of Berkeley, drawing a mix of yuppies and plaid-wearing hipsters. The changing demographics and new businesses have brought results: From fiscal year 2004 to fiscal year 2008, the latest year for which data are available, Oakland’s sales-tax receipts from the Temescal area rose 18% from $294,735 to $348,917, said Keira Williams, retail specialist for the city of Oakland.

The neighborhood still has its lingering troubles. On a recent evening, as young couples parked their strollers outside the Lanesplitter Pub to wait for a table, a panhandler stumbled by, muttering about heroin. Residents say they must be especially wary around Lower Temescal, near 40th Street and the BART station, where empty storefronts and vacant lots dot the avenue.

(link)

(photo by unaesthetic)