Mission Mission

[via Found Photos]

From Wikipedia:

‘Firebelle Lil’ Coit was considered eccentric, smoking cigars and wearing trousers long before it was socially acceptable for women to do so. She was an avid gambler and often dressed like a man in order to gamble in the male-only establishments that dotted North Beach.^[2]

As a young woman, she traveled to Europe with her mother. After her return, she married Howard Coit, the “caller” of the San Francisco Stock Exchange during an economic boom.^[1] They separated in 1880, and he died in 1885 at age 47.^[2]

At age 15, in 1858, she reportedly witnessed the Knickerbocker Engine Co. No. 5 respond to a fire call on Telegraph Hill when they were shorthanded, and helped them get up the hill ahead of other competing engine companies. Sources differ on whether this happened while she was coming home from school or coming from a rehearsal for a wedding.^[1] She was thereafter treated as a “mascot” of the firefighters, and after her return from travel in Europe, in October 1863, she was made an honorary member of the engine company.

There’s a party this Thursday, celebrating her 175th birthday:

Come to Chief Sullivan’s Irish pub for the Celebration! 4 pm to 7 pm – 21+ please

Your $25 ticket gets you into the party, along with a raffle ticket and delicious appetizers! All proceeds benefit Guardians of the City SF, the non-profit organization dedicated to preserving and sharing the history of the City’s First Responders.

Raffle for great prizes! Silent Auction for unique items! Costume contest: Dress like Lillie and win a prize! Socialize with current and former SF First Responders! And don’t forget to try the signature cocktail of the night, the Firebelle!

Get tickets here.

PSA Press‘s commemorative pin (pictured above) will be for sale at the party or on their website on the 23rd.

Now, as we all know, it looks more like this (minus Balançoire which seems to be gone now):

[Old photo by Honey Jets; new photo by Google Maps]

Here’s the view from the park back in 2008 (from a post where I was sort of complaining about how that lone high rise was blocking our view of the bridge’s westernmost tower):

You can see the Bay Bridge!

Also in 2008, some bloggers at Curbed SF made an prediction about how the SF skyline would evolve:

Now, basically a decade later, they’re pretty much dead right. Here’s the view today:

No bridge.

[Top photo by Moncrief Speaks]

Almost as good as Market Street in the 1950s, covered in neon!

[via Found Photos]

BONUS: Cliff House long before that, looking very different…

[via Nika]

[via Found Photos]

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

[via Found Photos, more here]

It’s official! lol

[via Jessica Christian]

This lil list will hardly do the place justice, but we’ve had some good times over the years. My favorite one is still the Lou Reed one, but they’re all (mostly) good:

• The time the Thrift Town building went up for sale for $15 million, 2009
• Thrift Town, the gym, 2010
• Australians in Thrift Town, 2010
• The OC (RIP) at Thrift Town (RIP), 2010
• Lou Reed (RIP) at Thrift Town (RIP), 2011
• Robin Williams (RIP) at Thrift Town (RIP), 2011
• Kreayshawn at Thrift Town, 2011
• A nice photo by Ariel Dovas (RIP), 2012
• The time when we thought Thrift Town was in danger, 2013
• The time a month later when the new property owner said Thrift Town was probably not in danger, 2013
• “Nasty fun” (huh?) at Thrift Town, 2013
• A moving poem about contemporary life in SF, 2015

RIP, ol pal(s).