Mission Mission

Reader Laurie V. wants to know:

“Cinema Latino” is what that old pillar-sign seems to say. There’s
some recent construction inside; they seem to have inserted a new
floor halfway up the structure; you can see it through those two big
holes they punched in the facade. There are some planning notices out
front but they don’t really tell me anything. Anybody know what’s
going on?

All I know is that place has really gone down hill ever since they eradicated that epic Ribity. Anybody else have the scoop?

Photo by bsii.

It’s come to my attention a lot of people haven’t been to Heron’s Head Park.

If you haven’t been to Heron’s Head Park, get thee there. Here’s a map.

Photos by me and Vic.

Telstar Logistics somehow got invited up to the top of the US Bank building at 22nd and Mission, and took a handful of nice shots. Can we have a rave up there now, please?

If you’ve never been to the bog, check it out next time you’re in Golden Gate Park. It’s a trip.

Here is a map.

I think we found it.  Any other contenders?

Previously:

Cat and a Skateboard

Brings New Meaning to the Word ‘Heelflip’

SFPD Officer Threatens to Break a Skateboarder’s Arm, Allegedly Kicks Him Into Cruiser

[Photo by Carla Leshne]

VatRat1 reminds us of Hamm’s beer and it’s SF past:

The Hamm’s brewery in San Francisco opened in 1954 at 1550 Bryant Street, close to the Seals baseball stadium. The brewery closed in 1972. In the early 1980′s, the beer vats were rented out to punk rock bands, and it was a used as music studios until the building was renovated and turned into offices.

Don’t believe him? Well check out this amazing article from foundsf.org, detailing the Austin thrash band Millions of Dead Cops (MDC)  moving into the abandoned San Francisco factory in the early ’80s and repurposing the actual beer vats as living, practice, and punk show spaces.

Dave, lead singer of MDC, described the tanks as being 40′x 10′x 10′, able to house half a dozen to twelve people each, with ten or twelve vats on each of the four floors. At any given time 30 or 35 vats would be in use. Soon people started living inside the building’s hollow walls on little ledges, sometimes fixing them up quite nicely. With the bands’ energetic activity the space became a crash pad and a scene landmark for visiting out-of-town punks and punk bands, the site of after-concert parties and band practice sessions.

The article seems to indicate that the Falstaff Brewery, a couple of blocks away from the Hamm’s building, was the actual site of this crash pad. Still pretty amazing.

More at foundsf.org. Be sure to check out that awesome video, too.

Many Machines says:

[T]his is the second Sunday visit in a row where I’ve encountered a group of off-brand bros, their lady friends, their dogs, and their beers. [link]

The migration has started! Glen Canyon Park is also cool because it has miles of hiking trails, occasional Jonathan Richman sightings, and coyotes running wild.

Previously:

Potrero del Sol Park Just Might Be the New Dolores Park

A love letter to Shotwell Street from reader Neo Displacer, via our Contact Us page:

I think you should do a post on how Shotwell is the most beautiful street in the Mission. I think folks may say Valencia, but they would be wrong. It has truly stunning people walking to and fro,  but the street? Not so much, it’s a commercial strand. How about Dolores? Nah, it’s the border between the encroaching Castro at the 18th St end and further south it’s Baja Noe. 24th? Are you kidding me? It’s great to walk between Papalote at one end and Dynamo at the other, great coffee can be had at at least 3 places. But again commercial, and what with the strollers it’s not as beautiful in walking human terms as Valencia. Now I live on Folsom, and you may argue it’s beauty. The allee is indeed gorgeous but the fact that is four lanes ruins it.  That brings me to Shotwell. It shares tree lining with Folsom yet it is informal. I was walking down it today and was struck by its loveliness.

There are many old, pre-quake, houses. They are well kept. There were many folks sitting on their stoops. There were several grills fired up cooking meat. I saw some kids playing. I saw one sexy-as-hell girl. Oh god Shotwell is there anything you can’t do? My first place in the Mission was at the far North end. It was a railroad flat and it was dirt cheap. That was 1992. Junkies often parked their cars in front and shot up.  But I forgive. My landlord had AIDS. He didn’t make it the 2 years I was there. He was cool and it was sad he left. He planted 2 ficus trees in front.  One night The 20-something chick upstairs had a party. Hipster dufii, drunk and disorderly, swung around the tree and dislodged it from its shallow roots. Needless to say I was pissed. I carefully replanted the tree and re-staked it. I watered it and hoped for the best. It was the least I could do for my old landlord. That tree is now huge. It stands next to its paired tree almost as tall as the old railroad flats. [Above] is the tree. It’s on the left, its partner on the right.

Thanks, ND! Nice work on that tree, and on this comment. And for the record, I did do a post like this, about two-and-a-half years ago: Shotwell Stroll (3/27/2008)

We’re always suckers for a good timelapse video, and this excellent piece by MM reader Conway Twitty is no exception.  Special appearances by Dolores Park, Twin Peaks, and the Golden Gate Bridge, among others.  Furthermore, bonus points for pairing it with a mesmerizingly chill Ratatat tune!

(Thanks Conway!)

“I’m right by the big-ass unicorn balloon.”

[via We Built This City]