Mission Mission

Cosmic Amanda, here.  First time poster, long time commenter. (insert rim shot)

I’ve been digging Mission Mission for a year or so now, despite having never lived or visited here. In fact, I hail from Haverhill, MA, a city with great potential but a bit of a self-esteem crisis. I recently started a blog about it, with the lofty dream helping people all over (and even in Haverhill itself) realize how cool we actually are.

So, what am I doing getting all up in your blog right now?

Sometimes it’s hard to see potential in something you’re immersed in. How can you know what you can do to make a difference without getting out there and exploring the possibilities? The Mission is one of the coolest neighborhoods around. And, since your neighborhood and mine share a lot of basic similarities,  it’s exactly what I’d love for my city to become. I’m here in town this week, stocking up on inspiration.

Encountering this street art was like looking into a plywood mirror and seeing my own soul reflected back

Here I am, shacked up in an apartment on 25th and Shotwell, stuffing my face with burritos and Mission Pie, photographing street art, and generally basking in the atmosphere of a neighborhood electric with creativity. Just like the lucky writers of this blog get to do all the time. So far some highlights have in included chatting with Toshio after his performance at Amnesia, walking home and finding a fresh stencil on the sidewalk, and sitting in the cool grass of Dolores Park.

I destroyed this burrito.

Some people think it’s kinda weird that I’d travel all the way across the country to experience first hand something I’ve only ever read about in some random dude’s blog. But, it’s already kinda weird that I’ve been experiencing all of this vicariously for so long, so why not go all in?

I think my friend Chris put it best when he asked “So, like, instead of sex tourism, are you doing blog tourism?”

Uh, yeah. Totally creepy to think of it that way, but I guess there’s something to it.

Anyway, I’ve been lingering in the background of a few posts this week. Now, I hope you’ll indulge me in a post or two here at Mission Mission. (And, if by chance you’re not quite feeling my flow, you can breathe easy knowing I’ll be on a plane and out of your hair in only a couple more days.)

So, hi there, Mission! Love what you’ve done with the place!

Barcelona has bike infrastructure. Big, wide, protected bike lanes down just about every thoroughfare, and a communal bike program as fun and fashionable as it is easy and efficient. There are seriously racks of rad bikes on every block. Just swipe your card and pick your wheels.

It’s called “Bicing,” and Barcelona Cycle Chic this week shows us how it works.

Previously:

Biking in Europe

When we saw the other day that Mai from Fashionist was reporting from Vietnam, we were pumped.

When we opened up Bikes and the City today and saw that Mai was doing GUEST POSTS FROM VIETNAM FOR THEM, we straight fell out of bed. Sooo exciting! What a crossover! And the PICTURES!!!

Well done, gals!

Previously:

Biking in Europe

Because of The Wire, am I right?

Photo by Orin Zebest.

Previously:

Re-Elect Clay Davis

Fashionist is reporting from Huế, Vietnam, y’all! Check it out!

Dog friendly, stroller friendly. Drink inside, drink outside. What’s not to like?

Previously:

Actual San Franciscan Went to Mission Dolores Bar

Banning Sagging in Brooklyn

The USA as One Big Brooklyn-Style Neighborhood

40 going on 28 made it out to the Mission Dolores Bar in NYC, and his review: “actually a cool place,” though lacking in a certain vendor authenticity.

If you want to hear more about his trip to NYC read on, and be prepared for some painful truths like:

I hate it when people compare New York to SF, because it’s totally not fair and NYC has 13 million people and a lot more land mass and Donald Trump and all we have is 49 square miles and Dolores Park and Frank Chu, but I can’t help it. New York is fucking awesome.

Our pal Sarah Kelly and her organization Adapting to Scarcity spent part of last year hanging out in La Huizachera (outside of Guadalajara, MX) with kids like Mauro here, taking pictures and making videos. Tonight, some of their work is showcased at ATA:

These children live along a polluted canal that carries untreated human and industrial waste away from Guadalajara. The state of the canal deeply affects the health of the community. IMDEC, the Mexican Institute for Community Development, has been working weekly with the children in the community to educate them about the environment. They gave digital point-and-shoot cameras to the kids, taught them to use them and have been helping them capture their perspectives and their neighborhood.  The phenomenal and moving photos were shot, selected and titled by the children.

The fun runs from 7-10pm.

Shark Toof has been spotted around these parts a bit. This weekend brought a sighting in L.A.

Cameo by our old frenemy, NeckFace.

One thing that I noticed right away about the hipsters in Tijuana was that their style was a few years behind that of San Francisco hipsters, who themselves are a few years behind New York hipsters (this is a good thing).  LA hipsters are not included because they never know what the fuck they’re doing anyway.

Hoping to buck the trend, this one is carrying around a unicycle.  The new fixie, anyone?  I feel like it’s been tried before.

Previously:

Hipsters Live in the Mission

Costco Hipster

Hipsters Don’t Deliver

Hipster Pizza

The Modern San Franciscan Has Real Boobs and Lives in the Mission