Mission Mission

What do a Bialetti moka pot, a pink airplane, a Polaroid camera, an acoustic guitar, a striped suit with an umbrella, an unidentified creepy face, and a cactus all have in common? Well, they’re all part of this collection of sidewalk stencils in front of Radio Habana Social Club.

For a second, I thought it was another jab at hipsters, but I couldn’t quite figure out that striped ensemble (or that face). If anyone can decode this esoteric collection of things, let me know. I sure am fond of that moka pot, though.

And here’s another shot of that pretty little Telegraph Hill parrot stencil, just a few sidewalk squares away.

Last year’s hipster to-do list was one of our most popular posts ever, so finding a good sequel has been high on our to-do list ever since. This one might be a winner:

I mean, it’s strong right off the bat with the ukelele thing, and the gym thing and “motorcycle ok” are just killer, but it’s the SXSW that really just slays me.

Longtime local club-owner JWZ on current club fashion:

The thing that always amazes me when I check out younger and/or more mainstream dance parties is how fantastically uniform and horrible the male dress code is. The girls tend to be in your usual timeless slutty-club-wear: a short glittery dress, or maybe a cut-off t-shirt with hotpants and fuzzy leg-warmers. Not the apex of creativity, but at least it looks intentional. Some thought went into it. But the guys all wear exactly the same thing: a mesh basketball wife-beater, a backward baseball cap, and blue jeans. All of them!

[...]

“Hipsters” may make some comical choices, but at least they’re trying. [link]

Yeah, man. Just tryyy!

[Totally unrelated photo by Helen]

Blogger Zoë Stagg (not pictured) overheard the ultimate exchange:

DUDE:
What do you mean “Hipster?” What’s that?
BRAH:
You KNOW. They’re the ones who wear tiny sweaters.

Tiny sweaters! That’s the key! Thanks for clearing that up, Zoë! [link]

Shouts and Frowns has a bone to pick:

Today two hipsters screamed out of their window at my Dad to get out of their way on Valencia street because he was driving a bit too slow while looking for parking. I OF COURSE screamed back and first thing my parents said were “Don’t do that even if you are in the right because in America everyone has guns and they’ll shoot whenever they feel like it”. Mission hipsters with guns? I kinda doubt it. I bet this two douchebags’ okcupid profiles said they love peace and ethnic food.

Ha! I bet that’s true! Anything else?

I won’t have said anything if I were driving through Bay View or Cow Palace or something…

Yep. [link]

Fear not, Mission purists, maybe these tech startups that you love to hate are on their way out, or so says this good-bye note that sexpigeon brought to our attention. Local startup Branch, some kind of conversation-having platform (’cause you know, who wants to go through the trouble of having a real one), laments:

San Francisco is just too nice. The nature is too accessible, the architecture is too Victorian, and the weather is too perfect. The quality of life here is unrivaled. But I feel like I haven’t earned that yet. One day, I’ll bike across the bridge and meet my family at Mill Valley Beerworks.

For now, I miss the grit and grime of New York. It is real and raw, and the commotion of the city is contagious. Startup life is characterized by constant motion and tenacious tinkering, not hikes on Mt. Tam and brunch in the Mission, and the pace of life and breadth of humanity in New York is invigorating. I like to tell people: New York is like coffee. You know it’s not good for you, and you don’t really like the taste, but you just can’t get enough. The rush, the jitters, they’re addicting, as are startups.

[via sexpigeon, be sure to read his response, which mentions sweaters and hookers]

Update:

Our buddy Lindsey headed across the bay yesterday to join the fray and saw some wild sights. First there was the truck that floored it into a group of people:

Then there was the line of fixed-gear hipsters waiting for tacos:

Oh and then she got teargassed. Here’s how it started:

Lately, the idea of occupying foreclosed homes has been bouncing around. People have been saying a lot of things about a lot of homeless people, and a lot of homes without people. I am going to keep my opinion out of this, but nonetheless, it appears valid on paper. So protesters started “occupying” a foreclosed building on 16th, and I watched people bring in stacks & stacks of books to turn it into a makeshift learning community. Cool in concept, obviously never going to work. Word got out that cops were coming, and people started barricading 16th, along Broadway & San Pablo. Dumpsters, doors (???), newspaper dispenser things, all building a blockade. People started to get anxious about police presence. I was on the San Pablo side, but I looked over & saw that people had lit the barricade along Broadway on fire. I mean, come on. Enough is enough, people. Riot squads started pouring out of vans, and standing without action. I can’t speak for what happened at the East end of the street, but on the San Pablo side, people started to try & provoke them. Graffiti, bricks through windows, broken bottles. It started to get so vandalism-centered, that when I heard the two booms from Broadway, I thought they were “protesters” dismantling something.

Whoa. It’s a much longer story than that. Read the rest here. Quite an ordeal.

But the good news is it’s working:

24th Street was full of trick-or-treaters getting more candy from businesses like El Farolito than residences, a nice community touch.  Dance parties were happening at various spots, but most people seemed too tuckered out from a wild weekend of Halloween festivities to commit to going out on the actual holiday.  At least these kids had plans to make the most of things!

By comparison, Wednesday’s Dia de los Muertos celebration drew pretty much the entire neighborhood, both long-term locals and hipsters alike, the aroma of incense wafting through the air as 24th thronged with revelers (much like the overpass to the Port of Oakland) despite the supposedly somber mood of the festival.  It’s no secret which day means more to the Mission, for now at least.

How did your Halloween (week) go?

[Photo by deanv41]

A gem, right? I think “DESIGN SHIT FOR GENO” is right up there with “PLAN CHEST PIECE.”

[via Petty Crimes]