Mission Mission

The proof is in the pudding:

Can’t wait for August, when we get a similar service here in SF.

[via Urban Velo]

To make way for condos:

So you might want to head over quick if you wanna salute it one last time.

Also, popular demand was able to force the Pig & Pie folks to keep the Discolandia signage up on their facade; think we can get the condo people to keep the iconic Giant Value letters (as mimicked in the “About” section of Mission Mission’s sidebar) up on theirs?

(Probably not.)

[via Mission Local]

[via Male Awareness Day]

This morning on the way to work I noticed this dude across the train looking up and back down at a notebook and figured he was drawing the train or something. A few minutes later he came up to me and handed me a piece of paper. “I drew a picture of you. Here.”

That was pretty cool. I mean, just a totally random thing to catch me off guard. I dug it, so I took a pic of him with a big grin and a thumbs up and when I got into the office I did a quick sketch. I didn’t have the disadvantage of a moving train though.

Sometimes it’s the little things.

Our pal Stella took all these pics and provided this report:

I got there just for the end of the She’s and didn’t have time to take a photo but they just graduated from high school and were adorably rock and roll. Tamarin was witchy dark and mesmerizing. Metz surprised me the most and fucking rocked hard core and totally brought it. They kicked ass. DIIV was awesome. They are the most adorable rock stars. Zachary Cole Smith is like a mix of Link from Zelda and The Little Prince, such a babe. Also the music was rad. Black Rebel Motorcycle club was pretty cool too though their light show made me dizzy.

Thanks, Stellz!

You’ve probably seen the panoramic photos of downtown and South of Market that George Lawrence took by kite immediately after the earthquake and fire of 1906. (all via the Library of Congress):

I’d never seen this one though — it was taken above Twin Peaks, looking towards downtown and the Mission. (At 2000 feet, Lawrence’s kite was about as high as Sutro Tower is today.)

Zoom in on the Mission:

Zoom and enhance:

The fire swept mercilessly into the Mission before it was halted at 20th St, thanks to the magic Golden Hydrant.

Here’s what 20th & Valencia looked like on the ground:

More shots available at OldSF.

Here’s how much of the city burned.

As the fire swept into the Mission, things were not looking good.

Engine 27 was joined by Engine 19 as they responded to the magic hydrant. Or rather, they tried to. Their exhausted horses were unable to muster enough strength to pull the massive Metropolitan steam engines up Dolores Street.

The refugees in the park, seeing this, responded themselves – by the hundreds. Hands pulled ropes as shoulders pushed forward, propelling the magnificent steamers up to Twentieth Street. Now, firefighters could make their stand, but the firefighters were few and exhausted, and nobody knew how long the water would hold out.

Again the volunteers, under the direction of the firefighters, went to work. The line was to be drawn on Twentieth Street.  Buildings to the North were torn down to slow the conflagration and deprive it of fuel. On the South side, the alarm was raised as citizens prepared to defend their property and that of others.

When the advancing inferno reached the Twentieth Street line, over 3000 civilians and a handful of firefighters stood shoulder to shoulder to meet it. The fight was described as “Hell itself”.

The titanic battle lasted seven hours.

Hoses were used.  Mops and buckets were used. Behind the fireline, homeowners were on their roofs beating out sparks and small fires with blankets, mops, casks of wine - anything that could be used. Doors from the demolished houses were used as heat shields until they too began to smolder. Exhausted firefighters would drop in their tracks, as volunteers took to their lines.  Nurses moved through, administering stimulants. Through the night, the fight raged.

As dawn approached, the flames began to subside.  By 7:00 AM on Saturday, the fight was over, the flames gone. With the exception of some small pier fires, the nightmare was over. Rebuilding could begin tomorrow, but today was for savoring the effort – and the victory.

Think of that next time you’re drinking PBR at Dolores Park.

It’s becoming more and more difficult to simply enjoy a fun DJ dance night at a dive bar these days, as the city has been been expanding their crackdown on spots that don’t happen to possess an official cabaret license.  The latest victim is everyone’s favorite crusty watering hole, Pop’s.  So R.I.P. Drop Out, although you can still catch Jackie Sugarlumps at the Makeout Room for her monthly school of soul, Web of Sound.

Correct me if I’m wrong, but it seems like this all started when some jerk NIMBY moved across the street from the Attic and started hating on all the fun that people were having dancing to the likes of 2MWMY and Indie Slash, forcing those acts to move on to Amnesia.  Said NIMBY did some research and found out he could stop the music by employing the cabaret license technicality, and it seems that the fun police picked up on that and used it against Cassanova, which now is unable to host DJ’s as well.

Hopefully this is the last dance night to go down, but I have the uneasy feeling that the city is just getting started.  As for Pop’s perhaps they’ll finally just have to finally go all-in on that sports bar concept!

[Photo by Erik Jutras]

What were you doing on the brightest Saturday of the year?

The grand opening is today! The new shop is at 3491 19th Street (at Valencia) in the old Chamalyn space, and they’ll be serving up fresh tea and balls all weekend. Also, the Boba Guys are very awesomely donating all profits from this weekend to Little Brothers SF, a local non-profit that helps the elderly combat loneliness and isolation.

Just in time for Pride, which is just around the corner! And seriously, when was the last time you saw something at the Victoria?

Frameline37 will be showcasing documentaries and narrative features from over 30 countries, and will also be screening films at the Castro Theatre and Rialto Cinemas in Berkeley. Notable films and events in the festival include a film adaptation of Michelle Tea’s Valencia, a retrospective screening of But I’m a Cheerleader, that James Franco-produced documentary on the Armory and Kink.com, another new James Franco project, a spotlight on Queer Asian Cinema, and more.

Here are all of the films screening at the Roxie, and all of the ones at the Victoria. Check out the Frameline37 website for full schedules.