San Fran Voice

One of the most amazing things about San Francisco is that there are so many different neighborhoods located so close to one another, each offering their own unique experience within the larger experience of San Francisco life.  The neighborhoods are defined by their geographic boundaries, but more than this, they are defined by their history and their present, their attractions and their locals-only spots, their cultural make-up and their political offerings.

This post’s San Francisco neighborhood pick: The Mission

I remember before I moved here, when my kid brother was living in San Francisco and first mentioned The Mission to me.  He described it as a place in San Francisco that was supposed to be sketchy but which didn’t seem “all that bad” to him.  Although I’d been to San Francisco on a number of occasions, I’d never had reason to make it to The Mission or to learn anything about it.  So, I was surprised, after I moved here to find out that it would rapidly become one of my favorite places in the city.

This is due in part to the fact that, more than anywhere else, The Mission reminds me of my Tucson home.  It’s got the too-good-for-description Mexican restaurants, the independent theatres, the markets with fruit outside the front doors and the comfortable, casual cockiness of a crowd of people who aren’t afraid to just live their lives.  Murals mingle with shopping which mingles with street performance which mingles with art studios, and all of the mingling coalesces to create a feeling of familiarity for me.

I’ve only spent time in certain parts of The Mission – maybe they’re the more touristy parts.  Taking the BART to 16^th and Mission, I’ve meandered the streets of Mission and Valencia, stopping in to the unique stores there, purchasing retro knick knacks from Therapy, browsing through clothes purchasable by the pound, learning about spells at the pirate store and new adult toys at Good Vibrations.  I’ve taken pictures again and again of the new work popping up regularly in the mural alley.  I’ve seen plays and art exhibits at The Lab.

Choice experiences stand out for me in my recollection of Mission nightlife.  A night when I first moved here and went to trivia at Elixir, doing a horrible job at trivia but getting ridiculously drunk to the point where the 2 a.m. taco I ate nearby was certainly the best thing I’d ever tasted.  A night when a house party led out onto the streets and I ended up in some hole-in-the-wall Brazilian bar, dancing with strangers.  A birthday party at The Makeout Room where the DJ failed to seamlessly transition between types of music and the crowd ended up creating their own new dances to make fun where there was none.  A night of proving my Ms. Pacman skills to friends at The Elbo Room.  All wonderful nights.

More recently, I’ve made the regular trek to Mission Cliffs during the day, to go to the indoor gym where I do my rock climbing.  And every day that I trek out into the city, moving from North Beach to Mission and back again, I feel like my two homes are coming together, and I fall in love with the city yet again.

Next SF Neighborhood pick: The Haight