Who’s ready for the weekend?
Me and Will Jarrett, that’s for sure.
Luckily there’s some events planned that will make you forget about all the times you almost blacked out from stress this week. (Maybe just me?) Crack open a beer and let’s dive in.
Neighborhood Notes
Congrats to Pop’s Bar and Cafe La Boheme!
Two amazing 24th Street businesses recently earned legacy business status, Pop’s Bar and Cafe La Boheme. Makes sense to me. Living la vie boheme is something to make pops proud, right?
Supervisor Hillary Ronen recommended both businesses for the honor. The title is awarded only if a biz has run for 30 years or more, and has a design that meshes well and emphasizes the best features of the neighborhood.
Read our previous write-ups on Cafe La Boheme and Pop’s. As our bar columnist, Benjamin Wachs said: Pop’s is what we need; a great neighborhood bar.”
Here is a video from 2009 with some history 2009 of Cafe La Boheme.
The Weekender
Back to the ‘80s with Paseo Artistico
A Paseo Artistico dedicated to the ‘80s in the Mission? That’s like, totally tubular, dude.
Accion Latina and Paseo Artistico will walk us through the folks who uplifted the neighborhood during the AIDS epidemic and the time when Central Americans flocked here for refuge.
Prepare to be educated by Aura Beteta, the First Sandinista Consulate in San Francisco, Salvador Henriquez-Cordon, the former Northern California coordinator for the The Farabundo Martí National Liberation Front, and more.
The organizations that played a huge role in that history and that continue to do the work right in our backyard, CARECEN and Mission Cultural Center for the Arts, will be represented as well.
If lectures aren’t really your thing, feel free to check out the musical performances by Mission District Young Musicians Program and Los Peludos, or grab some poetry with writers Nina Serrano and Alejandro Murgia.
Events take place all up and down Calle 24 from 1 to 6 p.m. Get more information about the event here.
Phoenix Day and Sunday Streets
On Sunday, it’s risen. It being the Phoenix, of course.
The Mission welcomes its second Phoenix Day this Sunday, Oct. 16, in conjunction with Sunday Streets. It’s the perfect day to walk around with the fam and enjoy the multiple block parties and community events that will be offered city-’round. The idea is to unite San Francisco and see all our neighborhoods rise up together! I like the sound of that.
The locations you can visit hit several neighborhoods. For the Mission, celebrate at 22nd Street and South Van Ness Avenue. In Bernal Heights, stop by Precita Avenue and Folsom Street, or pop by Potrero and hang at 21st and Alabama streets near the local Mutiny Radio. (They are also hosting a comedy fest.)
Events in the Bayview, Chinatown, Noe Valley, Portola, Tenderloin, Outer Sunset and Oceanview Merced Ingleside (OMI) are on the docket, too. Visit flea markets and farmer markets and soak up the simple pleasures of our beautiful streets and stellar parks.
Visit Sunday Streets for more information on locations. The fun begins at noon and ends at 5 p.m.
Mark your Calendars
Crosstown Trail
Let’s take a walk, shall we?
The aptly named Crosstown Trail is a nearly 17-mile hike that takes you from southeast San Francisco (whoo!) to the northwest. A group of folks are planning to hike it Monday evening, which is a perfect way to shake up a new week. Let’s just say the best things in life are free, and this hike is both.
Don’t exactly have time to traverse one of the United States’ most iconically hilly metro areas on a weeknight? Just slide in for the free picnic at Land’s End and meet a friend. I imagine few things go together as well as cheese and a view of the Golden Gate Bridge at night.
Manny’s is helping coordinate. Register here.
‘The Oakland Coliseum: Past, Present, and Future‘
Okay, we’re biased. One of our very own has a documentary hitting the Roxie Theater on Oct. 22! Former intern William Jenkins and his colleague, Myah Overstreet, co-directed a short film about the Oakland Coliseum for the Bay Area Media Maker Summit.
The five-minute film, “The Oakland Coliseum: Past, Present, and Future,” explores the tension around the potential for the Oakland Athletics, a cultural pillar for sports fans and the town alike, leaving East Oakland.
Don’t forget to check out some of the other features, though. Also featuring Oakland is a short titled “Coach Emily,” a documentary about a Black rock-climbing coach who uses her Brown Girls Climbing program to inspire girls to hit the great outdoors.
If you’re more into other topics, don’t hesitate to check out the rest of the lineup. The total program runs 85 minutes.
The Roxie Theater is located at 3117 16th St. near Valencia Street.
Visit its website for more information or call 415-863-1087.
The time is write
The time for Bay Area writers of color is Write Now! Write Now! SF Bay is launching its fifth anthology, and it’s a big boy. The 284 pages of this book feature the work of local creators, and almost half of its volume is occupied by full-color artwork.
These anthologies are a fan favorite in the Mission, and have been known to wind up on bookshelves in Medicine for Nightmares and Dog Eared Books, and to have made the rounds at Lit Crawl.
Some Mission artists who contributed to this anthology are Kim Shuck, the Twin Walls Mural Company, Adrian Arias, Tehmina Kan, Jose Rojas, and Avotcja.
To help publicize the work, Write Now! SF is hosting events around the ‘hood. Hit up Manny’s on Sat. Oct. 22 for Lit Crawl’s event “Talking to Strangers.” Featured guests include Tony Aldarondo, Dondi Darcy, Janice Hom (no relation), Shizue Seigel, and André Le Monte Wilson.
Come for readings, art and an open mic at Medicine for Nightmares on Nov. 9 from 6:30 to 9 p.m.
For more information, visit the Write Now! SF website or contact writenowsf@gmail.com or 415-221-0487.
Martial arts in the park
Ah, this event will strike a chord. Erm, I mean, cord. One of the Bay Area’s first nonprofits dedicated to Afro-Brazilian arts and culture, ABADÁ-Capoeira San Francisco (ACSF), is hosting a traditional ceremony where students are initiated into “the world of Capoeira,” according to the nonprofit.
Similar to karate students earning a belt, participants will attempt to play with a master capoeirista. If all goes well, the capoeirista receives a new cord. Workshops and a fundraiser are scheduled, too. To top it off, performers from Brazil and across the country will play pieces for the audience.
See it at Potrero del Sol Park, also known as La Raza Park to some, near Potrero Avenue and 25th Street. The event runs Oct. 23 from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. For more information, visit abada.org.
Musical theater about a trans girl in the Tenderloin
Put your stunna shades on, ‘cuz you’re not dreaming. Z Space’s Steindler Stage really is combining musical theater, comic book action, and rock music for a one-of-a-kind show.
The musical performance “The Red Shades” explores 1966 San Francisco life through the eyes of a run-away trans girl, Ida. As one does, she somehow ends up in a trans superhero gang that makes a home in the Tenderloin, right around the time of the iconic Compton’s Cafeteria Riot, which paved the way for queer rights nationwide.
The advertisement names a few of my favorite things: Gossip, magic, and “unapologetic trans politics.”
Click here to buy your ticket and learn how to donate to “The Red Shades.” See the show any time between Oct. 19 and Nov. 5.
Z Space’s Steindler Stage is located at 450 Florida St. near 17th Street. For more information on Z Space, visit its website or call (415) 626-0453.
23rd Annual Potrero Hill History Night
All right, history nerds, come on out, it’s okay. It’s the 23rd annual Potrero Hill History Night, and if LeBron James has taught us anything, 23 is certainly auspicious.
It is yet another fall where locals and historians gather to enjoy the oral history of a pretty special neighborhood. Flit around various events like interviews and music performances, or poke your head around some old-timey photos. Who doesn’t love old-timey photos?
If that didn’t excite you, I know the Goat Hill Pizza served at the historic St. Teresa’s Church will.
Be sure to thank the Potrero Hill Archives Project, which has kept up the neighborhood’s fascinating history since the ‘80s.
Come on by Saturday, Nov. 5, at 5:30 p.m. to 9:30 p.m. If you can’t make it, visit the livestream here.
For more information, call 415-863-0784.
Donations Venmo @potrerohistory.
The only dudes in the ’80s were on ranches
@Joe – these pieces are great, but where is the reporting on the lack of enforcement on illegal street vending? It’s been weeks and this is a critical topic. We need our media outlets to hold city leaders accountable and report the hard truths. FWIW it’s this kind of silence that leads readers to feel there is a strong bias in your reporting.
Not a legacy spot, but China Express & Donuts just up from Boheme, cornering Mission and 24th, is a great grab-n-go. Used to stop in there after working at Boheme and nab just ridiculous amounts of take-home, including the danged donuts. Oh, MAN! Between the two establishments, I clocked some serious calories. Good thing I’m on the active side, for real. 😄
Ahh, good memories stirred. Glad to know Cafe Boheme is still kicking and has received legacy status, Pop’s, too. Used to be a CB regular. Great study hall, plus the food was always worth a special trip for me (used to slide in from Hayes Valley once upon a time). Public transpo’s right there, too, so unless you live wayyy out in the sticks, not difficult to get to. Hmm. Jotting a note to come visit next time in town. Pop’s not too far from there, too. Will hafta make it a half-day neighborhood visit. 🙂