Who knew the Rite Spot had been around for 60 years? Everyone but me, that’s who. I’m horribly ashamed that I’d never been inside this corner dive bar that I’d always wondered about, until now. I had no idea that in its murky depths there were also white table-clothed tables, an eclectic, ever-changing wine selection, local art on the walls,...
Parents, teachers, school board candidates and labor union representatives said Thursday afternoon at a protest at the Mission Education Center that they would not mind sharing space with some charter schools, but opposed the district’s decision to place the non-profit KIPP in six of its 13 classrooms at 1670 Noe St. “There are some great charter schools out there,” said...
They are Everett Middle School students, but for some, gun violence happens right around the block. Jorge Caamal-Estrada, an eighth grader at Everett, said he was about five years old when a man was shot around the corner from his house off of Capp Street. The experience left a lasting impression — and the school shooting in Parkland, Florida, and...
In an effort to curb gentrification in the Mission District, the San Francisco Planning Department has announced a bevy of proposals, including new controls on restaurants, bars and new businesses, as well as measures to preserve small workshop spaces in certain areas. The proposals are part of the so-called Mission Action Plan 2020 — a plan aimed at keeping cultural...
Anne Kihagi, the city’s most infamous landlord, recently launched a charm offensive, hiring a publicist to seed positive stories in local media. That required quite a bit of cheek, considering Kihagi has been found guilty by a succession of San Francisco judges of harassing and/or illegally evicting indigent, rent-controlled tenants — including terminal cancer patients and disabled senior citizens. Her...
The 1906 earthquake leveled most of San Francisco and its old glamour. But the city persisted, rebuilt and now looks to the future. We thought it would be neat to look at some nearby places and see what they looked like during or after the great earthquake and compare it to how the city looks now. All of the archive...
Take a stroll along Mission Street and you’ll see two sides of the ever-changing city: the family-owned, brick-and-mortar stores that go back decades, and the new-school minimalist design of the more recently opened shops. No matter their tenure, nearly all of the 59 active businesses along the two blocks between 21st and 23rd streets on Mission Street are trying to...
At 8 a.m. Wednesday, after more than two years of dormancy, one of the Mission’s favorite brunch spots will reopen its doors. While its interior is a bit cleaner, with freshly painted walls and new flooring, its menu will be the same. Per a sign posted in its window, it will be serving all of its classic hits, including “Temple...
Six days out of the week, Mo fills packs his car with TVs, chairs, hand sanitizer and video game accessories and takes to the streets to set up a streetside studio where anyone can play on ancient Nintendo video game consoles. He sets up his video game consoles and monitors on top of his Honda Accord wagon and opens up his...
A 57-year-old man was left in life-threatening condition on Sunday after nine men swarmed him and assaulted him with a “knife and other blunt objects” near 17th and Mission streets at around 6:13 a.m, police say. The suspects, all of unknown age, fled after the assault. The man was transported to the hospital, and no arrests have been made. Earlier,...
As the mayoral race heats up, the city got some sobering news: despite all the talk about the need for more housing, the city added fewer new units last year than it had in 2016. San Francisco added 4,441 housing units in 2017 — a 12 percent decrease, compared to net additions in 2016. Last year’s additions, however, are well...
The Mission has long been an entertainment zone for the city — home to racetracks, bear and bullfights, beer parlors (including The Willows), and other amusements. Some of those old bars, such as Elixir (established in 1858) and Homestead (since 1902), still stand, while several have gone the way of the dinosaur. This week, we will be exploring some of the watering...
