April 2010: San Francisco Part 1

This week is dedicated to last week's trip to San Francisco. I could probably go on for weeks about how amazing it was, but I'll limit myself to three posts. First stop: the Mission.

Located next to the Castro, the Mission is filled with graffiti and street art. While main streets like Valencia and Mission have the occasional piece, it's worth it to take a wrong turn and wander alleys.

In addition to old school mural art, new artists like Barry McGee and the late Margaret Kilgallen spearheaded the Mission School. Banksy recently hit the neighborhood and placed a piece up on Valencia.

If you're hungry, stopping by the Mission is an excellent idea. When we ordered Mexican, I asked for a small bowl of guacamole and received a salad bowl full of it. My cousin, Matt, also took us out to an Indian restaurant for dosa and samosas. Walking around is a necessary post-meal ritual.
Once your food coma kicks in, stumble into Dolores Park and chill for a bit. No doubt there will be a couple of unemployed hipsters spending the day there. On my visit, I bought a tangelo and checked out the skyline. There was also an interesting photo shoot involving a woman dressed as a princess and a man in silver spandex wearing a glitter mask. I'm not sure of the effect they were trying to achieve, but I was definitely impressed.

Another stop on the tour was 826 Valencia, the tutoring/bookstore/pirate supply company spearheaded by Dave Eggers. The organization hosts countless workshops for teachers and kids, but you can also pick up a kickass patch and pirate flag.
Photo tours exist, but you've really got to check this neighborhood out for yourself. Tomorrow, I'll share more graff and weird stories from my week away.