April 2010: San Francisco Part 3

I didn't do much sleeping last week, but I did catch up with a lot of people. Tanya took me to brunch at Lime, an experience that was well worth the wait. Louie showed me around Oakland and drove me to a tiny sushi place in San Ramon. Matt and I met up for Indian food and World Cup discussions. Ross met me at the Haight Street party and we reminisced about college days. Reunions are the best, particularly when they occur in amazing locations.

Near the end of my trip, I took a break from walking around and went to see Banksy's Exit Through the Gift Shop. Most excellent! The film features so many of street art's heavy hitters: Space Invaders, Shepard Fairey, Swoon, and (supposedly) the big man himself.

In addition to loving food, I also have a horrible coffee addiction. Normally, I try to limit my caffeine intake, but it was impossible in this city. Fortunately, I had plenty of options:the Grind, Oakside Café, Café du Soleil, Café Internacional. Armed with a giant pint glass (or two) of coffee, I steeled my nerves and prepared for the day.


Biking across the Golden Gate Bridge ranks in the top three of the week's best experiences. I woke up early and rented a bike in North Beach. Now, anyone who's seen me walk would question this decision; I don't have the best balance. But since I'm on my "no fear" grind, I peddled that thing past cars, trucks, and the occasional tour group. As I wound through the Presidio, I snapped shot after shot of that bridge. While I worried there would be wind or fog, the day was clear and I could see all across the bay. Beautiful!
Thanks for bearing with me, guys! I hope you've enjoyed the photos as much as I've loved telling stories. Tomorrow, we'll be back to normal profile formats.

April 2010: San Francisco Part 2

Next stop on the tour: Lower Haight. Not to be confused with Haight-Ashbury, this location is a little more hipster than hippie. Filled with coffee shops, record stores, bars, and parks, it's the perfect place to chill or rock out depending on your mood.

Prior to visiting, I added Fifty24 and Upper Playground to my list. The gallery presented Jason Jagel's series of drawings, paintings, and wood carvings. Upper Playground's tee shirts featured work from artists like David Choe and Koralie in addition to their trademark walrus. However, my favorite artwork was just outside the door; the exterior walls of both buildings feature robots and other spray painted creatures.

I loved the neighborhood's street art, but its residents are even cooler. On the first afternoon of my trip, I joined a crew of people on a stoop grilling steak and corn on the cob. Everywhere I turned, I found friends ready to show me around, take me out to dinner, or sit and chat over a cup of coffee. Since I spend most of my days with high school students and married teachers, it was wild to be surrounded by people my own age. Thanks to Bryan, Galina, Nick, Marcus, Caitlin, Jicheng, Sylvia, Lalit, Luce, Jan, and all the other Lower Haighters for making my week.
One of my favorite moments took place on Haight Street. On Friday night, we went to a party at D-Structure, a clothing store/art gallery. The boys from Nature's Mistake came up from LA to paint Nick's Corvette, so we posted up on the sidewalk and watched them work. Inside the store, people jammed out to Michael Jackson and Drake, checked out the artwork, and generally got wild.
In the middle of this craziness, a band walked by and decided to post up outside the shop. As they played, a stranger grabbed the mic and started rapping. Well, rapping is a subjective term, because all he shouted was, "I got my band with me! I got my friends with me!" The spectacle drew attention from the crowd and even a Chronicle reporter. Later in the night, they were invited inside to play the party. Never boring, kids.

Thanks for indulging me this week; tomorrow's post will cap off the series and then we'll go back to the normal profile schedule on Friday. See you then!

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.

September 2009: Doodlez in the Bay

Whenever I hear about people in San Francisco, they make me want to visit. My friend Tanya rocked out this summer at Outside Lands. Shoshana posted great photos from the Lovefest a couple of weeks ago and Bryan always tells me to come visit his class. Doodlez is just one more reason to switch coasts. The Bay-Area artist writes:

"Hi. I'm a 20 year-old artist living in Oakland, CA who goes by the nickname 'doodles.'"
"I grew up in the Seattle area, then moved to the bizarre city of St. Petersburg, Florida for two years to pursue the study of marine biology."
"St. Petersburg’s severe lack of young culture gave me the motivation to focus on more creative projects. After a year and a half, I put a stop on my marine science dreams and decided to focus on art. That said, I still love narwhals, giant squid, manatees, and lobsters."

"I draw from my influences including: the Pacific Northwest, traveling, animals, graffiti, small towns, large towns, and underwater creatures. Doodles' work can be found in the streets of London, New York city, San Francisco, Seattle, Sweden, France, Ireland and Italy. I am a resident artist at the collaborative group Islands Fold."

Thanks so much, Doodlez! I'm glad to hear you turned a dull situation into something completely awesome! For more info, check his Flickr.

In The Headlines

Well, that was a change of plans. I was all set to go to NYC when a wave of exhaustion overwhelmed me and changed my mind. Instead, I stayed home and didn't do any of the London prep that I should've. I'll get to it. On Thursday. It's the week before vacation, so we're going out in style with some heavy-hitters. You'll have to wait and see! Today's photo comes from my friend Lindsay. Last week, she had a week off from teaching in Baltimore. Fully capitalizing on her break, she took off for San Francisco and sent me this Os Gemeos on the side of a building. Merci! And now, headlines.

A staircase at Five Pointz collapsed, leaving a woman critically injured.

ABC Local News ran a piece on Pacific Art Collective. 

Street artist Ellis G. does firetagging? By the looks of these photos, he appears to be indoors. What gallery has that kind of insurance?  (Thanks for the tip, Beaks!)

Residents of Bristol are still reeling after the defacement of Banksy’s murals. 

When spring has sprung, gallery openings crop up all over the place. On May 1, Auckland’s Cut Collective presents “Paper, Scissors, Stock,” a show at CCHQ.

Caleb Neelon’s San Francisco show is in full effect at White Walls. He chats with Allan Hough about the past, present, and future of his work.

If you’re in Chicago on May 2, stop by Revolution Tattoo and Art Gallery for Toby Stanger’s and Matthew Ryan Sharp’s show opener. 

Remi/Rough’s friend Jaybo has a solo show coming up at the Nancy Victor Gallery on April 24 (I may actually be able to get to this one!) 

I’m jealous of all my Argentines in Buenos Aires. On April 21, head over to Hollywood in Cambodia for a one-night display of Michael De Feo’s work. Definitely worth the trip! 

In Worcester, England, an anonymous street artist created his or her own wall inscribed with doodles, drawings, and declarations. 

In the near future, L.A. muralist Kent Twitchell may be coming to a city near you. He speaks about his early days and discusses his future career plans. 

Citizens of Fall River, Mass., are unsure of what to make of the town’s recent street art sightings. 

Miami artist Roman Alvarez predicts a promising future for graffiti and street art in a Miami Herald interview. 

Finally, I'm really digging on Danish artist Bobsmade's designs. Give her a shoe, a set of headphones, or a tee and she'll cover it in her sweet and spicy critters. For more info, check out her MySpace page.

I should probably get packing, but I think I'll do that tomorrow.