Each trip I take to the Mission opens my eyes to another level of its beauty. The culture, the art, the people, the diversity, the sights and smells—it’s all so intoxicating to someone who has thus far only scratched the surface of what the c
ity has to offer.The majority of the time I’ve spent in the Mission has been dedicated to photographing the graffiti and murals that are pretty much everywhere you look.
The most interesting art I’ve found is on Orange between 24th and 25th, an entire alley of pieces dedicated to the resurrection of Jesus.
The people I’ve met illustrate not only the cultural diversity of the Mission, but also the socio-economic diversity that exists from street to street throughout the district.
I spoke to a 27-year-old white man named Will today who came to the Mission by way of Connecticut and had nothing but great things to say about his niche of the city. He compared it to New York but said it differed in that it moved at a slower pace and he felt safer here.
After talking with Will I spoke to a man scanning Dolores Park with a yellow metal detector named Jonathan. Jonathan is a 44-year-old black man who lives in the Castro now but lived in Mission Hotel for eight months, during which he said he all but lost his mind.
According to him, within the eight months he lived there nine people died, including one who was murdered by the man who lived two doors down from him.
To Jonathan, living in a single occupancy hotel room (SRO) was the same as living in a jail cell. Being caged in led him to drugs and depression. His environment made him resort to actions he never saw himself capable of carrying out, “Association brings affiliation,” he said.
The contrast between the experiences of Will and Jonathan h
elped me see that Valencia separates more than just Mission and Guerrero.
I also met a guy named Per Skalen, a 33-year-old tourist from Sweden who said that San Francisco embodies the “America” he has always imagined.
I spoke to a 27-year-old white man named Will today who came to the Mission by way of Connecticut and had nothing but great things to say about his niche of the city. He compared it to New York but said it differed in that it moved at a slower pace and he felt safer here.After talking with Will I spoke to a man scanning Dolores Park with a yellow metal detector named Jonathan. Jonathan is a 44-year-old black man who lives in the Castro now but lived in Mission Hotel for eight months, during which he said he all but lost his mind.
According to him, within the eight months he lived there nine people died, including one who was murdered by the man who lived two doors down from him.
To Jonathan, living in a single occupancy hotel room (SRO) was the same as living in a jail cell. Being caged in led him to drugs and depression. His environment made him resort to actions he never saw himself capable of carrying out, “Association brings affiliation,” he said.
The contrast between the experiences of Will and Jonathan h
elped me see that Valencia separates more than just Mission and Guerrero.I also met a guy named Per Skalen, a 33-year-old tourist from Sweden who said that San Francisco embodies the “America” he has always imagined.
He said he loved the diversity of the city and the idea that “people weren’t trying to be like their neighbors,” but also that there was a lack of trust he felt was a slight disadvantage.
I’m meeting good people, eating good food and seeing cool stuff. I dig it.
I’m meeting good people, eating good food and seeing cool stuff. I dig it.
Hey Tom, I dig it too. One of my favorite neighborhoods. Cheap food. Great art. Good music. I'll check out Orange St. Thanks for the google map.
ReplyDeleteYou should check out Balmy Alley right off 24th and Harrison for cool Alley Art. I use to live on the Alley and the worst thing is waking up to tours of middle school kids screaming! Anyway, you should also check out some of the storefront art displays on 24th street! :)
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