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Guide to the Mission District
I’ve lived in the Mission for five years and there’s only one real drawback: its hard to ever want to leave. There’s a lot to do, and friends often end up there to hang out. My friend in Nob Hill perennially makes fun of me for never traversing north of Market Street; I usually just laugh at such commentary and tell him to move along, we have a Mission burrito joint to get to.
There are several pockets of activity in the Mission, but the core of it is probably on Valencia Street. A couple of months before moving to the Mission I found myself on Valencia Street and, channeling my inner Tina Fey, thought: I want to go to there. And I did. It’s full of wandering locals going from coffeeshop to dive bar to coffeeshop to boutique clothing store to coffeeshop. Did I mention coffeeshop? The Mission has a lot of them, and it takes its coffee very seriously. I’m more of a tea drinker myself though and I highly recommend Philz. While its renowned for its by-the-cup coffee, it has secretly delicious mint tea; definitely say yes to the “honey and cream?” question.
In addition to cafes, San Francisco as a whole takes food very, very seriously. Pretty much everyone is a foodie. My personal favorites are Lolo’s (get the tuna tacon and do not look back) and Heirloom Cafe which has never had a dish that disappointed. No matter where you go, if it’s the weekend, you should consider making a reservation; despite the plethora of amazing restaurants, it’s hard to keep up with hungry locals.
Speaking of weekends, if you really want to do it local-styles, your best bet is to start the day with a delicious brunch (Brunch Drunk Love is a great new one) and then hang out in Dolores Park. The key part of the latter activity is not to forget layers. The Mission is definitely on the warmer side for a San Francisco neighborhood, but it’s still San Francisco: it will get cold. I repeat: it will get cold. Do not be a sucker for the ray of sunshine you see outside of your window; it’s probably still chilly outside, or if it isn’t yet, it will be later. I have seen many a tourist family with matching “SAN FRANCISCO” sweatshirts walking across the city. Why, pray tell, are they wearing matching attire? It’s not because those sweaters sold on street corners are American Apparel’s new ironic marketing scheme. They just got really freaking cold and it was the closest place to purchase an extra layer.
When it does get later, there are plenty of fine drinking establishments to get warm in. Dive bars are a prototypical part of the Mission experience and Doc’s Clock is a good one to start from. Uptown is more on the north side of the Mission but also good—cheap, and somewhat roomy with couches.
The Mission is definitely not for everyone. Though it feels neighborhoody—as a local, you’ll often run into a friend when walking down Valencia St.—it has some elements of city living that some may find unsavory. There are homeless folks and some parts of the neighborhood are run down. Talk to your host about whether there are certain streets near where you’re staying that are better to avoid. You’ll probably be fine, but you may as well be on the safe side and above all else it’s important to be aware.
Staying in the Mission is a great way to experience what it’s like to actually live in a neighborhood in San Francisco. The other day I found myself at Fisherman’s Wharf and I realized I hadn’t been there for years and years. It felt like a different city to me. It’s a shame folks visit there and think they’ve seen San Francisco, because it’s certainly not the San Francisco that a lot of locals see. There’s no problem in going to Fisherman’s Wharf, but if you want to immerse yourself and feel like a local, staying in the Mission is one fine way to do it.
There are several pockets of activity in the Mission, but the core of it is probably on Valencia Street. A couple of months before moving to the Mission I found myself on Valencia Street and, channeling my inner Tina Fey, thought: I want to go to there. And I did. It’s full of wandering locals going from coffeeshop to dive bar to coffeeshop to boutique clothing store to coffeeshop. Did I mention coffeeshop? The Mission has a lot of them, and it takes its coffee very seriously. I’m more of a tea drinker myself though and I highly recommend Philz. While its renowned for its by-the-cup coffee, it has secretly delicious mint tea; definitely say yes to the “honey and cream?” question.
In addition to cafes, San Francisco as a whole takes food very, very seriously. Pretty much everyone is a foodie. My personal favorites are Lolo’s (get the tuna tacon and do not look back) and Heirloom Cafe which has never had a dish that disappointed. No matter where you go, if it’s the weekend, you should consider making a reservation; despite the plethora of amazing restaurants, it’s hard to keep up with hungry locals.
Speaking of weekends, if you really want to do it local-styles, your best bet is to start the day with a delicious brunch (Brunch Drunk Love is a great new one) and then hang out in Dolores Park. The key part of the latter activity is not to forget layers. The Mission is definitely on the warmer side for a San Francisco neighborhood, but it’s still San Francisco: it will get cold. I repeat: it will get cold. Do not be a sucker for the ray of sunshine you see outside of your window; it’s probably still chilly outside, or if it isn’t yet, it will be later. I have seen many a tourist family with matching “SAN FRANCISCO” sweatshirts walking across the city. Why, pray tell, are they wearing matching attire? It’s not because those sweaters sold on street corners are American Apparel’s new ironic marketing scheme. They just got really freaking cold and it was the closest place to purchase an extra layer.
When it does get later, there are plenty of fine drinking establishments to get warm in. Dive bars are a prototypical part of the Mission experience and Doc’s Clock is a good one to start from. Uptown is more on the north side of the Mission but also good—cheap, and somewhat roomy with couches.
The Mission is definitely not for everyone. Though it feels neighborhoody—as a local, you’ll often run into a friend when walking down Valencia St.—it has some elements of city living that some may find unsavory. There are homeless folks and some parts of the neighborhood are run down. Talk to your host about whether there are certain streets near where you’re staying that are better to avoid. You’ll probably be fine, but you may as well be on the safe side and above all else it’s important to be aware.
Staying in the Mission is a great way to experience what it’s like to actually live in a neighborhood in San Francisco. The other day I found myself at Fisherman’s Wharf and I realized I hadn’t been there for years and years. It felt like a different city to me. It’s a shame folks visit there and think they’ve seen San Francisco, because it’s certainly not the San Francisco that a lot of locals see. There’s no problem in going to Fisherman’s Wharf, but if you want to immerse yourself and feel like a local, staying in the Mission is one fine way to do it.
Sasha is a user experience researcher hailing from the Soviet Union and a frequent traveler on Airbnb.
