This place makes my heart sing. I’m so happy it’s only 2 blocks away. This teeny tiny little Cuban restaurant/bar is always warm, welcoming, and vibrating with visual over-stimuli. Surreal toy sculptures cover every square inch, and I always find something I’ve never seen before while slurping down my sangria.
Here is another place packed with visual stimuli, along with weird smells and busy sidewalks. I love roaming through all the shops, venturing deep down the aisles to hunting for all things odd and unknown. So much to see, I wish I had extra eyes!
In the Mission, now as terminally hip as it was formally poor, the St Francis is a greasy good time since 1918. Stuck beautifully in the 50's both aesthetically and menu wise it's Americana in a bun. Dig in.
Located near to the Alamo square's Painted Ladies is this wonderful gothic "stick" Italian villa with a long weirde history. Built by a Candy Baron in 1889, it's housed variously; a Russian Czarist nightclub, Jazz musicians, Satanists, a Manson family member, and one of the first 60's Hippy communes -Calliope. Creepy as hell enshrouded in fog after dark.
Murals! where? everywhere! walls, streets, signs, windows. keep your eyes peeled. I walk a lot in San Francisco and always seem to find new murals in the least expected places. They are a constant source of inspiration, and make me wish I could paint worth a damn.