I lived in San Francisco’s Mission district for 10 years. I finally “escaped” a few years back and have had the opportunity to get to go a number of other neighbors hoods in the city. I say ‘escaped’ because those 10 years were spent near 16th and Mission (Hoff street to be exact) where I got to know a very special part of the Missions heritage. Aside from the latin culture which originally drew me to the neighborhood, I had to learn about the legacy of heroin at that particular address. I never partook in the drug personally but I watched it’s effects daily on the world around me.
I also watched the Mission nightlife transform during my time there. My proximity to 16th and Valencia meant that I watched this artist backwater enclave change from a unknown destination to the one of the most known destinations in the city.
I would like to introduce Polly in these shots. I knew right away that I wanted to explore the Mission I knew with her. Ironically chose a number of locations I’ve spent very little time in. Glen Park (not the Mission at all), the Saint Francis Diner and the Suger Lump Cafe on 24th street.