Mission St, Mission District

Here is what is funny about Mission Street. Despite the fact that it has an entire, major San Francisco neighborhood named in its honor, this major road is anything but symbolic of what the neighborhood now represents. What was once a neighborhood of immigrants, many of whom were first-generation from Mexico, is now a community of hipsters, trendsetters, and young people trying to just "get by" in the city. Gentrification is practically symbolic of the neighborhood, but Mission maintains its traditional roots.

Chain establishments are about as common as coffee shops (read: NONE), but nonetheless, there are still some great finds. Here are a few:

Yoga to the People, just off of Mission on 16th Street, offers donation-based yoga multiple times a day. The studio is sprawling, the teachers are great, and the views of the city are a reminder of the great place we are in.

Taqueria Cancun, just north of 19th Street, has the absolute best Mexican food I have had north of Santa Barbara. I have at least two friends who agree. It is the greasy spoon, down-home food that is emblematic of late-night dining. So good!

And hey, you can probably still find a relatively cheap place to live here, too. If you are looking for nightlife, head over to nearby Valencia.

It is virtually impossible to fully capture or even summarize all the nuances of the such a long street as this. Mission street, however, has at least two distinct sections, the section where it begins in the financial district and the second portion in the neighborhood which bears its name.

In the financial district, Mission Street is much cleaner looking alternative to Market Street, which it parallels. Mission is virtually all glassy office buildings whose cool exteriors hide the financial dealings within. There are, of course, more than its share of older brick buildings, that look squat and heavy next to the newer high rises. Occasionally, in this urban setting there are touches of elegance and even beauty. For me, I like the appearance, for example of the restaurant that begins our journey on Mission, the Boulevard Restaurant. Its separate booths are so displayed so you can see their individualization from the street, each tinted window with its own blue awnings. The first floor roof is topped with a classical cornice before it gives way to red brick. A lovely detail. You could really spend all day admiring such details on this street and perhaps many of the homeless who wander it have noticed these. The business people who rush along to their next financial deals certainly don’t seem to have the time to appreciate such subtleties.

You will find an Academy of Art College and the Cartoon Museum just off Mission as well as the Rincon Center, the Jewish Museum, and the Metreon. My next favorite part however is where St. Patrick’s church sits across from the Yerba Buena gardens. The juxtaposition of one of the oldest structures in the City with this most modern of parks in the financial district is quite striking.

After the Court House, the buildings get smaller and seem more worn down, the street narrows and you start to get more gang tags. Mission is undergoing a metamorphosis as it reaches Van Ness and prepares to turn south.

The Mission mural at the Arriba Juntos Building just past a red brick monstrosity near 14th street announces this strange new area. Large eyes stare out at you from the short two story building, as if to say they are watching you as much as you are watching them. Even the gang tags start to take on a more artistic quality at this point—as if they are aware they must compete with the magnificent murals of the area.

Beyond this point, however, you start to get adult movie stores, taquarias and cheap motels. The financial district is well behind you now. You no longer feel quite like you are in the United States. You start getting places with strangely opaque names like the Blue Macaw and the Dark Room Theater. Are they bars, or strip clubs? They don’t bother to tell, inviting to you to come and explore at your own risk.

As Mission starts nearing its end, things start to brighten up again. Buildings are more colorful and more taken care of. It becomes clear that you are in a neighborhood transitioning from a blighted area to a newly gentrified one. Yet another sign of the juxtaposition of city life where new and old mix, not always in a seemless manner.

Predictably, perhaps, Missions Street runs through the heart of San Francisco's Mission neighborhood. Both the street and the neighborhood are likely named after the historic Mission Dolores nearby. Missions Street is the flip side of Valencia Street, which it parallels. It's far less gentrified and yuppy-ish, and offers a more authentic side of life in this largely Hispanic neighborhood.

A busy and colorful street, it's populated by taquerias, groceries, inexpensive shops, Mexican bakeries, and other neighborhood staples. It's a good neighborhood for bargains!

The less attractive flip side of Mission Street life are the occasionally less savory types loitering around, but if you're not too delicate it's an interesting part of San Francisco to visit. And convenient, too, with plent of bus lines and BART stops at 16th and 24th Street.

Mission St. is basically the heart of the Latino Culture in the Mission District. It’s not the cleanest street, but there are some great little shops and the best taquerias in city, hands down. I am a huge fan of El Farolito. They have great food for a great price. The restaurants that look a little weary are always the best authentic Mexican you can find. I also worked on Mission in SOMA. This is much cleaner with big office buildings around. Also there is a great park on Mission called Yerba Buena. This is a great spot to relax and take a break from work. Also sometimes, they have free musical performance on Thursday during the day there. If you’re around the area then, check it out.

Mission Street is the main street in the heart of the Pilipino/Latino community in San Francisco. It has authentic, delicious Mexican food that is not some byproduct of a huge corporation like Taco Bell. It is a friendly community, where many people go to church over the weekends, and will usually grab a bite to eat afterwards. There are bakeries, nail salons, produce stores, and miscellaneous shops. There are a large number of schools nearby, so living near this street would be beneficial to your children. However, this street is mostly occupied by small, independent businesses, and isn’t quite a residential street. The Excelsior Public Library is on this street, so free books are accessible.

A very busy street that runs all through San Francisco to Daly City. You can find just about anything you’ll need to find on this street. One of the busier streets in downtown. It is safe in some areas and not so safe in others. It has anything from the Metreon theatre to a dry cleaners. Very Latino based around 24th St. Filled with some of the best Hispanic restaurants in the city. Nightlife is great on this street as well. One of the more popular streets of San Francisco. Definitely a street you should visit if you are a tourist or from out of town.

Mission Street in the historic Mission District offers a Latino cultural flavor in an organic setting of the older sections of town. No glossy, slick, suits here to homogenize things. Good food can be found in several restaurants. One favorite is La Taquiera on Mission St. FYI: Women make sure you have safe transportation if you linger too long after dark.

Mission street is a central hub for Latino art and culture as well as nightlife, great food, and well priced groceries. Having grown up on this street my whole life, I have a first-hand experience of the greatest things it has to offer. While it may seem more adult-friendly, the Mission district is home to the Mission Cultural Center for Latino Arts, a community-based art and music center for people of all ages to explore. The streets are alive and full of color from murals to street performances to vendors from all different parts of Central and South America. You can definitely find what i consider the best Mexican restaurant in all of San Francisco, La Corneta. It is extremely accessible, and downtown is just a bus ride away. Affordable and Lively, it is easily one of the most memorable streets of San Francisco.

Mission street has great Latio food that anyone with a spicy craving and enjoy. With all these good places to eat, Mission street still has its bad parts. Mission street smells like urine when I walk there and has a lot of homeless people on the streets. The road condition is really bad because of all the pot holes and the sidewalk is not any better. The houses there are mostly all apartments and are so small. The city really needs to help clean up this part of the city. This is not the first place I would direct a tourist to go to if this were this first time coming to San Francisco.

Mission Street

I have lived and grown up on Mission St. It is one of the most accessible and major streets of San Francisco covering over 8 miles. Several public bus lines as well as underground Bart (trains) run on Mission St.-the main bus line is the number 14. Mission Street has the most affordable and oldest housing in San Francisco-in fact it is one of the most historical streets in the San Francisco. There are some houses and more apartments and although they are not the best in San Francisco, many are not as bad as the slums. The upper part of Mission Street extends from the border of Daly City to Silver St. and is mostly residential with some schools, Hispanic restaurants and oriental supermarkets and clothing stores. The heart of Mission is the busiest and most crowded and extends from Silver to 14th Street and is filled with schools, apartments and Hispanic, Asian, Middle Eastern and exotic businesses and supermarkets. Mission Street is filled with diverse businesses that sell a variety of merchandise ranging from clothing to furniture at the most affordable prices in San Francisco. Mission’s lower part covers the area from 14th Street all the way to downtown San Francisco and has mostly local and corporate businesses and a few apartment buildings. Although Mission Street offers a culturally diverse and enriching environment, I believe the upper Mission is safer than the heart when it comes to raising children. Gang activity is common in the areas where Mission crosses 18th St. and 24th St., since those areas have schools and competitions, but in general Mission St. is a mediocre area for raising families.

San Francisco is made up of many diverse neighborhoods. Mission Street runs all across San Francisco and into the neighboring city of Daly CIty. It is essentially the oldest and most historical street in San Francisco. Yet, this street has been poorly cared for and has seemed to worsen throughout the years.
The part of Mission Street located near Downtown is very ugly and dangerous at night. It is full of old buildings and homeless people. Many sketchy people just stand along the street the whole day. If you go down Mission Street more towards cross streets like 16th Street and 24th Street, you hit the true heart of the Mission District. The streets here are packed with cars, people, and stores. It is very hectic to drive in this area, and personally I avoid driving here. There are always people J-walking and double parked cars. It takes a long time to find parking and most of it is metered. The streets are also very polluted and on some corners you might even see gang members.
Despite these bad aspects the Mission District does have much to offer. It is full of small stores for the most part and has several Authentic Latino restaurants. If you are ever craving a truly Latino meal, Mission Street is the place to go. You can get a range of different foods from countries such as Nicaragua, Brazil, Peru, El Salvador, Mexico and many more. The prices of the meals are very reasonable for their superb taste.
This area is also rich with dance studios that provide salsa lessons and many more traditional Latino dances. Every year the famous parade of Carnaval takes place in this area. It is a time when the whole city celebrates and embraces Mission and the different countries and cultures that have influenced the neighborhood. It is truly a unique experience.
Overall, Mission Street is always full with people and cars, though store generally close early. A trip to the Mission District will be a unique experience. You can truly get a feel for the Latin American culture in this neighborhood. Sadly, the city has not done a good job with its upkeep of Mission Street.

This hispanic neighborhood is popular with the young and hip types of people because of it's low rent and close proximity to the Bart. Great burritos, pizza, and vintage clothing shops. It is a very small scene in this neighborhood. Cheap rent and a great friendly community. Streets are a bit dirty, but it is an up and comer.!

Just by looking at the name of this street, most will be able to tell what type of street, Mission and the Mission District is. It is a Latino-based street where the heart of Latino culture lies in. The street is very large and runs all the way into Daly City from downtown San Francisco. Although the street is very lengthy, one can tell from almost all parts of Mission Street that it is predominantly Latino. There are certain exceptions however.

Shops, stores, and restaurants are aplenty on Mission Street. Almost all the way down the street, you will see action going on and there isn’t really any parts of Mission Street that are very dull. Mission Street and District aren’t the safest neighborhoods in San Francisco especially focusing around 24th street where Latino gangs do reside.

Traffic isn’t the best, but it isn’t the worst on Mission. Housing on and nearby Mission Street is plentiful and usually consist of townhouses or flats.