Mission District, San Francisco

Mission District, San Francisco

Named for the Spanish evangelical Mission San Francisco de Asis, the Mission District was once the working-class neighborhood of San Francisco and home to Latin American immigrant families.

Named for the Spanish evangelical Mission San Francisco de Asis, the Mission District was once the working-class neighborhood of San Francisco and home to Latin American immigrant families. Post the dot-com boom, the influx of yuppies, entrepreneurs, and artists transformed the area into a hipster hub with cool cafes and bars, artists' studios, tattoo parlors, sweeping murals, trendy music shops, thrift stores, corner bodegas, and excellent taquerias. Explore the colorful neighborhood of the Mission District on a walking tour, sample some of its scrumptious culinary offerings, and bask in the offbeat atmosphere.

While Mission Street is the arterial road, the 24th Street area or Calle 24 is the cultural heart of the Mission, hosting several street fairs and parades, including First Friday ? a monthly food and art crawl involving samba dancers and live music. The Valencia Corridor from 15th to 22nd Street has stylish boutiques, nightclubs, galleries, and the 826 Valencia Writing Project, an educational work space for kids to improve their writing skills. The entire stretch upto Dolores Street in the west is dotted with trendy outlets.

At the west end is the Mission Dolores Park, the neighborhood center for social, cultural, political and sports events. It has several tennis courts, a basketball court, soccer field, children's playground, and a dog park. Two blocks to the north stands the Mission San Francisco de As?s or Mission Dolores, established as part of the California chain of missions in 1791 and the oldest surviving structure in San Francisco. Another landmark in the neighborhood is the 105 year old Moorish Revival building of the San Francisco Armory which became home to the adult studios of kink-dot-com.

The Chicano Art Movement of the 1970s inspired artists to take to the walls, and the entire neighborhood features interesting murals on various buildings. Of particular note are the murals on Balmy Alley, Clarion Alley, and the Women's Building on 18th Street, between Valencia and Guerrero streets.

No tour of the Mission District is complete without sampling a range of the famous Mission Burritos which were the original inspiration for Chipotle. Resolute locals will vehemently vouch for their preferred outlets, and you should definitely check out the offerings at the popular ones - Taqueria Canc?n, El Farolito, La Palma, Taqueria La Cumbre, and Papalote Mexican Grill. The Mission's culinary adventure doesn't just end here, as it has 5 restaurants with Michelin stars for 2017 ? Al's Place, Aster, Californios, Commonwealth, and Lazy Bear.