tales from the wall

Where was Scott McKenzie when he wrote ’If you’re going to San Francisco, be sure to wear flowers in your hair.’ Was he laying in a park in Haight Ashbury, did he hang, totally stoned, somewhere in Amsterdam, or was he perhaps sitting on the pavement in The Mission District?

The Mission District is, put in the words of director Peter Bratt of the movie La Mission, A thorn from which a flower emerges. Rough and spiky but alive and oh so colorful.

The Mission is where once upon a time a Spanish priest sowed the seed of what would become San Francisco. Though The Mission is where the city was established, it blossomed in other parts. But the flower children have grown up, flower power exchanged for the color of money. Haight Ashbury has become a golden cage filled with idealistic memories and gradually the city turns into a place you need to be able to afford.

But a city needs rough edges. Edges that can be polished so they will shine. The Mission is such a place. It is rough, it is edgy and yes, it shines bright with colors. With The Castro district by its side, The Mission is where you want to be if you are going to San Francisco.

So don’t let urban legends about drive-bys or violent gangs stop you. Just be streetwise like in every major city across the world. You’ll be rewarded with a wonderful mix of scents, colors, people and Latin American culture.

Culture that is being told by the wall of The Mission. Since the walls are where the stories of its people are told. The district is a living masterpiece full of giant murals. Religion, history and social issues dominate the streets. Pride, tears, joy, questions and answers are painted in murals. Wall after wall, street after street.

So, if you’re going to San Francisco, get to The Mission. You’re gonna meet some gentle people there.

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