Shhhhh. It's a secret!…read more Loved this place! Ended up there for Halloween and was so happy to see everyone there in like minded fashion had dressed up in thoughtful and original costumes. No store bought sexy nascar mechanics or purple hatted pimps here. Everything about the place exudes cool, right down the giant doomsday ray in the downstairs lobby.

I've been wanting to check this place out since I read about the Halloween show they put on…read more First, once you find the front door, you must wait for them to come downstairs and unlock the gate and the door for you. Then you're directed down a long hallway, up two flights of stairs, then down a shorter hallway then you're suddenly inside what can only be described as the best makeshift treehouse you can imagine. Your 8-year-old self is in heaven! I was in awe of this place when I walked in. It's small, but they still managed to put so, so much into it! There's a portion of a ship coming out of the wall and a captain's room next to it stuffed with books I've never heard of and many, many comic books with paintings and a roll-top desk. You go a bit further inside, seeing many, many posters and paintings throughout the way, then there's the world's tiniest bar to your left with the 1970's style black and white tile chipping away on the floor in front of it. To your right there will be the world's tiniest skate ramp with another room at the top of it. That's right, in order to get inside that tiny room, you'd have to climb up the skate ramp, like you would a slide that we all attempted to climb up as kids on a playground. In the very back of that room is the stage, and to the right of the stage is, yes, that tree house everyone has talked about. There is just such a vintage feel to this place, like you're going back in time. It's simply beautiful. On this particular night, we all had the enjoyment of listening to oldies from the '50's and the '60's while we all had cheap beer and played Berlin Style ping-pong. Everyone had a blast, whether we were awesome at ping-pong or terrible at it, we all had the time of our lives! I HIGHLY recommend going at least once to check it out. Once you find it, it's worth it! I can't wait until their next event, and it's so close to the 16th and Mission BART station! The Secret Alley should be on everyone's bucket list.

I remember the ballot measures to make City College free. I voted "yes" especially since it allows…read morelower income families access to a college degree. City College of San Francisco really is a city treasure. My son's currently taking classes at CCSF to augment study in math, science and literature - and he'll get full credit once he's in the UC system. I had no idea of that huge financial benefit. He can check off core college classes he'll need and start learning at an accelerated college level now. City College of San Francisco offers a phenomenal advantage and gives him a jump on earning his degree.

Can't believe there aren't more reviews ... of this institution. Really bummed that they left Fort…read moreMason, such a travesty. (Although it was timed well to coincide with Covid, since in-person art classes could no longer be held.) While the range of classes remains respectable, CCSF's continuous budget crisis/mismanagement has led to the cancellation of many classes and programs. Another travesty. For those who enroll, their website is a nightmare to navigate. And yet, their online learning platform, Canvas, is quite manageable. Contradictions abound. Hope the institution survives.

This is San Francisco - old dudes stand around chuck nekkid at #datoneintersectiondoe in the…read moreCastro. #nobromo And Haring, Mondrian, and the first 4 mins of #watershipdown can legally marry. #stillnobromo Well those 3 DID marry, and this is their spawn. Yeah, as in badazz black dude back from the dead w wildinout powers n chain tentacles n stizz.

We took Waymo to Excelsior because hubby didn't want to walk up hill anymore and it was like 2.2…read moremiles from Visitation branch. It's got children section, teen, CD, movies, laptops to borrow, copy machine, restrooms. Small patio in the back. Good for folks in the neighborhood.

The San Francisco library in my neighborhood told me I can't post any PLB related flyers. The…read morelibrary employee told me, "you can't post any of your documents to our community board." It was kinda my fault for not asking first hand. Before placing it randomly on the table. But at the same time, they were treating me low-key like a pariah. When there's other people posting cool stuff on the table of flyers and all. But I was being "it is what is is" towards that library employee, even though I didn't necessarily agree with that. They didn't give me a specific reason for not allowing me too. Maybe they didn't like the content of the promotional materials related to Patrick Lew Band. I don't do PG rated music or Youtube videos. But I see how it is. That's fine with me. The good thing is, they didn't ban my printing privileges at any San Francisco library. If that were the case, that's when all the boundaries are crossed. I go to the library often to print documents online on my computer. I utilize most of my library visits in San Francisco for that alone. I print online at the library a lot because I don't like the cost and maintenance of printing things directly at home. But they do have a good selection of physical media here. I actually like this location more than the Ingleside branch because it's more spaced out and not as narrow in size and area. I only give this branch the 3 star review because of the lady who worked here who insisted I cannot place any of my band's flyers here anymore, based on experience dealing with her.

About Kenny Alley Stairs: Kenny Alley is a public passage…read moreand stariway in the heart of Excelsior District's commercial corridor. In 2015 the friends of Kenny Alley organization was formed by neighbors who wished to see the space rehabilitated and beautified. The waterscape mural was designed by local artist and teacher Matt Christensen. The waterfall and Kenny Alley Gateway mosaics were designed by artist and teacher Kim Jensen and fabricated by students of City Arts and Tech high school and countless neighborhood volunteers. The project was made possible by Community Challenge Grant, SF Public Works, SF Parks Alliance, Excelsior Collaborative, Excelsior Action Group and the many individual donors, artists and volunteers. I happen to see this stairs/alleyway while we went to grab take out nearby, it was pretty nice to see this. I loved seeing the nice and blue decorations on the stairs. We walked up to see what is up there, took some photos, and went back down. Beware there was a person sleeping on the stairs and there was a mess/ lots of rubbish, empty alcohol bottles. Hate to see the mess in such a nice area where everyone put such in so much time & love in to this project. There are CD disc hanging, made place so shiny. Enjoyed looking at the garden & painting before at alley before going up to the stairs. Great, cool, and quick spot to check out, only if you're in the area or even to take a short cut to the neighborhood via the stairs.

What's the frequency, Kenny? Gee, I was beginning to think Aileen Barr and Colette Crutcher had the…read morecorner on all the mosaic tile staircases in the city. The 16th Avenue Tiled Steps are their handiwork and so are the nearby Hidden Garden Steps and the Lincoln Park Steps. However, it's Kim Jensen who was responsible for this semi-hidden passage between Mission and London Streets in the Excelsior. Completed in late 2016, the blue and reflective silver tiles covering the 47 steps are designed to replicate a waterfall. There are nature murals and rows of cacti on the surrounding fences to supplement the bucolic feeling the creators wanted to evoke. The one challenge is upkeep as a roaming homeless population appears to make themselves home on the available benches periodically. Art is where you find it, I guess. RELATED - Exploring the Outer Mission? Here's a collection of places I've visited and reviewed: https://bit.ly/37B1acE

Gentrification is a problem that is vastly growing in San Francisco. What most see as urban…read moreexpansion and renovation, others see as a threat to their way of life. Recently art has been slowly starting to play a role in developer's agendas to gentrify the city, expanding their reach beyond. Art like Bayview Rise (2014). The piece Is a massive 8 story tall mural painted onto the side of a silo. The mural is out of place in the area, not looking anything like the complex it is apart of. A very vibrant colorful piece. It is made up of geometric patterns that come together to create different images. The shapes depict Red balloons rising upward, a large Green bird that takes up most of the piece, blue arrows that rise upward with the balloons, and the head of a Cow in the bottom left corner. Although the mural is made up with just geometric images, they're use of perspective makes the mural line up with the skyline, as if the balloons are rising in the distance while the bird is flying through them. Bayview Rise is a piece that can only be fully appreciated at it's peak, after hours. When the sunsets and the sky go black, the work is illuminated by hues of spotlights that bring out the patterns. When the red spotlight shines, the red painted hot air balloons burst outward. When the light fades from red to a hue of blue, the transition slowly brings emphasis on the green painted swan, transitioning away from the balloons. Bayview Rise was created in 2014 by Laura Haddad and Tom Drugan. They created it as a interaction of color and light, with imagery about and for the community, presenting the patterns as" symbols of the neighborhood's changing economy, ecology, and community as well as its past, present, and future, symbolizing a community in transformation." 1The project was commissioned by San Francisco Southern Waterfront Beautification Project. Their main mission being to conserve and repurpose historic buildings on the waterfront. 2 Bayview Rise Is an example of a new age in public art. Light art, becoming more and more popular in the city since its interest peaked with the installation of The Bay lights (2013). While this new addition to San Francisco's art scene is beautiful, that is exactly the problem. As David Harvey put's it best, "the scandalous alleys disappear to the accompaniment of lavish self- praise by the bourgeoisie on account of this tremendous success, but they appear again immediately somewhere else."3This piece is beautifying the area, but at a tremendous cost. Bayview Rise has shined a spotlight on the Bayview district and has now attracted the lavish lifestyles to come in and take over. The area is already the "epicenter of San Francisco's shrinking African American population" according to writer Dan Moshenberg from womeninandbeyond.org, where Jessica Williams was killed due to stricter push on urban redevelopment.4 Hunt projects, a rental fabrication space for aspiring fabricators and artists only a few blocks away from Bayview Rise, has becoming more and more expensive to rent space each year, more so than it has before. Not only is rent starting to go up, but the artists have been told that studio rent will be available for only two more years before the site is sold off. The beginning signs of more development. Not only have plans for a more luxurious area been planned for the future, but more luxurious lifestyles are already starting to take effect. an example would be the installation of an art gallery within one of the worn our warehouse spaces next to hunt projects. Outside looks just like the rest of the area, but inside it is a beautiful space packed with young, white, aspiring artists, and outside, security guards stand watch at the entrance. This is a sign that so called progress has started to come to the area. Bayview Rise is so far acting as a "band aid" to the Bayview district, not only that, it according to Judith Baca, is using "beauty as a false promise of inclusion" by playing on these developers agendas 5. This piece was commissioned by the port of San Francisco according to the artist team Haddad Drugans Website, so it's reasonable to assume that this was made with ulterior motives . The artist incorporates beauty as a false promise of conclusion through the imagery used in the work, stating Its geometric pattern weaves together symbols of the neighborhood's changing economy, ecology, and community as well as its past, present, and future, symbolizing a community in transformation."1It's Ironic that these are the traits that the artist depicted , making this work a representation for the community. But this is still a band aid, it is slapped in an area to make it better, more appealing. While the story is that the work is made to represent the community, in the end it is only for those who want to see the city little more beautiful, not the residents of it.

Totally responsive upon initial request. Came and looked at job, very quick with quote. Very fair…read moreprice. Work is quite outstanding, down to minutest detail. Very agreeable to work with, had 5-6 exchanges of ideas, with John the customer is the driver, John delivers what he says he will in the time he says it will take. HIGHLY RECOMMEND for mural work, small scale (mine 250 sq ft), or large.

Very creative, professional, easy to work with, and the work is very widely appealing.read more

If you walk fast, you can easily miss this side street that's filled with incredible street art…read more After having lunch in the Mission I decided to take a walk and check out the area. I'm always driving through, getting whether I need and leave. I realize just how much culture and awesome things I miss by not walking around. You can easily spend 30 mins here because there are so many murals, each one being unique on its own. If you're looking for something to do on the weekend, check this street out if you haven't before and get lunch nearby!

I recently learned about the public art collection along Balmy Street in SF, and decided to check…read moreit out this past weekend. Loved the artwork along the fences and garages, diverse and colorful murals created by a range of artists, focusing mainly on the topic of human rights, but everchanging and updated over time... I even found one with bunnies (if you look hard enough to notice) - Victorion, El Defensor de la Misión by Sirron Norris. According to the Balmy Street Murals main website, they apparently have a guided tour through Precita Eyes, but it probably wouldn't take more than 15 minutes to explore on your own and appreciate the talent on display. It's mostly in decent condition, and the area is typical of the Mission district, there was one homeless person we saw along the block and the smell of urine while walking through a small part, but other than that, it was clean and comfortable enough to enjoy the brief stretch of street art, and convenient after shopping at one of the stores nearby.

An outdoor art experience, for sure!…read more I read that many of the murals along this alley have political undertones to them -- had I not known that going in, I might have looked at the murals in a different way. There is a ton of talent displayed on these walls, garages and doors. I also noticed that a few murals have expanded to the streets directly left and right of here - kind of extending the experience. Worth a stroll through. To be honest though -- I'm not great at interpreting a lot of their meanings, but do plan to do a little more research. Note: I was here a little early (9am-ish) on a Saturday. I had the alley to myself, along with one gentleman in the middle of the street who may have been on some substances (based on his behavior). I overall felt safe... but was a little put off by him and did walk past him on the quicker side. 2024: 69/100

Clarion Alley is a super impressive free outdoor mural gallery from local artists. I got lucky and…read morewas invited into the studio of one of them as I was walking by, admiring the pieces. There are a range of messages and meanings, but almost every single one revolved around a social justice matter. Prioritise this alleyway if you're visiting SF!