Urban Art In The Mission

If you like street art and graffiti, a visit to San Francisco’s Mission District is a must.

The area is colourful, to put it mildly. Some people may say it borders on grungy, shady and seedy, but hey, Vancouver’s downtown east side is way worse. It actually reminded me a little of Commercial Drive – albeit a little rougher.

Clarion Alley is sandwiched between Mission and Valencia Streets. On the Mission side of the street, I’m not going to candy coat it, it’s rough looking. Which is why my cousin Kat, Wes and my uncle Navy did not recommend that I go walking around there alone.

Which is why I went with my cousin Kim. We’re both adventuresome, have similar interests and are not afraid try new things, even if it takes us out of our comfort zone. She would never put me in a risky situation, anyways.

Hell, if I can take the G train to Bedford Stuyvesant late at night, by myself…

This is in complete contrast to the Valencia side of the street. It’s hipster central, with trendy shops and restaurants, clean (compared to the Mission side) and tourist-friendly.

The stark difference, separated by just one block.

We started on the Mission side, walked through Clarion Alley, up Valencia and back into the Mission District to find more street art. It’s everywhere. A ton of walking and here’s what I saw:

The Mission District is more Lower East Side in New York, rather than 5th Avenue, Oxford Circus or Champs-Elysee, but worth a visit. Don’t be put off by the pee smell, noises, grittiness and the handful of residents, who on the surface may come across as intimidating, there’s a lot of great murals to view here.