Gentrification?

This Poor Bastard Really Needs a Place to Live (Only in the Mission)

— By Kevin Montgomery (@kevinmonty) |

I generally ignore shit taped to poles, but I can't resist a sloth in a top hat waving at me:

Ah yes, the classic bait-and-switch.  Promise me sloth people, only to find out you have homeless fire victims in stock.  Harrumph.

But there's a sad subtext to all this… mainly, that some poor, guitar-playing artist kid from Texas cannot find anyone to take his monthly allowance of $880 in exchange for a place to live.  Completely rejected by Craig and The Lists, Kyle Welch and his friend are taping flyers appealing to sloth people on every pole, box, and parklet along Valencia:

Ever since the fire, Kyle has been looking for a place to live and has had no success.  Craigslist people won't respond, prices are rising, and opportunities are not rising for this fair fellow.  It sickens me. I believe this has a lot to do with all the tech dorks, sky-rocketing the rents in the Mission and thats [sic] just not fair.

Previously on Uptown Almanac: 

Chipotle Knockin' on the Mission's Door

— By Kevin Montgomery (@kevinmonty) |

Chipotle, America's “feel good” Taco Bell and 5th best carne asada burrito manufacturer in San Francisco, is closing in on the hallowed grounds of the Mission District.  According to Grub Street, McDiego's tenth SF location is set to open in mid-2013 at Church and Market—a mere 5 blocks away from La Cumbre, where burritos are claimed to have been invented some 43 years ago.

But this is no boring old Mission Street taqueria.  They're improving upon that stale taqueria experience with a big ass outdoor patio, beer and margarita service, fountain soda for days, and a variety of salsa.

Chipotle's spokestaco filled in Grub Street on that this means for the company's future:

“Our locations so far in the Bay Area have been in high-traffic areas or more suburban areas, and this marks the start of a move into more urban neighborhoods which we're really excited about.”

I'm not exactly sure what that means, but they're probably not planning on plopping down location #11 in Union Square.

Oh, in case you were wondering…

[Grub Street]

Previously on Uptown Almanac: