The Valencia location of Curry Up Now is requiring customers to answer one of history’s greatest questions when tipping: Biggie or Tupac?

When answering such a question, one must begin by determining what criteria is being evaluated.  As both men were hip-hop artists, it would at first appear to be a meritorious evaluation of their output.  But perhaps a greater rivalry is at play here, as suggested by the relative placement of the two tip bins; Tupac is to the left of Mr. Smalls, which is indicative of their representation of West Coast vs. East Coast  hip-hop, respectively.

As a customer I was not inclined to take a stand in this battle as I appreciate both artist’s work equally.  Working in my favor is the particular nature of the tip jar vs. the conceptual nature of duality; as duality in an of itself cannot be manifested in physical form, thus a binary answer cannot be enforced.

So I ripped my dollar in two and put half in each.

Burrito Justice and Bernalwood bring word of a proposed new look for the south tip of Valencia: less pavement, more plants.  The Mission & Valencia Green Gateway project is spearheaded by the city's water department with the goal of reducing the amount of rainwater going into the city's overworked combined sewer system.  Aside from plants the plan calls for replacing parking and walking surfaces with “permeable pavement,” or as people who aren't city planners would say, cobblestone.

Also on the bill are wider sidewalks and a road diet at the confusing intersection of Mission and Valencia.  The image above seems to indicate green bike lanes may go in as well (though that isn't mentioned in the official literature.)

There's an open house Tuesday evening where SFPUC will be presenting more details:

What: Mission and Valencia Green Gateway Community Open House #2 
When: Tuesday, July 9, 2013, 4:00pm to 8:00pm
Where: Mission Cultural Center for Latino Arts
2868 Mission Street (between 24th and 25th), San Francisco, CA 94110

For more on the greenification of Valencia, visit the official project page.

What do you think, dear readers: Is this a positive change for the area?  Or might this be another example of the city remaking itself too cool for its own good?  Or should the city go a step further, and turn Valencia Street into a giant park?

UPDATE: Streetsblog has a recap of Tuesday's open house and more details on the project.

Scene from June 2012's shooting.

According to the Chronicle, one man was killed and another three men were shot outside Double Dutch in the waning hours of Independence Day celebrations:

24-year-old man was killed and three other men were injured in an early morning shooting Friday outside a bar in San Francisco's Mission District, authorities said.

Police said the assailant approached a group, pulled out a handgun and opened fire outside Double Dutch, a bar near 16th and Guerrero streets around 1:30 a.m.

This follows a “savage beating” and shooting fatality outside the same club in early June 2012, which we reported at the time, “patrons of nearby Kilowatt claimed to witness a 'savage beating' and shooting outside of Double Dutch at 16th and Guerrero.  Supposedly, after beating the victim to the ground, one of the attackers pushed a 9mm handgun in his chest and shot him.”

According to Mission Local, police described the suspect as “medium build, 6 feet 1 inch tall, between the ages of 25 and 30” and wearing a wearing a white shirt and white bandana.  He remains at large.

I've always felt that 24th Street is one of the most beautiful commercial corridors in the city, but apparently Mayor Lee doesn't agree.  So the mayor is rolling out a $50,000 fund this summer to beautify one of the last unspoiled treasures in the neighborhood and, naturally, the local business community is skeptical of the plan.  Mission Local reports:

“What’s made 24th Street vibrant over the last 23 years since I’ve been here has had nothing to do with the City. It has had everything to do with the nature of the people who own businesses and shop in the neighborhood,” said Eric Eberman, a former business owner. […]

During the outreach process in 2010, the report showed that community members wanted physical improvements to the neighborhood, such as increasing the number of outdoor spaces for events, better street lighting and adding more greenery.

At a meeting last week at the Brava Theater Center, a group of nearly 30 residents and business owners almost unanimously criticized the follow-up initiative for including physical improvements to the neighborhood in its plan, but not addressing the issue of how local businesses are increasingly being affected by displacement.

“I think back in 2010 we focused more on superficial stuff, and unfortunately over the years we’ve learned that beautification equals gentrification,” said Anabelle Bolanos, a community member. “We do need lights and we do want beautiful trees, but the priorities of the neighborhood have changed.”

Read on.