Welcome to SFNeighborhoodblog

San Francisco is a city of neighborhoods, each with distinct characteristics, attitudes, problems, resources and possibilities. From the Sunset to South Beach, San Francisco State University to Bay View/Hunters Point, these communities and their residents together make San Francisco one of the world's most engaging cities.


View Larger Map

Blog Archive

The Neighborhoods of San Francisco

Click on the links below to learn more about the following neighborhoods:

Tuesday, May 12, 2009

Mama's

I know that anyone who lives in this city has their favorite spot. It's the place where they would go all the time if they were able. It's the place that makes San Francisco a place worth living. Some people love eating cotton candy at the Wharf. Others like to get a book and waste an afternoon at Dolores Park. However, I like Mama's Art Cafe in the Excelsior. I'm well aware that the bustling cosmopolitan that is San Francisco has a number of sights and activities to offer anyone willing to find them. For me I have simple tastes which Mama's satisfies. It's completely sunlit. The walls are a bright charismatic green with paintings of a woman vaguely reminiscent of Diego Rivera's work. there is a large couch and large tables that force customers to sit with one another and get to know someone new. Aside from the fact that the cafe has free wi-fi which makes it an excellent place to study, the cafe features a different artist each month so there is always something new to look at. There's always a very calming feeling inside. The most attractive part of the cafe is the fact that most of the people who come here know one another. Each time I've gone in there I've ended up having two-hour long conversations with complete strangers. The people that I've met there have lived there for years and their families are rooted in the neighborhood for  three or four generations. The cafe has a spirit that is welcoming because the people are completely warm and inviting. Everyone that is there loves their city, but more importantly they love their neighborhood. They see the Excelsior for its faults but they have a love for it despite those imperfections. It is always refreshing to be around people who have an genuine enthusiasm for a particular thing no matter what that thing may be. I appreciate it since this enthusiasm is not something that I encounter in others often. Perhaps if I go there enough their enthusiasm will rub off on me. One can only hope, right?

No comments:

Post a Comment