Day One

24th Street

24th Street from Potrero to Valencia is the beating heart of the Mission District. Start out at 1 Brava Theater Center in the old York Theater (2789 24th St.; 647-2822), home of Brava! For Women in the Arts. The theater has been transformed into a community staging area for theatrical productions.

On the next corner is 2 St. Francis Fountain and Candy Store (2801 24th St.; 826-4200), the oldest business on the street, opened in 1918. More than an ice cream shop, it’s where the idea for the 49ers football team was hatched. And where you can still get a pretty fair shake. 3 Roosevelt Tamale Parlor (2817 24th St.; 824-2600), opened 85 years ago, was the first Mexican restaurant on the street. Before new owners took over in 2006, only two families had owned this modest Mission District institution. The house specialty, of course, doesn’t disappoint.

After lunch, walk over to a section of the Mission where the streets reflect the neighborhood’s amusement-park past and the buildings exhibit the Latin culture’s colorful present. Two racetracks once gave the southeast quadrant of the Mission its identity. Old-timers say that two alleys in the area —
4 Balmy (between Treat and Harrison, and 24th and 25th streets) and 5 Lucky (between Folsom and Treat, and 24th and 26th streets) — were named for racehorses stabled there. Today, many of the Mission’s murals adorn these alleys.

The top spot for art in the Mission is a pair of storefronts through which the contemporary scene passes: 6 Galería de la Raza (2857 24th St.; 826-8009). At the Galería are changing exhibitions of cutting-edge Chicano and Latino arts. The art-with-an-agenda billboard on the Bryant Street side of the building changes regularly to promote new shows at the Galería and creatively communicate with the community.

Kitty-corner is 7 La Palma Mexicatessen (2884 24th St.; 647-1500) where you can watch nimble-handed tortilla makers pat out pudgy maize disks and grill them on an open hearth. Get some to go with the carnitas, chile rellenos or other selections from the modest takeout menu, then picnic nearby at the 24th St. Mini Park surrounded by colorful murals steeped in the Mexican heritage.

In the next block, fruit and vegetable stores and meat markets are cheek by jowl, like a mercado in Mexico. The Alabama Street intersection is dulces central. 8 La Victoria Bakery (2937 24th St.; 642-7120) has the finest array of pan dulce in the Mission. 9 Dominguez Bakery (2951 24th St.; 821-1717) offers a similar selection of the not-too-sweet, sugar-encrusted breads. For the gooier good stuff, try 10 Sweet Heart Bakery across the street (2956 24th St.; 826-0876).

11 Discolandia (2964 24th St.; 826-9446) features CDs from major Mexican, Latino artists; much music from Peru; and packed racks of Spanish-language magazines. The rear of the store is given over to greeting cards in Spanish for every occasion.

Walls speak in the Mission. 12 The Precita Eyes Mural Arts Center has a gallery (2981-24th St.; 285-2287) and offers regular tours of the neighborhood, one of which includes more than 75 murals along an eight-block walk.

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