The Curbed Cup, our award to the San Francisco neighborhood of the year, is kicking off with 16 'hoods competing for a glorious JPEG of an illustrated trophy. This week we'll have two matchups per day, and all the results and full tournament bracket will be reviewed on Friday. Voting for each pairing ends in the wee hours the next morning. Let the eliminations commence!
The Mission heads in as the people's choice because it received the most reader nods (via comments and e-mail) and frankly, we write about it more than any other neighborhood. As does our sister site, Eater SF, that covers all things culinary. The New York Times loves it and the Wall Street Journal is still trying to figure it out. There are new parks being planned. Valencia Street got a makeover. New restaurants keep opening up and older ones continue to thrive. It's even possible that the oldest house in San Francisco might just be in the Mission. And, of course, Banksy left his mark there. But no neighborhood is perfect. Some readers think it's reached its peak. But as one Curbed reader put it, "the Mission sports a sunny disposition, sparkling wit, and raging sex appeal. The Mission has it all."
And in the other corner, The Curbed Cup's scrappy underdog, Dogpatch. It's home to some hot food spots, and hey, hey, hey! It's got some waterfront. Sure, it's smaller than the Mission, but as one commenter put it: "Dogpatch. It's the new Mission."
· All Curbed Cup 2010 coverage [Curbed SF]
[The Mission photo via; Dogpatch photo via.]