The Curbed Cup, our annual award for the San Francisco neighborhood of the year, is kicking off with 16 areas vying for the prestigious (fake) trophy. This week we'll have two matchups per day, and all the results and the full tournament bracket will be reviewed on Friday. Voting for each pairing ends 24 hours after it begins. Let the eliminations commence!
Though it's already a destination for everything from the annual Burning Man decompression party to biodiesel (shoutout to Dogpatch Biofuels), along with beloved staples like Piccino and Just for You, Dogpatch still feels a bit like a frontier neighborhood. And with Pier 70 poised to remake itself as a waterfront destination, the neighborhood feels very much alive with possibility. This year saw the opening of Magnolia brewery, and Philz announced plans to open an HQ in the neighborhood, with a storefront shop at Milwheel North. Readers wrote in to brag about their local cheese shop, La Fromagerie, and the opening of the new BBQ joint Smokestack. "Loved the neighborhood already, and 2014 has just brought more and more good things," writes one resident. Adds another: "Plus, we have the coolest most unique name in the city!"
Like the numbers of people lining up outside Tartine and Bi-Rite, the Mission's highlights are almost too numerous to count. Since we'll no doubt infuriate someone by leaving out one neighborhood institution or another—burrito wars can get awfully ugly!—we'll just say that if there's something you want in the Mission, you can probably find it, unless it's an apartment for less than a gajillion dollars. Neighborhood rents were up 20 percent this year—compared with 13.5 percent citywide—and as ever, one of SF's sunniest districts remained the place to go to fight over playground etiquette, shadows, and, of course, condos.
· Previous Coverage of Pier 70 [Curbed SF]
· Magnolia Dogpatch and Smokestack Are Finally Here [Eater SF]
· Massive Philz Coffee HQ Headed to the Dogpatch [Eater SF]
· Milwheel North Condos in Dogpatch Selling Rapidly [Curbed SF]
· Yikes, Rents in SF Went Up Yet Another 13.4 Percent in 2014 [Curbed SF]
· Let's All Maybe Chill Out About the Mission Soccer Field Thing? [SF Mag]
· It Takes a Village to Raise a Child Out of a Condo Tower Shadow [Curbed SF]
· Yes, It's True: The Elbo Room Is on Its Way to Becoming Condos [Curbed SF]