Right up there with your grandmother on Facebook and David Letterman introducing the Naked and Famous we bring you the latest listicle from Travel + Leisure magazine in which the editors attempt to quantify the hipster quotient of American cities. To wit: "They sport vintage bowling shoes and the latest tech gear—but they also know all the best places to eat and drink. Here are America’s cities with the biggest hipster scenes." Guess what, guys! We're number 3, behind Seattle and Portland.
Sigh: 'Travel + Leisure' Names SF Number-Three Hipster City
OC More Hipster Than San Francisco Or New York City, Claims Fixie Bike Index
In this our modern age where Gen X and Gen Y fight over aesthetic and street credibility (hint: Gen Y wins, but only because they have youth on their side), fixed gear bicycles have typically signified the presence of a hipster during this war. What is a fixed gear bike, you ask? Well, a "fixe" will only allow a cyclist to ride using a single gear and the only way to brake the bike is to pedal backwards to skid the bike to a stop. They're also more pleasing to the eye than, say, a Schwinn ten-speed—is that still a thing?—which could be the main reason why so many young chic freaks enjoy riding the dangerous yet unfairly maligned bike.
Photo du Jour
Hipsters vs Hippies water balloon showdown in Dolores Park on Saturday. Photo by Bhautik Joshi.
Yelp Warns Users of 'Hipster' Establishments
The indetitagible Allan Hough at Mission Mission brings us news that Yelp now offers a 'hipster' (e.g., people who call themselves 'nerds') denotation in the ambience field. As the image here shows, Gracias Madre in the Mission, it seems, is teeming with scenesters. Delightful!
Afternoon Palate Cleanser: Killing My Lobster's 'The Coffee Wars'
This gem has been all over the place this week. Local comedy group Killing My Lobster poke some major fun at our fair city's artisan coffee craze with this brilliant spoof on a Ken Burns-style documentary. Ritual, Blue Bottle, Four Barrel, and Philz are all name-checked. Our favorite line: "I killed a DJ over half a pound of French Roast."
NIMBY WATCH: Dolores Park Battle Goes Down Tonight
We here at SFist are ever the fans of civilized disagreement, and we shun all public meetings that devolve into crazy rantings by over-loud complainants, and/or shouting matches. But we just might have to show up at Mission High School tonight at 6 p.m. to watch the battle to the death between hipsters, parents, angry neighbors and the like over how Dolores Park has become too big of a sloppy party for its own good.
Wall Street Journal On Temescal
"Oakland's answer to San Francisco's Mission District," Temescal is, arguably, one of Oakland's finest neighborhoods. As Curbed noted earlier today, the WSJ review is downright intriguing, not to mention highly informative, when praising (or criticizing) the O-town hood as the latest home to yuppie/hipster hybrids.
Video: "BBC" Reports on Mission Hipsters
Cheeky "BBC correspondents" Edvan Cinque Terra and Darvid Tokishi take the piss out of Mission hipsterdom, "a culture where apathy is considered sexually attractive" (hm, sounds pretty British to us, too) in the above video. Dolores Park, t-shirts adorned with "important political discourse," and the defeat of the American Apparel store by people in tight clothing are all covered in the report.
Photo du Jour 449
The latest trend in Valencia Street wear? Toy guitars, possibly this year's version of the lunchbox.
Film du Jour: My First Earthquake's "Cool in the Cool Way"
Local crooners My First Earthquake shot a video to their new single,"Cool in the Cool Way." More or less, it's a song about hipsters. And, appropriately enough, they filmed it in SF's Mission District, a neighborhood brimming with much-maligned hip folks. The video, it seems, is an anti-hipster ode. Or it sympathizes with them. Or it's tongue-in-cheek. Or it's a meta-hipster statement that will make the universe implode upon repeated viewing. (Notions of cool aside, lead songstress Rebecca Bortman is gorgeous. She, like most women and several men, probably looks even more amazing in high heels while throwing back vodka shots at the Razz Room.)
San Francisco Hipsters: The Most Tolerable Hipsters?
Oh, the East Coast. It tickles us ever so.
Vespa Rider Seriously Injured After South Van Ness Accident
At first, before reading this story, we were ready to shake our finger at the Vespa rider in question. Lord knows we worry about you kids. But it seems she wasn't at fault. You see, last night a 24-year-old San Francisco woman was put in the hospital with life-threatening injuries while riding a Vespa on South Van Ness Avenue. It seems that "a 1994 Honda Accord, which was traveling southbound, tried to make a left turn onto 21st Street and struck the Vespa...The Accord then struck two other cars on 21st Street, Mannina said. One of those cars was pushed backward into a fifth car," according to CBS 5.
Pondering the Semiotics of Hipster Beards
Over the weekend we went to Casanova's and realized that hipster beards have achieved some sort of critical mass. It appeared that every fourth person in the bar had some sort of beard, giving the bar a high HBQ (Hipster Beard Quotient, a stat derived by dividing the number of beards per customer, multiplying it by the size of the crowd, and then dividing it again by the square footage). The HBQ was not quite Boogaloos high but high nevertheless. We also noticed that there were also a high variety of beards seen, meaning that the beard craze has gone from it's "classic" phase to "gothic" phase.
SFist Top Ten of 2007: Annoying Hipster Trends
1) Waxed Mustaches. We've seen a few guys wandering around with this look, which takes the wispy mustaches that hairless hipsters of yore sported, and turns them into pointy weapons. Rollie Fingers did it better.
SFist Tonight
Nice package.
No Power On 17th Street?
We just received word that for the past two or three days (!?), 17th Street has been without power from at least Valencia up to Dolores. Anyone else have any word of this supposed outage? Seeing as how this is one attractive and expensive strip of real estate, right at the nexus of two neighborhoods, this is of the utmost importance.
Oracle Open World Chaos to Commence
You think Hallwoeen on the Castro is a nightmare of douche-baggie proportions? Try the Oracle Open World 2007 convention, which is happening this Sunday, November 11 through Thursday, November 15. And it sucks for us plebeians. Imagine nerds and sales tools infused with a false sense of power. (Except for any Oracle SFist reader; you're all golden.) Imagine nasty Oracle PR bitches who hangup on local media outlets trying to get a modicum of...
SFist Tonight
-- Shadow Circus Vaudeville Theatre: (In)famous night of underground "circus arts, burlesque, music, and puppetry" begins at 9 p.m. at Fat City; $10.
Wikipedia Makes Move to SF
Currently with six full-time employees on staff (whoa), according to the Chronicle, Wikipedia wants to expand its talent base while increasing its presence in developing countries (i.e., Asia), so it's making the move to hedonistic and wonderful San Francisco. Yay.
Lookout Behind You! Bisexuality Is On The Rise!
The Washington Blade tell us that an Italian physician claims that bisexuality is on the rise. No, not because female admissions are up at colleges, or because coke use among male emo-hipsters is at an all-time high. Dr. Umberto Veronesi, "prominent Italian physician," thinks that:
SFist Tonight
-- "Endless Strummer": It seems like at any moment in San Francisco, a Joe Strummer tribute is taking place. Ok look! Here's one now, featuring Clash City Rockers, La Plebe, David J, Odd Numbers, the Hooks, Harrington Saints, the Shakespearos, and the Ferocious Few covering his oeuvre. Starts at 9 p.m. at Bottom of the Hill, 1233 - 17th St., all-ages show; $10.
SFist Tonight
-- Veronica Klaus: High-art performer and jazz songstress croons alongside her Boom Boom Boys tonight at 9 p.m. at Cafe Du Nord, 2170 Market Street (at Sanchez); $15.
SFist Tonight
-- Daft Punk's Electroma: Pinocchio-ish road movie about two robots -- played by Daft Punk members Peter Hurteau and Michael Reich -- and their quest to become human. Riot In Belgium, the Bang Gang DJs, Dandi Wind, and Richie Panic & Jefrodisiac perform tonight before and after the movie. Doors open at 7 p.m. at Mezzanine, 444 Jesse (at Mint); free with RSVP at going.com. -- Justice League Wiffle Ball Game: According to Laughing...
SFist Tonight
-- "Trans Am": Hipsters, gipsters, and then some keep coming back to this "rock 'n' roll disco faggotry" night. And it's easy to see why with drag alternatif acts from Dizzy and No-See-Um ("Charlie Horse" regulars), plus a live set from the Blacks. Starts at 10 p.m. at Eight (Christy Turlington's old venue, Up & Down Club!!), 1151 Folsom. $TBD.
SFist Tonight
-- The A’s: Oakland play at home against the Baltimore Orioles. Game starts at 7:05 p.m. at McAfee Coliseum; $9-$44.
We Read The Weeklies
Last week's winner, the SF Weekly. Hey, why is Sucka Free City before the letters this week? Anti-Jewish slurs at Rainbow Grocery. The story behind that weird killing in Hayes Valley you guys got all worked up at us about (blah blah blah, hipsters, blah blah, SFist is racist, blah blah). Cover article: Disbar more lawyers. We are adoring the cautious yet game-for-adventure tone in this Southern Exposure pie delivery service piece! Meredith Brody bills the Weekly for her belly dancer. Hey, SFist Ced liked it! Let's Get Killed on the spate of bands coming in to perform single albums live, including Sonic Youth with Daydream Nation. We find that phenomenon so mysterious. The Bouncer passes along the theory that there are three types of bars in this city: Irish, hipster, and bars with two Asian women behind the bar. Also -- you may have heard the new Weekly web guy is now no longer with the Weekly -- best of luck to you, Matt Stroud! He was super super nice about the Day Around The Baymixup and we were looking forward to getting to know him!
Style? On the Streets of SF? Oh But Yes.
Street fashion sites like The Sartorialist -- whose frightening clarity made us weep after saying that the "idea of dark pattern mixing for summer at Prada was one of the best looks of the season,” because now dark prints are all that we can think about. Really, it consumes us -- are so popular, it only makes sense that San Francisco would soon have one of its own. And it does: SF Street Fashion. It tries to take a look at, well, street fashions via different SF neighborhoods (although they could put up more arrondissements for diversity, including THE CASTRO, where some of the most unintentionally jaw-dropping style statements live.)
SFist Tonight
-- Using the garbage and junk-drawer debris from oh-my-God real-life celebrities (!), crafty artist Jason Mercier creates jaw-dropping portraits of A- through D-list notables, which range from Parker Posey to Heidi Fleiss. Celebrity Junk Drawer opens tonight starting at 9 p.m. at 111 Minna Galley (at Second St.); admission is free.
The Day: Saved.
The Yvesdropping voicemails are pouring in! If by "pouring in" you mean that we got two more. Leave us a message at 415-659-8720. Try not to be intimidated by the hilariously urgent robot-greeting. Extra credit for singing your message, as happens in the example below.
SFist Tonight
Before you bike to work on Thursday, brush up on your inner urban cyclist with a free bike clinic with tips on navigating through the city -- not to mention step-by-step instructions on how to fix a flat. Get there by 7 for the workshop. REI San Francisco, 840 Brannan, SF.

