We walk past Galeria de la Raza every day. It's on the other side of the street from Villa, Kahlo, El Campesino, Zapata, Chavez, Rivera y El Gordo y el Flaco, interspersed with families, actors and mariachis who SFist can't recognize.
What we can appreciate is the fetishistic value of Frieda Kahlo mesh-plastic handbags, hand-painted bamboo curtains and other latinalia. Make your east-coast-educated paramour swoon with gifts like you might overpay for on a trip to Costa Rica. Oh, and crazy avant-garde art just happens to be next door. What do you have to lose besides your non-metrosexuality?
If you're more the culinary type, than no trip is a complete without a stop at La Palma Mexicatessen. Of course you can stop and sample the vittles, or you can load up on Mexican specialty products. By yourself one of the beautiful loofas, a metate (or some fresh ground masa), a big bag of dried or smoked chiles or even a piñata. Or try some queso fresco and pupusas for a snack.
Need a box of pastry to perk up the minions at the office? No time to cook for the family? Pick up a box of delicious fruit empanadas at La Reyna Panaderia. Or conches, pan dulce -- have a cake made! No you know what must have happened to Diego Rivera. Of course there are any number of other trinket shops -- our favorite, the one we can never remember the name of, is nearly to the BART at 24th and Mission. They have a whole window full of die-cast 12" model cars. And we're not talking cheesy sports cars, we're talking lowriders. How cool is that?
La Palma Mexicatessen
2884 24th & Florida
Phone: (415) 647-1500
8 AM-6 PM Monday-Sat, 8-5 on Sunday
2857 24th St. @ Bryant
Phone: (415) 826-8009
Open 12noon-6pm every day
