Welcome to the Neighborhood!

Growing up in San Francisco, I would visit the Excelsior neighborhood with my family. The trips, however, were usually brief. One day we might have stopped at Wells Fargo Bank on Mission, and another day we might have needed to pick up some goods at the Walgreens across the street from the bank. So it came as such a surprise to me when I recently visited the neighborhood to encounter some of its unique characteristics, some of which I was completely unaware of as a child.

It wouldn't take long for a person visiting Excelsior to realize how diverse a neighborhood it is. Whereas the Castro is recognized as the spot for gays and lesbians to unite and celebrate their homosexuality, Excelsior can be recognized as the place for Latinos and Latinas as well as people of Asian descent to unite and celebrate their respective cultures. "You get everybody here," said Kim Pham, a universal banker for U.S. Bank on Mission.

Throughout the neighborhood, the sidewalks are full of various cultural places. In fact, what's unique is each shop or restaurant's location. For example, somebody may walk past a Latin market such as Casa Lucas, where my mother and grandmother love to buy black beer, and then pass a Chinese or Filipino restaurant a second later. In a sense, Excelsior can be considered a mini flea market because of these different cultures, what Tuyet Tang of Living Collections at 4550 Mission St. considers "the beauty of the area."

Excelsior's diversity doesn't just stop with cultural shops and restaurants; the neighborhood also offers some of today's popular franchises, including Gamestop and T-Mobile. Despite the fact that both stores are small, the employees are dedicated to providing their customers with great customer service, such as those who work for John Williams.

"We want to make sure everybody is able to communicate with the people they care about and we want to make sure they have a good understanding about cell phones," said Williams, the manager of T-Mobile. Though he doesn't live in Excelsior, he enjoys working in a new environment, especially the fact that Excelsior "is all based on a community."

Excelsior also has various centers which emphasize the importance of life values. Inside the Boys & Girls Clubs of San Francisco on London, the kids have the chance to play video games such as Ms. Pac-Man and X-Men vs. Street Fighter. Furthermore, they can also engage in other forms of art such as music, including guitar and hip hop. Most importantly, they learn the importance of values such as self respect.

Tahmal Fleming, a program manager at the Boys & Girls Clubs, said that he takes pride in being able to interact with kids.

"It's beautiful. It's beautiful because I get opportunities to combine my skills," he said.

Part of his joy in working with kids results from his years growing up with the Boys & Girls Clubs since age 6.

"It taught me everything that I needed to know as far as life skills," he said. He also said that he hopes when the kids leave the Boys & Girls Clubs that they know that "these people are going to keep me safe ... they are a parental role model that I can look up to."

Though it may look a little like a rough neighborhood, Excelsior has a little of everything for everybody. One last aspect to look out for in the neighborhood is its beautiful collection of murals. In particular, one that stands out features generations of Latinos and Latinas living peacefully. The piece culminates with a 52 Muni bus driving through Excelsior, further emphasizing Excelsior's diversity.