SAN FRANCISCO CARNAVAL 2010 PHOTOS

So I made it to the Carnaval parade for the third year in a row and, as usual, it was a wonderful time.

The weather was absolutely incredible. The crowd - not too large or small. It seemed as if there was less corporate sponsorship and not as many floats but I may be wrong. But none of that mattered, as everyone was having a wonderful time in the Mission - The City's most vibrant and colorful neighborhood. (Yeah! That's right! Uh -huh! You know it!)

Another noticeable difference from passed parades was the presence of more low riders. Perhaps due to the recent release of the film "La Mission", there seems to be a resurgence in their popularity and their place in the Carnaval has been rightfully restored. Even the Bratt Brothers ("La Mission's" star and creators) - Benjamin and Peter - rolled up 24th Street in a cherry-red 54 Chevy convertible.

Native Missionista and friend, Sam Reveles, however, was not to be undone in his with own pride and joy -La Morena.

Sam Reveles' La Morena

For me, it was all about hanging out with friends and family. During the course of the day, I always run into all sorts of people I know or knew in my neighborhood - and that is more than half the fun.

So I'm sorry if you couldn't make it. But luckily, the other thing I like to do at Carnaval is take photos -so feel free to check out my Flickr slide-show below. I always have a hard time getting good light an unblocked shots but I hope you enjoy them anyway. Don't forget to click on the full-screen option!

-el güero

CESAR CHAVEZ PARADE & FESTIVAL 2009

April 4, 2009
It was beautiful, warm Sunday in the Mission so the family and I took a stroll over to 24th Street to check out the Cesar Chavez Parade & Street Festival. We missed the parade but stopped in for the street festival. It was low-key event and there weren't that many booths, but there were awesome low riders and some Aztec dancers on hand. I only took a few photos, but you can check out the slideshow.



The highlight for us was a Salsa band that consisted of mostly teenage musicians and singers. They put on a spirited show which we enjoyed and you can hear a little of in this video.