Voted the hippest neighborhood in the US, San Francisco's first neighborhood, The Mission District is still the heart and soul of vibrant San Francisco. You've shopped at Union Square. You've eaten crab Louis on Fisherman's Wharf and had pot stickers in Chinatown. You've strolled through North Beach and ridden halfway to the stars on a little cable car. These are all perfectly pleasant ways to spend time in San Francisco, but they're not the end of the story. They're not even the beginning. San Francisco's very first neighborhood—the sprawling, gritty, and sunny Mission District—until recently was all but unknown to visitors. It was here, in 1776, that Spanish padres founded a mission, and it is here, today, that you will find the city's most exciting and surprising cultural mix. The best restaurants are here and an arts scene is flourishing, Many cool clubs, trendy shops, used bookstores, hipsters, activists, and techies all call the Mission home.