Words and photos provided by: Michael Casatico
As most of you know Thanksgiving is coming up this Thursday and I am extremely thankful to be able to spend it with my family back home in the Bay Area. It’s funny, ever since I moved down to San Diego for college I feel like I appreciate coming home more than ever. Besides the fact that all my closest family and friends live up here, I love the energy in the Bay and the city (San Francisco). I swear, there's just something about the city that inspires me unlike other places I've been recently. I wouldn't say San Francisco reminds me of Los Angeles, and I definitely wouldn't even begin to compare San Diego to either cities at all. I guess what I’m getting at here is that I just feel some type of way when I get off at a Bart station and step out into the unpredictable concrete jungle known as San Francisco. If you don’t know what I’m trying to say, I apologize. I honestly think it’s just something that's intangible, or maybe it’s just me. OR maybe it's all the people who live here that make the city what it is. The amount of substance and creative power that is curated in the Bay Area is ridiculous and I just can’t get enough of it. We could sit here all day and talk about start up brands, companies, and artists that have manifested their way to excellence; but I wanted to touch on a relatively new movement in the Bay and San Francisco in particular that has grabbed my attention as well as many other creatives. FlaskMob.
Not to be confused with a flash mob, FLASKMOB is something completely different. Once a month in San Francisco, Evan Thompson and Sabina Thompson host this “event" that has turned into more than can be described here on the blog. Just to give you a brief run down, imagine a couple hundred people all strapped with cameras, and flasks, ready to hit the streets at all costs. I wouldn't call it a photo walk anymore, and I definitely wouldn't categorize it as just any Instagram meet up either. Flask Mob is truly its own genre in the world of photo meet ups and gatherings. I attended the 2nd ever FlaskMob, and its beyond inspiring to see the amount of people that come out every month.
This past Sunday night I attended the FlaskMob 1 year birthday party with my close friend Griffin Ormond. We cruised out to the city with our cameras and some party supplies ready to document the night. Upon arrival, right away I knew this was going to be the most epic meet yet. Showing up, you would have thought they were giving stuff away at Nordstrom's for free by the amount of people all gathering around Market and Powell street. As soon as Evan and the rest of the official FlaskMob crew showed up, we were on our way mobbin' through the streets of San Francisco. It felt so good to be out in the city again taking photos and talking with old friends. I think that's the most underrated part about FlaskMob, the networking opportunity and conversation. The amount of people I have met, been inspired by, and stayed in contact with all through FlaskMob is a blessing.
If you haven’t attended a FlaskMob yet, you should hit the store, pick up a disposable camera, the finest liquor, and give it a shot (pun intended). Like I said before, there's just something about San Francisco that is intangible and inspiring to me. There's nothing like coming home to my immediate family, and being able to hit the streets with the creative community that makes this city what it is. Big thank you to Evan Thompson for always being an inspiration and for curating this movement. Here are some photos of the night:
The start of organized chaos.
John Kim. This photo has to be my favorite out of any FlaskMob photo I've ever taken.
Evan Thompson himself, showing love to anyone and everyone out there.
The boys had us escorted through out the whole night. Thank you to SFPD for your patience.
Streets infiltrated by creatives.
Keep calm, and FlaskMob.
Mobbin'
SFFD even made an appearance to put out a minor fire.
Some of the many shenanigans.
Shot of the cityscape from one of the stops along the walk. San Francisco.