Carlo Espinas Grub Slinger

Where's your go-to date place? I like going to Clement Street. Plenty of options, colorful scenery, and just a hint of being in a foreign land.

Why do you love your neighborhood? Access. Both in the sense that I have so much within walking distance to my house, but also access to BART and the freeways when I head out of town. I like being at the crossroads of it all.

Where's your secret spot? The tennis courts in Potrero Hill. You’d be hard-pressed to find a more majestic place to hit a tennis ball around.

Where do you get your local gossip? Mission Mission – it’s a great way to keep up with both the little and big things that go on in the neighborhood while I’m stuck at work.

Who's your favorite quintessential local character? This might be cheating since he’s a friend of mine, but I nominate Anthony Myint – founder of Mission Street Food, Mission Chinese Food, et al. He’s an original and unmitigated visionary in regards to the dining culture in San Francisco. But what I think underpins his grandiose vision is this desire to give back and help enrich his adopted community. Historically, SF is built upon immigrants – both domestic and foreign – coming to this land and envisioning a way to make a better life. He’s the best kind, the kind that looks to make a better community at large.