The 3300 club is at the junction of Mission and Valencia. It has a big old neon sign and coins itself the “garden spot of the Mission”. I can’t imagine anything growing in there but drinks. On poetry nights they give out free snacks.
I have been to the bar twice to hear friends read. The club’s owner, Nancy Keane, eluded me both times. We finally met when she came to the TV studio to tape her reading for the SF TV show.
Nancy has been running the club since 1956. As we sat down to chat, she handed me a small flyer. Surrounding the texts was a garden window hand painted in pastel with flowers decorated inside and out. It was her latest project, Nancy explained. She was participating in the 100 Thousand Poets for Change and raising money for the 826 Valencia Project that provides free after school tutoring to students.
I came to realize the glow on her face was the garden that I had missed at the club.
Cool Bar