We've been spending some time down in the Dogpatch neighborhood of San Francisco in an effort to try and get a better feel for the area, which is now the center of the America's Cup in San Francisco. The Dogpatch neighborhood, and more specifically Butchertown, are old-school SF neighborhoods, with rich and colorful histories dating back to Native American village sites. Islais creek, which borders Pier 80 to the south, is where ORACLE Racing's AC45s launch from, and is in the heart of the old Butchertown. The name Islais, according to Wikipedia, is a Salinan Native word for the wild cherry trees that must have historically lined the creek. The Dogpatch just to the North of Butchertown is the center of the bar and restaurant scene, with some of the buildings dating back to the mid 1800's This area of San Francisco is like a bubble getting ready to pop, and over the past few years development has been steadily creeping through some of the old buildings. For the most part, the locals that I interviewed are ready for the America's Cup to hit their neighborhood. They're excited for the potential influx of cash to the many small businesses that dot the landscape, and talked to one local that was putting the finishing touches on his third new restaurant in the area! The locals are proud of their neighborhood, and were happy to show it off. This is a little teaser of an ongoing project highlighting the Dogpatch!