San Francisco was built by artists. Sure, LA's no slouch, and NYC has style to spare, but SF is the heart of free-wheeling artistic expression and creative experimentation. We make music, write plays, direct films, dance in the streets—all on a tiny, seven-mile by seven-mile fog-shrouded peninsula at the edge of the Western world. SF invented American café culture—we just called them coffee houses. From Allen Ginsberg reading Howl for the first time at Six Gallery in the Fillmore to Jack Kerouac haunting bookstores in Chinatown, SF raised the grand flag of counter-culture.

This Friday, October 24th, Illy is bringing a double shot of inspiration to NWBLK galleria in the name of the creative, culinary, and (of course) coffee art. Start your weekend early by checking out Ricky Watts's live art performance, with food provided by Craftsman & Wolves, Casey’s Pizza, and Bobcha, as well as complimentary coffee from Master Barista Giorgio Milos. October 24th, 8:30 am – 6:30 pm, NWBLK, 1975 Bryant St.