“There! Is that a spot?”
“Looks like it.”
I quickly glance at the rear-view mirror then sharply tug our red Corolla rental to the right to parallel park. But, no. Turns out the space is occupied by a four-foot tall grey and white camping tent and a homeless guy. Mm, sketchy.
Reluctantly weaving myself back into the uphill battle that is finding parking in South of Market, I notice a few pedestrians with Gamecube controllers being worn as necklaces. They’re like mini-lighthouses guiding me to shore. After creeping in and out of seedy back alleys, parking and throwing anything of value in the trunk, then walking a block and a half, we arrive to Folsom Street Foundry. Shivering under three layers of sweaters and jackets I step into the bar/gaming lounge and it’s immediately warm spirits all around.Even though no one was smiling directly at me, the Foundry’s general atmosphere of friendliness was a comfy blanket in contrast to the cold, damp San Francisco streets I’d just navigated for the first time. Pools for Smash of the Titans was set to start at 8pm. I decided to use the half hour of leeway to observe who was in attendance.
Over laughter and shouts coming from the beer-pong set up, piercing through the million-finger clack’ing of buttons – people sdi’ing out of Bayo stuff, I suppose- I recognize the lighthearted timber of Terrence “TKBreezy” Kershaw. He’s posing with Phil “EE” Visu and a fan for a photo in front of a natural finish wooden divider near the restrooms. Throughout the night whenever someone would approach them, TK and EE were never anything less than kind, courteous and engaging. I’m really glad that two people I admire in the community aren’t jerks off-camera.
On camera later for a streamed match, TKBreezy faced off against NorCal’s very own Rickshaw. I noticed a familiar face and black leather jacket watching from the side of main stage. Dustin “Zenyou” Rice wore a quiet, contemplative face everywhere I saw him at The Foundry. Eyes narrowed, arms crossed and leaning slightly to the right, he seemed to be studying every match he watched. Zenyou hovered around the pools area as well, occasionally rubbing his chin or nodding his head when a player did something interesting to him. People would come up and ask him about Mario stuff or matchup advice and he’d reply, smiling and seeming to really enjoy just talking Smash bro’s. If you notice Zenyou watching you for a while, chances are you’re doing something right. But he vanishes faster than Greninja Shadow Sneak’s, so you probably won’t know he’s downloading your strats. Eventually, I get the courage to ask him for an interview. (Fingers crossed for that happening soon.)
Team Japan is hanging out on the other side of the full Rock Band setup. A friend had clued me in earlier to the fact that there was a “hit” out on the Japanese players. No, there were no literal “shots fired”-the pong shaped beer stains on my pants tell me no one there that night could hit much of anything except me. Still, NorCal’s Telmo had put extra motivation into the hometown players by promising to put some extra cash in their pockets if they beat a Japanese player in bracket. I swear, team Japan, all I heard from NorCal players was that you are all beasts. You3’s Duck Hunt Dog especially seemed to garner a lot of respect as well.
Respect to the chicken tenders served at Foundry also, I tip my hat to those. This isn’t a paid review. I’m just telling you from the one I got from my buddy’s basket as the night was winding down. Midnight and last call were looming near as I watched Mexico’s number two ranked player Regi, a Game and Watch main, play friendlies against local Game and Watch main Koss, though he was using Lucina. Regi was winning pretty consistently. The music that had filled the venue all night was lowered while they were playing and Grand Finals was announced. A couple hundred people gathered near the main stage, shoulder to shoulder, some leaning for support like the ice in their drinks. Trevonte and 9B put on a great show to close out the night and NorCal erupted as Trevonte won, the local hero holding it down for the hometown. 
Let it be said, I don’t drink alcohol, but you don’t have to in order to have a good time at Folsom Street Foundry. The staff is excellent, checking in just to see how you’re doing and if you’re enjoying yourself. The games range from Street Fighter, Melee and Smash 4, to Overwatch and even a bunch of board games. The best thing about Foundry though, are the locals. They’re easy going and easy to get along with, 10/10 would drink all of their ice chilled water again.
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EzDoesIt Gaming 