I'm really glad to hear you enjoyed it. I grew up in SF, lived here most of my adult life (I'm in my late 40s), and the state of SF hurts. San Franciscans might have a rep for being a bit snobby toward tourists, but a lot of us actually appreciate them, at least certain kinds of tourists. There are tourists who come back often and know the restaurants, clubs, theater, music venues, and history better than most locals, and I consider them a part of the city, really, an integral part of it. There aren't many truly urban places in the United States, and while SF isn't close to NY on this front, it's one of the other places where real urban-ness exists to an extent where you can find it. In that sense, I think SF belongs to everyone, not just the people who live here. And in a lot of ways, I think SF has been taken from you. Some grit is part of urban life, but the blight has gotten bad enough that I understand why a lot of people feel that they no longer enjoy the urban experience in SF. There certainly are parts of SF where this effect is much less pronounced, and many of them are gorgeous (a walk along Chrissy field, looking out at the bay, with the golden gate bridge to your left, the bay in the middle, Alcatraz and sailboats, and the city shimmering to your right, is a pretty awesome experience, the kind that stays in your mind long after you've gone back home).
But the thing is, that thing that makes SF rare, especially in the western half of the US, the urban qualities, are without question tarnished at this point. My grandmother grew up in rural Idaho in the early 20th century, and she told me that when someone said "the city", they actually meant San Francisco. Visiting a really urban place was a fascinating experience.
There's still an urban pleasure to be found here, and I'm always encouraged to hear that someone did find it on a first trip here. Hope that was the case for you.
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I'm really glad to hear you enjoyed it. I grew up in SF, lived here most of my adult life (I'm in my late 40s), and the state of SF hurts. San Franciscans might have a rep for being a bit snobby toward tourists, but a lot of us actually appreciate them, at least certain kinds of tourists. There are tourists who come back often and know the restaurants, clubs, theater, music venues, and history better than most locals, and I consider them a part of the city, really, an integral part of it. There aren't many truly urban places in the United States, and while SF isn't close to NY on this front, it's one of the other places where real urban-ness exists to an extent where you can find it. In that sense, I think SF belongs to everyone, not just the people who live here. And in a lot of ways, I think SF has been taken from you. Some grit is part of urban life, but the blight has gotten bad enough that I understand why a lot of people feel that they no longer enjoy the urban experience in SF. There certainly are parts of SF where this effect is much less pronounced, and many of them are gorgeous (a walk along Chrissy field, looking out at the bay, with the golden gate bridge to your left, the bay in the middle, Alcatraz and sailboats, and the city shimmering to your right, is a pretty awesome experience, the kind that stays in your mind long after you've gone back home).
But the thing is, that thing that makes SF rare, especially in the western half of the US, the urban qualities, are without question tarnished at this point. My grandmother grew up in rural Idaho in the early 20th century, and she told me that when someone said "the city", they actually meant San Francisco. Visiting a really urban place was a fascinating experience.
There's still an urban pleasure to be found here, and I'm always encouraged to hear that someone did find it on a first trip here. Hope that was the case for you.