Twenty-five year FReeper, 40-year resident of S.F. here.
It's mostly lies.
San Francisco has come up a small way from the trough of two years ago, but ALL of the pathologies remain and are still extreme.
Rampant drug use and overdose deaths, people lying around unconscious, filth, graffiti, auto burglary everywhere, retail and restaurant spaces empty, downtown dead, retail decimated by theft, etc.
San Francisco is nowhere near as nice, friendly, decent, vibrant, clean, orderly, or fun as it was 20 years ago.
“San Francisco is nowhere near as nice, friendly, decent, vibrant, clean, orderly, or fun as it was 20 years ago. “
You should have seen it 50 years ago.
But if you have $$$, is avoiding that crapola feasible? Or is it basically everywhere?
Fellow San Franciscan. There is a bit of a tidal shift. Even many libs are tired of the excusing of property crime. In March we voted for means testing for welfare. It’s not much but it is something. The new DA (we recalled the old and and three lousy school board members, significantly) seems to actually be prosecuting some crime at least.
But still office vacancy is at least 50% (people in the know tell me higher), retail is way down and so sadly union square is now done with, and junkies and nuts continue destroying the streets where they are allowed mostly tenderloin and south of market and bay view.
Last time I visited was 2 years ago, for a concert. The only areas I walked through were Pier 39, and the area directly around Chase Center/Pier 54. It was a Saturday night and Pier 39 was the emptiest I've ever seen. But it wasn't dirty. Years ago I used to make it a habit to stop by the Buena Vista Cafe for an Irish Coffee if I was passing through. But that area, and all around Fisherman's Wharf became a S#!+show, and no longer felt safe. It litterally smelled like a pit toilet. So no more.