San Francisco used to be one of my favorite cities.  But it appears to have changed quite a bit, and not for the good.  I haven't visited in years, but I'm afraid I may not recognize it.  It's become a cautionary tale of "unregulated capitalism, unbridled capitalism, capitalism run amok."

 

[For decades, this coruscating city of hills, bordered by water on three sides, was a beloved haven for reinvention, a refuge for immigrants, bohemians, artists and outcasts. It was the great American romantic city, the Paris of the West.

No longer. In a time of scarce consensus, everyone agrees that something has rotted in San Francisco.]

 

https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/other/how-san-francisco-broke-americas-heart/ar-AABGKVD?ocid=wispr

 

I love San Francisco, lived a fair part of my life in the Bay Area.

 

But now it's purely a tourist destination. It's impossible for normal folk to live there, simply because housing costs are just out of reach for anyone on a 'normal' salary.

 

The Bohemians, Artists, and the Gay community in the Castro have all basically been priced out of the city.

 

Pity really, that was actually what I treasured most about the place, it was fun!

 

Now I'm a Midwesterner & Thailand snowbird kinda guy with fond memories of the San Francisco from before

it's a sanctuary city full of unemployable,  homeless and junkies. TB and aids is rife. Even when I was there in 68 it was full of beggars. Syringes and excrement litter the streets.

22 minutes ago, sunnyboy2018 said:

it's a sanctuary city full of unemployable,  homeless and junkies. TB and aids is rife. Even when I was there in 68 it was full of beggars. Syringes and excrement litter the streets.

I really didn't want to get into the political aspects, but rather, that SF has been transformed due to massive wealth creation.  "Normal" people can't afford to live there.  It will be interesting to see what happens in the years ahead if the non-tech workers they need can't afford the cost of living.  Maybe the minimum wage will rise to $25/hr...who knows.   

31 minutes ago, sunnyboy2018 said:

it's a sanctuary city full of unemployable,  homeless and junkies. TB and aids is rife. Even when I was there in 68 it was full of beggars. Syringes and excrement litter the streets.

Thats just nonsense.

 

What it's full of is over compensated techies, driving up prices and forcing retail workers, restaurant servers, policemen, firefighters and the like to spend 4 hours a day in their cars commuting across the Altamont Pass to get to work

1973 and I was living near the Roxy cinema on 16th between Valencia and Guerrero...typical inner Mission neighborhood with drunks, local bohemians, etc...$115/mo for a one bed flat...

 

1983 and went to visit the old neighborhood with a tall bud in a paper bag...some of the new local 'gentry' didn't like the look of me and called the cops and here they came 'whaddaya got in the bag pardner?' 'oh, a beer...' 'yer goin' to jail, mister...' 'what for? this is the inner Mission and there ain't nothing unusual?...' 'new ordinance, pal, yew gonna give us any trouble?...' 'of course not but this is ridiculous!...'

 

3 hours in the cooler at the Mission SFPD station told me that they meant business...had mayor Diane Feinstein to thank fer that...they didn't charge me with nothin' though...

 

 

 

It's a shithole now compared to what it once was. Ain't no two ways about it. I'm a Sanfrancisco native and it's a damn shame. Moved away when I was in grade school but visited 3-4 times per year and went to college near there. It was easy to see the change coming as all the kids seemed to disappear.  When families can't live in a city eventually it dies.

 

It was always a dirty city. Dirt and newspapers seemed to blow up and down every street until I moved up high enough near Twin Peaks. But now it's shit on the streets, super aggressive panhandlers, and a corrupt city government. That can work out though. My middle income Uncle got a $4,000 a month apartment across from Coit Tower, rent free for life by paying a $7,000 bribe to a Filipino bureaucrat.

I feel very fortunate that I lived in San Francisco during the "golden age" long ago before the literal golden age of today where almost everyone is priced out.

Problem with SF that I don't like is too many homeless with their drug addiction and mental illness. Most of them come from other states who dumps undesirables to California.

who represents them in congress.....bet it's some dem who's bought and paid for by big tech.

SF weak AF

On 5/24/2019 at 3:00 PM, GinBoy2 said:

But now it's purely a tourist destination. It's impossible for normal folk to live there, simply because housing costs are just out of reach for anyone on a 'normal' salary.

I was there last year for a few days, and yup, that's about what it is now for visitors, and as mentioned above for residents a price nightmare. As far as tourism, it has always been a big tourist destination, but it has gone from cliche to overkill. Over the many years I have spent there on business and pleasure, it surely is a shadow of its former glorious self for all the sub cultures it fostered.

7 hours ago, gt162 said:

Problem with SF that I don't like is too many homeless with their drug addiction and mental illness. Most of them come from other states who dumps undesirables to California.

I remember years ago, other municipalities were giving their homeless people free one-way bus tickets to SF.  And of course, who wouldn't want to go to San Francisco.  Well now it's an impossible problem to solve.

6 hours ago, JHolmesJr said:

who represents them in congress.....bet it's some dem who's bought and paid for by big tech.

I don't think it's necessarily a federal problem.  This is basically free market capitalism at work in the extreme.  In a liberal city.  But ironically, the government may need to do something because the current situation is not sustainable. 

Was there in the mid-90s, ski-ing at Lake Tahoe, hiking in Muir Woods, eating on the pier ....... thought it was great.

On 5/25/2019 at 8:21 PM, lannarebirth said:

It was always a dirty city.

That's the only part of your comment I disagree with, unless you're making reference exclusively to the Tenderloin and certain parts of the south of Market like sixth street. I'm a native San Franciscan born in the old Franklin Hospital at 45 Castro (now the California Pacific Medical Center Davies Campus) and I can remember when the city really had class and was well run by city hall. But that was probably long before your time; that was when Glen Canyon had horses in it.

All of the major coastal American cities are going the way of SF sadly, if they haven't already.  Stagnant wages, foreign capital buying up the desirable real estate, mass immigration, inflexible zoning laws, NIMBY types/lobbying preventing more affordable housing from being built.

 

But hey, at least now there's grubhub or doordash that delivers your favorite restaurant's food that always seems to arrive lukewarm.

On 5/31/2019 at 5:40 PM, BritManToo said:

Was there in the mid-90s, ski-ing at Lake Tahoe, hiking in Muir Woods, eating on the pier ....... thought it was great.

A Great Photo! In fact, it makes me homesick. If that's you in the photo you're looking into the driveway of 1750 Taylor Street between Green and Vallejo Streets.

There’s a vid on YouTube, someone filmed driving through the streets of SF in the 1940s. Quite surreal to see.

6 minutes ago, sukhumvitneon said:

All of the major coastal American cities are going the way of SF sadly, if they haven't already.  Stagnant wages, foreign capital buying up the desirable real estate, mass immigration, inflexible zoning laws, NIMBY types/lobbying preventing more affordable housing from being built.

 

But hey, at least now there's grubhub or doordash that delivers your favorite restaurant's food that always seems to arrive lukewarm.

I'll pass on that! I spent my last three years in California living in a trailer next to my cousin's horse stables watching my finances go down like a Stuka in a nosedive. Here in Thailand I live in a nice three bedroom, three bathroom house that is all paid for-------and I eat very well. ????

On 6/1/2019 at 10:40 AM, BritManToo said:

Was there in the mid-90s, ski-ing at Lake Tahoe, hiking in Muir Woods, eating on the pier ....... thought it was great.

Yup-great city!

 

I have visited it twice and loved it both times...

On 5/31/2019 at 5:22 PM, Berkshire said:

I remember years ago, other municipalities were giving their homeless people free one-way bus tickets to SF.  And of course, who wouldn't want to go to San Francisco.  Well now it's an impossible problem to solve.

It still happens today. California cities like SF, San Jose, Los Angeles and San Diego which makes up the bulk of California's economy are getting hit hard with homeless people from other states and draining CA's generous welfare system. California alone is the 6th largest economy in the world with hard working immigrants and natives but they are stuck with highest taxes in the country to pay for all those Non-Californian rejects.

2 minutes ago, gt162 said:

It still happens today. California cities like SF, San Jose, Los Angeles and San Diego which makes up the bulk of California's economy are getting hit hard with homeless people from other states and draining CA's generous welfare system. California alone is the 6th largest economy in the world with hard working immigrants and natives but they are stuck with highest taxes in the country to pay for all those Non-Californian rejects.

That really is a gut-wrenching dilemma.  If cities create a generous and humane system of dealing with homeless people, all they do is attract more.  Some municipalities just figure it's better to be inhumane and heartless....which actually works out better for them in the long run. 

On 6/1/2019 at 7:28 AM, Berkshire said:

I don't think it's necessarily a federal problem.  This is basically free market capitalism at work in the extreme.  In a liberal city.  But ironically, the government may need to do something because the current situation is not sustainable. 

just hang out in LIL Italy and that area not many pan handlers in that area but of course a gin and tonic is 11 dollars. No it has changed but you can still have a bit of fun have the money to spend. Visited last year in Aug. forgot that is there high season hotel 300 a day, all the 200 a day booked up.

On 6/24/2019 at 10:23 PM, moe666 said:

just hang out in LIL Italy and that area not many pan handlers in that area but of course a gin and tonic is 11 dollars. No it has changed but you can still have a bit of fun have the money to spend. Visited last year in Aug. forgot that is there high season hotel 300 a day, all the 200 a day booked up.

 

I was there last year in May. $156/nt at the St. Regis. Of course it was another $40/day for the parking garage down the street.

On 5/26/2019 at 1:58 AM, Jingthing said:

I feel very fortunate that I lived in San Francisco during the "golden age" long ago before the literal golden age of today where almost everyone is priced out.

 

There is no coincidence that all the liberal hellholes on the west coast have become unlivable.

6 hours ago, Cryingdick said:

 

There is no coincidence that all the liberal hellholes on the west coast have become unlivable.

 

San Francisco's "golden age" was in the 19th century. It maintained a certain vogue through the 1940's. That's about it. I think he means the Castro's "gplden age".