Mr. Roo Roo and I just spent a week in San Francisco last month, took the grandson there over spring break.
There are a few areas (like the top of Nob Hill) that are still clean and sparkling. Otherwise, the amount of trash, feces, condoms, and other disgusting things on the streets is unbelievable. Trash cans in the high tourist traffic areas are emptied only once a day, so trash piles up everywhere.
And there aren’t just individual homeless people on the streets, there’s actually COLONIES of homeless people living on the sidewalks, in doorways, parks, parking lots, and alleys. I was also shocked by the number of small businesses that have shut down; there’s lots of former vacant stores and restaurants everywhere. It’s a shame.
We still visit periodically, but stay in and rarely venture out of the Marina District.
When you’re going to San Francisco, wear a bio-hazard suit, you’ll meet filthy people there.
Durning the first dot-com boom, downtown rents went ballistic - and a lot of small businesses were driven out of business and storefronts replaced by internet company offices. After the dot-com bust, economic conditions in the city were never again conducive for a small business revival. Now, with the homeless explosion, even the big chains find it hard to do business downtown.
There is a reason why when you come to San Francisco looking for interesting independent shopping and dining experiences, you end up buying at Ross and eating at Carl's Jr. :)
As my former CEO when I worked downtown used to say: "San Francisco is the most beautiful city in the world...from ten feet above the ground on up."