Wait, you’re saying crime was high because of lead in the air from gasoline?
Off topic to SF today
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Violent crime. Most of SF crime is properly crime.
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They are baaaack…. Goodbye Bend, welcome greater SF:
https://www.seattletimes.com/business/they-fled-san-francisco-the-ai-boom-pulled-them-back/
I was in CA recently for vacation, visiting both LA and the Bay. It was fantastic! So much fun. I like my home in KY, but CA is great to visit.
It had been 25 years since my first trip to the Bay. I don’t remember enough from back then to draw a good comparison. But then, and again this time, the center city was a very small part of our excursion. We had a rental car and an AirBnB about 20 minutes outside the city. Silicon Valley, Stanford, Muir Woods, Presidio Park. There are so many things to do, and places to go. Probably the biggest difference from 25 years ago that I do remember is how much easier an iPhone makes the trip!
We had a great lunch in what I think is technically the Tenderloin district near Union Square. I don’t think we saw the worst of it, but there were some homeless people, and what looked like human feces on the sidewalk. 
We never felt unsafe, but parts of the area were dirty enough to almost make us lose our appetite.
My reference for an enjoyable vacation in a densely populated city is NYC. You can go to NYC and just find stuff to do, and eat great food, without a plan and without walking very far. Maybe it is unfair to other cities, as NYC is one of a kind. But I don’t know what there was/is in downtown SF to draw someone in. I see a lot of comments about crime destroying what the city was…but what was it? I don’t go to museums, theaters, or fancy restaurants.
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Office buildings for people who work in offices.
But COVID-19 caused everyone to realize how much of that work could be done remotely, so those office buildings have not refilled.
Of course, there were secondary effects on restaurants, bars, retailers, child care places, etc. that got business from office workers going to and from work. Hotels and restaurants catering to business travelers also felt effects when fewer of them traveled to visit empty offices.
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Glad you had fun! As for downtown, I guess it depends on where you draw the boundaries - we are a very neighborhood defined city and the neighborhoods are all very different (it looks like I am not the only one who wondered where the boundaries of downtown SF are: Where Is Downtown SF, Exactly?). The Financial District has always been fairly dull - like the Manhattan mid-town equivalent that’s just a few blocks of office towers - mostly because of the zoning rules. I live in a quiet neighborhood in the City, so wandering around here would also be pretty dull for a tourist looking for great restaurants and culture as it’s mostly single family homes and a small commercial district with just a handful of restaurants. It’s a good neighborhood to raise a family in if you can afford it.
There are still a lot of densely populated neighborhoods and spaces to draw people in to the City though (outside FiDi and my hood)- with a ton of concerts, museums, arts, restaurants, bars, various festivals, athletic events, farmer’s markets, author talks, etc - look at sf.funcheap.com, do the bay, the chronicle datebook, or 7X7 for ideas.
For instance, last Sunday, I took a 3 hr long walk from my house with my spouse at the prime brunch hour. There were a ton of people hanging out and eating in Mission Dolores Park, and people shopping, eating and drinking through Hayes Valley (I am bummed that I forgot that it was Sunday Streets for the Tenderloin so we missed that street party). We wandered past people lining up to see the matinee performance of the Book of Mormon on Market near Civic Center (not the most exciting theater IMHO but it sells) to Union Square, skirted through the Financial District (very few people) to North Beach, where there was a two day Italian Festival going on with more closed streets, exhibitors, music, etc. We hopped on transit to get home, and then I made my way to Golden Gate Park for a gathering with my friends (and yes, I was tired!). There were a lot of people out and about with the exception of the FiDi. I went to one of the major Museums this week for a special exhibit (it was packed on a Wednesday afternoon) and tomorrow, we are thinking of going to PorchFest in the Mission (a bunch of musicians are playing outside for wandering) and then I’m going to the Giants game with friends. My older kid went to two music concerts and a comedy show this week and has plans for another concert Saturday. Next week, I have a bunch of tickets for a premiere at a film festival, and plans to try stand-up paddle boarding and I would probably do more on the weekend but it’s also Father’s Day on Sunday.
Columbus is a million times more lively than when I lived in Ohio, but San Francisco still beats CBUS for transit and walkability IMHO but not for college football or actual summer 
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I once lived in the Columbus area, so I know what you mean. The proximity of the university keeps things vibrant in the downtown area. Also, Columbus is great for city parks. You’re always within waking distance of one, and that is the impression I get with SF. I didn’t get a chance to experience Golden Gate Park, but could imagine myself living nearby if I could afford it.
I actually like to experience places as a local. Walking a neighborhood is nice for me. Fisherman’s Wharf with all the tourists? We couldn’t get out of there fast enough. LOL
Sad to see that the Hilton is a casualty in SF. Agree that the would benefit from a clean up, but as others have said, it may be unclean in some areas, but its not unsafe. Some of the tech companies are now requiring employees who live near offices to swipe their badges at least 3X/week or potentially face attendance being addressed at review time. But other companies are still cutting down its office space. So… we shall see….
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Sigh. Here we go again. That article clearly says it was an ISOLATED and TARGETED incident. Shootings are rare in SF. They sadly are commonplace where I live. Two teenage girls were shot at a carnival in my area last week. Talk about unsafe.
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The vast majority of violent crime in any city, including yours, is targeted. Random victims sometimes get hit anyway-shootings at block parties at 9pm on a Friday night are likely to result in innocent victims.
If you have a citation for that in my city, please provide it. Otherwise please move on. The shooting in SF was ISOLATED. The daily shootings where I live are not. Enough already.
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Innocent victims are everywhere. Malls, movie theatres, church, school, grocery store, Synagogue, and on and on. I now see everywhere as a potentially unsafe place, but don’t let that dictate my life, travel or activities.
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This seems to prove the old adage, A bank lends you $100 and you don’t pay - it’s your problem. Bank loans you $725 million and you don’t pay - it’s the bank’s problem.
Surprised how few people are talking about ‘personal responsibility’ on the part of the hotel’s owners. Where’s everyone from student loan cancellation threads - ready to talk about the sanctity of signed contracts and paying what you owe? 
/s
Well, no taxpayer funds are involved yet, so why would we have an opinion on the business deal? The banks made a loan, the borrower walks away, the banks foreclose and get the building. That was the deal the parties made; it was always an option.
That is why banks have collateral for such loans.
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I can’t pretend to gauge the issues in SF after visiting for only 48 hours. I’m old enough and traveled enough to know not to deem a place safe because I didn’t see or experience crime. Indeed, there were signs in every parking lot, including away from city center, warning of smash-and-grabs and to report suspicious activity.
But regarding a sensation of impending personal danger, as compared to other cities like Chicago or Caracas, I never felt any of that in SF.
Aside from that issue, and more in line with the topic here, I found it remarkably easy to get around by car. Roads weren’t especially narrow, traffic wasn’t that bad, and not many aggressive drivers. I was pleasantly surprised. Maybe that is related to so many commuters disappearing from the downtown offices?
Did you notice any hills or bridges? Perhaps you weren’t in SF😀
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Thank you for that. Will be interesting to see what becomes of the hotel.
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My husband just came back from a short trip to the Bay Area. He has not been there in more than a year and said that compared to previous visits, even during the pandemic, traffic was relatively light. Maybe he was just lucky. 
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Well, we are planning to be in SF in late September for a week or so, spending most of our time in suburbs with my bil.
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