I live in SF.
I was born here.
The city has its share of problems, to be sure & two of the biggest issues right now, homelessness & an abundance of high-grade drugs, drug usage, and the attendant issues that go along with that just happen to overlap each other in a way that yields a very visible social mess.
The real estate market & rents are still nutty too, only compounding the problem further.
But I’m basically a glorified bartender, married to an artist, with two littles & a cat, yet we manage to make mortgage payments & feed/clothe these kids, while enjoying what I consider a pretty reasonable quality of life compared to when I was younger.
The city puts on tons of rad family friendly public events all over town, helps us out with the kids medical bills & mandates that my employers don’t dick me & my crew around.
Plus, we got multiple skateparks & those hills, need I go on? Not to mention the gorgeous scenery, beautiful cultures & people, delicious (if not pricy) dining options, as well as all of the other accoutrement that comes along with being an international city.
My family & I feel safe in our neighborhood; all the folks in our neighborhood know us & call my kids by name.
I’m not in a fancy part of town either.
I’m just a few doors of Mission, in the hair cutting district of “Papusa Row.” We’ve got projects, a public school & a park all on our block & it’s kind of a little slice of heaven.
Yes there are more homeless here now than in the past, and yes the drugs are way stronger then they have been historically, but I’ve been here in the bay most all of my 52 years & honestly I don’t recall a time WITHOUT visible drugs & homelessness. Not to mention, homeless & drug usage figures are on the rise in cities all over the country. People just flock to California for our warmer weather & friendlier (liberal) social policies.
I dunno… Maybe I’m numb to it, but frankly I embrace the filth & the “crazies” as part of our city.
Tech bros, on the other hand, and their disregard/disdain for local history & tradition can basically fuck right off as far as I’m concerned.
Entitled cunts.
Sooo… that’s my take on the liberal hellscape that is San Francisco.