These days, everybody keeps telling me San Francisco is spiraling down to the lower depths of hell in what's come to be called a "doom loop."
“Struggling with rampant homelessness, a drug crisis, surging crime, and several business closures," Newsweek reported last summer, "San Francisco is no longer the thriving city it used to be. Its decline in recent months has led some to say the city ‘is dying.’”
Dying? Really? Let’s not get ahead of ourselves.
Yes, the city faces enormous, heartbreaking challenges. Every night 4000 unhoused men, women, and children sleep in the streets. Fentanyl killed 800 residents last year. A total of about 80 square blocks, or just over 1% of the city, has become a lawless mess of drugs and hopelessness. The city is reeling and struggling to cope. But what major US city isn’t?
As a fourth-generation Californian, I know San Francisco is always said to be teetering on the brink of collapse; journalists have been drafting the city's obituary since five minutes after the gold rush. I’m fairly sure that, to paraphrase Mark Twain’s famous comment, this is just one more example of San Francisco’s imminent demise being greatly exaggerated.
There’s only one way I can know for sure. In the months ahead, Rich and I will venture out to lunch in San Francisco often, seeking assurances the city is still alive and kicking. I'll report what I see, and while I expect some of my discoveries to be alarming, I believe I'll also find plenty of innovation, hope, and inspiration — and with luck, enjoy some cheep and cheerful eats along the way.
I hope you'll join me on the journey as I discover what's really happening to my beloved city.
OUT TO LUNCH IN SAN FRANCISCO
Finding the Words That Let You Live Out Loud
City Lights Books, Beat Museum, Public Library, Brenda's Meat & Three
Hi, I'm Artificial Intelligence & I'm Here to Help You
Ippudo's Ramen Noodles, Driverless Taxis, Misalignment Museum
Real Reasons to Love Chinatown
Delicious Dim Sum, Hang Ah, Golden Gate Fortune Cookie Factory, Bruce Lee
My Cheap & Cheerful Lunch in the Dystopian Hellscape
Red's Java House, SF Ferry Building
WANT TO KNOW MORE?
Subscribe for weekly post announcements; send an email to karen@enjoylivingabroad.com and I'll put you on the list.
Want travel tips, packing suggestions, or info on specific places? Use the search box below. If I've written about it, you'll find it.