# Goddamn I hate San Francisco **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [April 6, 2005, 12:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/goddamn-i-hate-san-francisco/298023 "2005-04-06T12:09:35Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![mlerose](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/43a26b/32.png) [@mlerose](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mlerose)\ **Post date:** [April 6, 2005, 7:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/goddamn-i-hate-san-francisco/298023/41 "2005-04-06T19:43:14Z")
> [@kevja](#): > > I ride BART everyday. The bathrooms are open eveyday. Huh. Maybe it’s just me and they keep getting terrorist threats or whatever every time I come to town. Though I don’t know why anyone would want to use bathrooms at the BART station. Yuck. ---
**Author:** ![RickJay](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/bb73d2/32.png) [@RickJay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RickJay)\ **Post date:** [April 6, 2005, 7:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/goddamn-i-hate-san-francisco/298023/42 "2005-04-06T19:46:11Z")
I liked San Francisco AND New York. I don’t feel the need to go back to Houston, Dallas, or Los Angeles, though. ---
**Author:** ![Tracy\_Lord](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ec9cab/32.png) [@Tracy\_Lord](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tracy_Lord)\ **Post date:** [April 6, 2005, 7:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/goddamn-i-hate-san-francisco/298023/43 "2005-04-06T19:51:43Z")
> [@Maureen](#): > > Ain’t he just? I drool every time I see him. Money, looks and power. > He just got divorced, incidentally. Seriously?! He was so deliciously charming and eloquent when he was pushing the first gay marriages through – was that last year? Two years ago? And then I found out that he did musical theater in college, and apparently played Sky Masterson in _Guys and Dolls_. Pardonnez-moi: _fans self_ ---
**Author:** ![Biffy\_the\_Elephant\_Shrew](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/e47c2d/32.png) [@Biffy\_the\_Elephant\_Shrew](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Biffy_the_Elephant_Shrew)\ **Post date:** [April 6, 2005, 7:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/goddamn-i-hate-san-francisco/298023/44 "2005-04-06T19:52:49Z")
> [@The Chao Goes Mu](#): > > Unfortunately I have no cite. I recall hearing it on a local news station a couple of years ago and after the “story” broke locally the topic hit the local talk shows. I think you got the story bass-ackwards. The big flap a few years ago was about then-mayor Willie Brown ordering that shopping carts be _confiscated_ from the homeless. ---
**Author:** ![Stuffy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/f17d59/32.png) [@Stuffy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Stuffy)\ **Post date:** [April 6, 2005, 7:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/goddamn-i-hate-san-francisco/298023/45 "2005-04-06T19:53:39Z")
> [@The Chao Goes Mu](#): > > Unfortunately I have no cite. I recall hearing it on a local news station a couple of years ago and after the “story” broke locally the topic hit the local talk shows. I’ve never heard anything else to substantiate the claim. If it is, indeed, false I cannot tell you how relieved I am. I know people in this country are capable of some pretty ridiculous things but that one almost seems too over the top to be true. As a longtime Bay Area resident, the closest story I can think of that sounds even remotely like your story was this: Back when Frank Jordan was Mayor he had a real asswipe in the Chief of Police spot (I’m sure someone will come along and supply the name). Anyway Jordan had ran on cleaning up the streets and left the details to the Police Chief. He decided to agressively reclaim shopping carts by confiscating the carts and throwing away the belongings contained therein. That, the disposal of private property, caused a big stink that make the local then national news. ---
**Author:** ![Morbo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/morbo/32/389_2.png) [@Morbo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Morbo)\ **Post date:** [April 6, 2005, 7:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/goddamn-i-hate-san-francisco/298023/46 "2005-04-06T19:58:48Z")
> [@msmith537](#): > > If you are a tourist we are superior to you. > fucking tourists 😃 Exactly my point. (I need to work on my subtlety-meter). My guess is she was probably sniffed at by a local while wandering around in shorts, waving her hand in front of her face like it was stinky, pointing at bums and not walking fast enough, and she concluded that it had nothing to do with her being an annoying tourist. ---
**Author:** ![The\_Chao\_Goes\_Mu](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/the_chao_goes_mu/32/3191_2.png) [@The\_Chao\_Goes\_Mu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Chao_Goes_Mu)\ **Post date:** [April 6, 2005, 8:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/goddamn-i-hate-san-francisco/298023/47 "2005-04-06T20:03:29Z")
> [@Stuffy](#): > > As a longtime Bay Area resident, the closest story I can think of that sounds even remotely like your story was this: Back when Frank Jordan was Mayor he had a real asswipe in the Chief of Police spot (I’m sure someone will come along and supply the name). Anyway Jordan had ran on cleaning up the streets and left the details to the Police Chief. He decided to agressively reclaim shopping carts by confiscating the carts and throwing away the belongings contained therein. That, the disposal of private property, caused a big stink that make the local then national news. Yeah, after some googling I came up with the same thing. :smack: Apparently I’m factually dyslexic. Forget that post entirely, move along folks, nothing to see here. ---
**Author:** ![Syntropy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/65b543/32.png) [@Syntropy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Syntropy)\ **Post date:** [April 6, 2005, 8:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/goddamn-i-hate-san-francisco/298023/48 "2005-04-06T20:15:10Z")
> [@Tracy Lord](#): > > Seriously?! He was so deliciously charming and eloquent when he was pushing the first gay marriages through – was that last year? Two years ago? And then I found out that he did musical theater in college, and apparently played Sky Masterson in _Guys and Dolls_. > > Pardonnez-moi: _fans self_ [Link](http://sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?file=/chronicle/archive/2005/01/06/MNGJ1ALTGV1.DTL) for you. Also, he’s very dedicated to correcting the [homeless](http://sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?file=/chronicle/archive/2005/02/18/MNGN5BDOGR1.DTL) problems. It’s one of his pet projects. Along with [cleaning up the city](http://sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?file=/chronicle/archive/2005/02/28/EDGT0ARPOE1.DTL) and fighting our state’s archaic gay marriage laws. ---
**Author:** ![Jervoise](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/d2c977/32.png) [@Jervoise](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jervoise)\ **Post date:** [April 6, 2005, 8:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/goddamn-i-hate-san-francisco/298023/49 "2005-04-06T20:29:20Z")
> [@Doobieous](#): > > Oddly enough, the dirtyness is all within the area the tourists visit most: The area around Union Square, into the Tenderloin and between SOMA and North Beach. The Castro can be a bit dirty as well. > > The city actually only stinks around the areas the bums panhandle. They panhandle there because well… that’s where your average tourist is going to end up. I’m not the OP, but I’ll say that the average tourist – in any city --doesn’t get a chance to venture outside of the inner city. I’m sure there’s lovely areas around SF, but most visitors are going to stick with the impression they get from where they stay, visit, drink and eat. As for clubs, sorry, I don’t remember names. I spent a few fairly fruitless weeks in and around Soma and the Castro. My boyfriend lived in SF for six months and he has a similar negative attitude towards the scene. > [@Troy McClure SF](#): > > I was going to dipute the OP’s points, but unless every other city in the world were completely devoid of the trouble she describes, it certainly sounds like trolling more than anything else. What does you mean? Unless _every_ (any?) city in the world is trouble-free, we can’t pick out SF’s faults? Which makes it trolling? That doesn’t make sense. First, the imperfection of other cities doesn’t mean we can’t bitch about certain negative aspects of SF; and second, the in-your-face homeless problem in SF is truly _exceptional_. (And I’m speaking as a man who’s been through perhaps 20 countries in the last 12 months. San Francisco – at least the parts visitors see – is _unusally_ grotty.) But to balance the negativity, a few nice things about SF: Alcatraz is a fantastic tourist attraction; there’s some good food to be had in the Mission; and there’s some great locally brewed beer (Speakeasy?). ---
**Author:** ![Troy\_McClure\_SF](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/troy_mcclure_sf/32/4150_2.png) [@Troy\_McClure\_SF](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Troy_McClure_SF)\ **Post date:** [April 6, 2005, 8:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/goddamn-i-hate-san-francisco/298023/50 "2005-04-06T20:55:20Z")
> [@Jervoise](#): > > I’m not the OP, but I’ll say that the average tourist – in any city --doesn’t get a chance to venture outside of the inner city. I’m sure there’s lovely areas around SF, but most visitors are going to stick with the impression they get from where they stay, visit, drink and eat. Well, then, this average tourist should maybe keep their word-holes shut when they’re so demonstrably ignorant. Y’know, maybe instead of saying that San Francisco is “the asshole of humanity,” say, “my highly limited experience of San Francisco was the shit of humanity.” > [@](#): > > What does you mean? Unless _every_ (any?) city in the world is trouble-free, we can’t pick out SF’s faults? Which makes it trolling? I find it very trollish because its very clear the OP made no effort whatsoever to experience the city he (sorry about the gender confusion earlier, the “ms” threw me off) would so harshly judge. That the OP thinks his little trip deems him so goddamn omniscient about San Francisco, despite clearly making no effort to experience a damn thing here smacks of someone who just wants to rile up those who know their shit. > [@](#): > > the in-your-face homeless problem in SF is truly _exceptional_. (And I’m speaking as a man who’s been through perhaps 20 countries in the last 12 months. I don’t deny that we do have a few nasty problems, as does any city, but that “all I could see” was these problems illustrates to anyone who knows what’s up that the OP had his head up his ass the entire time, and refused to take it out no matter what. Ah, and Speakeasy is the brewery god gets drunk at. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Miller](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/miller/32/481_2.png) [@Miller](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Miller)\ **Post date:** [April 6, 2005, 9:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/goddamn-i-hate-san-francisco/298023/51 "2005-04-06T21:06:18Z")
> [@Jervoise](#): > > I spent a few fairly fruitless weeks in and around Soma and the Castro. Heh. ---
**Author:** ![Morbo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/morbo/32/389_2.png) [@Morbo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Morbo)\ **Post date:** [April 6, 2005, 9:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/goddamn-i-hate-san-francisco/298023/52 "2005-04-06T21:09:29Z")
I’m drinking a Prohibition Ale right now. A bum gave it to me. ---
**Author:** ![Duke\_of\_Rat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/ad7895/32.png) [@Duke\_of\_Rat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Duke_of_Rat)\ **Post date:** [April 6, 2005, 9:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/goddamn-i-hate-san-francisco/298023/53 "2005-04-06T21:09:56Z")
> [@mlerose](#): > > Though I don’t know why anyone would want to use bathrooms at the BART station. Yuck. Yeah, the sidewalk is the preferred venue 😉 ---
**Author:** ![Troy\_McClure\_SF](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/troy_mcclure_sf/32/4150_2.png) [@Troy\_McClure\_SF](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Troy_McClure_SF)\ **Post date:** [April 6, 2005, 9:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/goddamn-i-hate-san-francisco/298023/54 "2005-04-06T21:11:50Z")
> [@Dooku](#): > > I’m drinking a Prohibition Ale right now. > > A bum gave it to me. Did he open it with his buttcheeks? (God I want a Big Daddy right now.) ---
**Author:** ![blowero](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/41988e/32.png) [@blowero](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/blowero)\ **Post date:** [April 6, 2005, 9:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/goddamn-i-hate-san-francisco/298023/55 "2005-04-06T21:17:26Z")
You hate liberals, you visited San Francisco, and you were disappointed. Gee, that’s a shocker.:rolleyes: In other news: If you hate sand, don’t visit Egypt. If you hate snow, don’t visit Alaska. If you hate spaghetti, don’t visit Italy. ---
**Author:** ![Sauron](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ce7236/32.png) [@Sauron](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sauron)\ **Post date:** [April 6, 2005, 9:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/goddamn-i-hate-san-francisco/298023/56 "2005-04-06T21:22:39Z")
> [@mswas](#): > > … there was an enforced calm in SF that went against the grain of my soul. It was like aristocratic pretension that pretends it is populist. There are few things I hate more than that. I’m slowly beginning to realize I’m out of my depth on this message board. I hate things like splinters in my pinkie, running out of Mayfield Turtle Tracks ice cream, and bad haircuts. Aristocratic pretension that pretends it is populist is, like, fourteenth on my list. ---
**Author:** ![Morbo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/morbo/32/389_2.png) [@Morbo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Morbo)\ **Post date:** [April 6, 2005, 9:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/goddamn-i-hate-san-francisco/298023/57 "2005-04-06T21:23:19Z")
> [@Troy McClure SF](#): > > Did he open it with his buttcheeks? > > (God I want a Big Daddy right now.) It was already open. Funny, I don’t remember Prohibition Ale smelling like asparagus… ---
**Author:** ![Odesio](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/odesio/32/20003_2.png) [@Odesio](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Odesio)\ **Post date:** [April 6, 2005, 11:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/goddamn-i-hate-san-francisco/298023/58 "2005-04-06T23:01:05Z")
I was a teen when I visited San Francisco in 1991. I did see a whole lot of bums, dope fiends (at least what I thought was dope fiends), some prostitutes, and some men dressed up like women. These were pretty unusual sights for someone who spent most of his life on military bases or suburbs. I don’t recall anyone in our party being harassed while in SF. Granted, we didn’t get to stay the entire day and we didn’t actually do a whole lot. Still, I was left with a positive impression of the city and I look forward to going back for a visit. Marc ---
**Author:** ![Anne\_Neville](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/b9e5f3/32.png) [@Anne\_Neville](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Anne_Neville)\ **Post date:** [April 6, 2005, 11:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/goddamn-i-hate-san-francisco/298023/59 "2005-04-06T23:16:13Z")
> [@mlerose](#): > > None of the BART bathrooms have been open since September 11, as far as I know. They shut down the bathrooms when the security alert level goes to orange. At other times, they’re open. Other stations may have the bathrooms shut down any time for some other reason. ---
**Author:** ![duffer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/duffer/32/1026_2.png) [@duffer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/duffer)\ **Post date:** [April 6, 2005, 11:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/goddamn-i-hate-san-francisco/298023/60 "2005-04-06T23:42:22Z")
I’m just curious. What is BART? I’m thinking something like Bay Area Rapid Transport. Is that right? [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/goddamn-i-hate-san-francisco/298023.md?page=2) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/goddamn-i-hate-san-francisco/298023.md?page=4)