patrick.net

I know it's bad form to generalize a state as large as California, but let me preface my thread title.

I try to avoid going back to California for any reason but because I still have family in the state, I am sometimes forced to visit the Bay Area. But there will be gaps of like 2-3 years between visits.

So in October, I land in SFO to visit my sister. My sister and her kids are still in the Burlingame area. Before I take my rental car down south, I visit a friend for dinner in SF. As I'm driving into the city on 80 and about to exit into SOMA, I begin to notice things are looking a little shabbier than I remember. We meet at a place near Market Street, and I begin to notice something weird. There are literally no retail stores open on the block. Literally all "for lease signs" and most windows are boarded up. The streets are also extremely empty. it's eerie to see. Of course you see a few buses, the odd cracked out homeless person stumbling around, but general foot traffic seems very low compared to what I remembered of SF long ago. Especially during dinner time.

Now my friend is a bit "liberal", so I try not to get too deep into political discussions. Also, I don't keep up with California politics much anymore, except whenever Gavin Newsom tries to insert himself onto national TV with some ridiculous proclamation (like banning all gas powered cars by 2035). But I had to ask him, "Why does it seem every business is closed in downtown and where is everyone?"

He replies, "Well, in the middle of the week it's basically quiet, wait until the weekend it gets very crowded."

I kinda gave him a puzzled look, "It's quiet and empty in the middle of the WORK week in a major city?" I told him it's not like that in Houston, Dallas, or Austin (I currently reside in Texas). The middle of downtown SF just seems extremely sad. Empty, closed down businesses, and lots of cracked out homeless people just laying down in the cold streets. This looks worse than some third world countries I've visited in my life.

He kinda laughs, and says it's "different" in SF, and then changes the subject.

My question to y'all who still live near a major California city, or the Bay Area, have you guys noticed a change over the past 5+ years? I swear my mind must be playing tricks on me because SF wasn't this bad in my memory.