correction Bowsprit's.

sf7: We drove through Western Addition all the time - taking alternate routes out toward the Stick when traffic was bad.

I also played a lot of flag football in the Western Additon - (while going to Hastings) - and also fast pitch softball there before going to Hastings. We were not in the "majority" when doing so. :)

Sadly - haven't been to the Cherry Blossum festival in Japantown for a long time. http://www.sfjapantown.org/

It makes perfect sense.

I said I was very disappointed with San Francisco this third time around. I saw a rapid decline in areas that were once nicer to visit. I am not comparing a big city to a suburb like Manhattan and Cold Spring.

I wanted to hear more about the OP's trip and since he mentioned Napa, I chimed in that we loved Yountville and the Alexander Valley. Not trying to compare them to the city at all. Just expressing different views and opinions of areas.

Within an hour's drive away from the city, you can be in a quaint village with beautiful scenery. And yes, less visible homeless.

Besides the homeless, we encountered cable car operators who had attitudes too. The first two times we were in San Francisco, we encountered friendly operators who answered people's questions, yelled out the next approaching stop, helped people on and off. This time we saw two very rude operators. For instance, one yelled at all those standing they better put their bodies closer toward the inside of the car because he didn't want to fill out an accident report on them. He could have made a more polite announcement to make sure their bodies were not hanging out so not to get injured. I heard two operators making fun of overseas visitors and not in a polite way--they were not attempting to make a joke--they were just being rude.

We rode a regular city bus from Union Square to get to Golden Gate Park for the Academy of Sciences museum and on the bus come three loud teenagers with a little kid in their charge. They had a radio blasting loud rap music. Every other word out of their mouth was the F word and then one teenager smacked the little kid when he wanted to say something also cursing at him. No one dared say anything either.

These things don't make for fun experiences when visiting a city. They take away from the charm.

But I/we digress. The main point I would like to emphasize is there are other places to stay in SF besides around Union Square - and there are also some - not all for sure - but a few - quiet places to stay in the Lombard St area for people who don't want to stay downtown, or they can get over to Sausalito, or other places that have been suggested.

Peace and out for 2nite. :)

To those who asked for a little more information on the rest of my trip, here you go...

Firstly, the weather for the duration of my trip could not have been more perfect. As I mentioned previously, I am a driving enthusiast, and the coast drive between San Simeon and Carmel is widely known as one the most scenic/ fun roads in the world: it is. I have done this trip several times, but in my newish German convertible which is built for driving fast around curves, the drive was exhilarating. It took about six hours to get up to Carmel, though it felt like it took about two.

I spent about 24 hours in Carmel, and this was fine; I have been on multiple occasions, and since I was alone, that was enough; Carmel is one of the most "couple-y" places there is. It was a really nice relaxing stopover on the way to SF. I stayed in town in one of the many inns, and it was easy and not expensive. I have stayed at some of the nicer hotels in the area, but I generally prefer staying right in town.

I spent one night in Yountville where I saw a few friends. Next time I visit I will definitely stay at Bardessano, where I had drinks; gorgeous modern architecture and rooms, right in the heart of town. Did a few wine tastings with a friend who is in the business, walked around Healdsburg and Yountville, and had some amazing meals. I have always loved Bistro Jeanty, and it never disappoints; the tomato soup with puff pastry is one of the greatest dishes anywhere. We also went to the town of Napa, where I had not been in a few years, and I was impressed at the recent changes with the addition of new restaurants and lodging. On the way into SF, stopped in Sausalito, parked the car for an hour or so, and just soaked in one of the most beautiful views there is.

On the way back down the coast, the drive was equally pleasurable as on the way up. To those that have not done the drive and are planning a trip, note that going north to south is preferable; the views and vistas are better, and there are many turnouts and spots to stop and take it all in.

I had planned on spending only one night in Santa Barbara on the way back, but I spent two nights because I enjoyed it so much. I have been to Santa Barbara for day trips from LA, but it has been a few years since I spent any nights there. SB is really beautiful, and has a great mix of locals, college students and tourists. Again I was fortunate with the perfect weather; I rented a bike and rode around, had some great walks, a nice workout in my hotel gym, and a lot of just sitting on my ocean front balcony at the end of the day watching the world. As I previously mentioned, I had fantastic (and reasonably priced) meals at every restaurant I went to. SB was vibrant, but not too crowded; there was a fair amount of activity on State St. at night, but walking around, I started to feel a little old (which I guess I am) compared to the college age bar patrons and clubgoers prevalent there.

Though my few days in SF left something to be desired, the trip on the whole was great.

OMG: I just read the post by europ: When I first moved to the City in 1970 - the Cable Car/Grip men were like rock stars - very funny/friendly - and greatly admired. They used to love to banter with tourists and locals alike. I rode the Cal line all the time - and knew several of them by name.

They also belong to the most powerful union in the city - and since that time - not only the cable car guys - but also the bus drivers - sadly - have become insufferable.

And they don't care about keeping order on the bus - but in a way I don't blame them entirely- as you never know when the punks might be packing.

Fishskis--Thanks for the rest of your report. Glad you enjoyed your trip.

One more thing about the cable car operators, they seemed to enjoy leaning on the brakes just to throw the passengers off their balance and then laughing about it. A far cry from the rock stars of old. My first visit was in the 1980's and at that time the operators were still friendly and were careful with operating the machinery. At the rate they are abusing the machinery today, it would be a wonder if the cable cars are still running in another ten years.

The F line trolleys on the other hand were an enjoyable experience. We had a great time spotting the different F line trolleys from various places around the world including Australia. We also enjoyed the F line trolley museum.

I still enjoy identifying the F line trolleys and I see them every single day (my office is on the Embarcadero). I used to commute on the cable car (also the California line, Tom), but I haven't been on one in at least 25 years.

I enjoyed the rest of your report, too, Fishskis.

One of my great thrills was seeing the F line trolley, that is like a boat. It doesn't come out very often, but we saw it on a glorious day last October. #228 is a real head turner for sure:

http://www.streetcar.org/streetcars/228/

I wasn't able to snap a picture of it, but it is etched, indelibly in my minds' eye.

I am glad to hear that you enjoyed Bistro Jeanty. We had lunch there over ten years ago and loved it. Thank you for the rest of your report.

@debitnm - the old streetcar you refer to was from Brighton England and it is so old they now only bring it out for special occasions, like last October when they were celebrating the anniversary of the vintage streetcars.

Thanks for the rest of your report.

We, too, love Bistro Jeanty.

Hope everyone's satisfied now that they've gotten the good, the bad, and the ugly of your entire trip. :)

europeannovice: Everything has changed in recent years and not for the better. People are a lot ruder, especially online. Don't know where the problem lies, but people do and say things...well, anyhow, sorry there were situations that made your visit less pleasant than it could have been.

fishskis: Ditto for appreciating the rest of your report.

Thankfully the other parts of your trip went well, aside from the Union Square experience.

Were I/we to move back to the Bay Area - Sausalito - an old "haunt" - would be high on my list of places to consider.

Hey - "commuting" to/from work on a Ferry actually was quite enjoyable :)

In 1997 (my last trip to S.F.) the homeless problem was clearly out of control .. we couldn't even stand in line for the cable cars without being aggressively hounded for $$ ... it was unbelievable ... and it sounds like it has just gotten worse. Very sad because tourists are just going to stop visiting.
I've never encountered anything like that in New York.

<<<Very sad because tourists are just going to stop visiting>>>

It's been 15 years since you were last here, and trust me, the tourists have not stopped coming.

http://abclocal.go.com/kgo/story?sec...sco&id=8679571

This shows an interesting peek into the Tenderloin that may not have been seen my many --

http://intelligenttravel.nationalgeo...he-tenderloin/

Yup - growing weed in the Loin. Some things don't change. :)

DRIVE to the Mission for a snack at Tartine? You could have taken a cab, and certainly you could have taken one back - that stretch of 18th street is not cab-less by far. Walking would have ok, too - I walk from downtown to the Mission all the time. But wait....I guess the Mission would have been one of those unsafe neighborhoods.

It's a good thing you didn't make it to Tartine. There's a line all day, every day. It would have just been another bummer for you.

Holy Cow!

Where you been, dovima?

I used to so look forward to your posts on SF, especially the restaurant recommendations!

Welcome back!

San Francisco's food banks serve 70,000 meals every day, an enormous undertaking and they deserve a lot of credit. Complaining about a few hundred people out and about panhandling seems odd. Would you prefer 70,000 hungry people looking for a bite to eat?