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Going back to San Francisco

I was just daydreaming of winning the Mega Millions jackpot tomorrow (don't bother buying any more tickets, just send the cash along to me...cut out the middleman). That got me to ask the question: "Where would I most like to bring my family?" I immediately thought of San Francisco, which brought me to places to stay and eat. To stay, I thought of the Mark Hopkins and The Fairmont. To eat, there's the Blue Fox, Carnelian Room, Schroeder's. The problem is, I haven't been to San Francisco in 10 years. Are these places still at the top of their game? If you won the jackpot, where would you stay...where would you eat?

GC, I really would not advise that you go to SF. If you have not been to SF in 10 yrs., you will be surprised at what it has degraded to in terms of crime, homelessnes, etc. This about sums up San Francisco's problem in a recent newspaper article. It takes only a few blocks to realize that street people and panhandlers are as much a part of this gilded hill city as the Golden Gate, the Presidio, or the striking views of Alcatraz from Russian Hill. San Francisco belongs to them as much as it does to the scions of Pacific Heights or former dotcomers now working in temp jobs. In this tolerant city, politicians who have sought to remove them from street corners have long been labeled callous - and often rousted from office. Here, urinating in public is a cherished right. As the problem grows, however, San Francisco appears to be reaching its breaking point. According to some estimates, it has roughly the same number of homeless people as New York, even though it has one-tenth the population. Two years ago, nearly 200 people died on the streets - twice as many as in the state of Florida. The homeless problem has become cataclysmic in San Francisco," says Gray Brechin, a historian at the University of California in Berkeley. Since 2000, the homeless population of San Francisco has grown by more than a third, totaling some 7,300 people. In places such as the Tenderloin district, streets seem little more than galleries of "Checks Cashed" signs, strip clubs, and wobbly shopping carts packed with worn clothes, trinkets, and trash. Sidewalks double as sleeping quarters, and the smell of stale urine is rarely far away. Mr. Brechin says he won't come into San Francisco, because he "can't take it anymore." Six-year resident Sonja Brandjes is sometimes afraid to walk the streets in certain parts of town. "It's worse than it has ever been," she says. "We just accept it because it has always been there, but I don't think it's safe." For example, while most municipalities offer benefits to the homeless in the form of a small cash stipend and other benefits such as vouchers or shelter beds, San Francisco still gives about one-third of its homeless population its benefits all in cash - as much as $395 a month. At the same time, the number of deaths among the homeless has increased recently - from 103 in 1995 to 183 in 2000.

SF problem, Thank you for you valued, consistent input....but I want to go anyway. Zagat's kinda likes the Carnelian Room, Fodor's loves The Fairmont, but it doesn't do so well in the poll. FYI, homelessness is a problem everywhere. Warmer cities tend to see the problem exacerbated because, frankly, you can't freeze on a heater grate in San Francisco on a January night.

just back from SF. i had gone forewarned of homeless people. despite being "steeled," it is not possible to ignore them unless you lose your moral conscience. they are young, severely mentally ill and ignored. as i left restaurants w/ a full tummy, having had a good night's sleep in a safe hotel, my over-riding memory is walking by countless ill and lost souls ignored by all of *us.* my memory is of beautiful sights, but sorely troubled by the disconnect between my state of *have* and theirs' of *not having.* i didn't know what to do ... by the way, we didn't stay or eat downtown SF as the cost was more than we chose to spend.

ALERT ALERT. The over-exaggerating SF bashers are out of medication again. But they speak the truth having just returned from or still live there. YAWN.

SF, Please spare us your unecessary postings. Anytime someone posts something critical, which happens to be the truth, about SF they are an SF basher, they work for the San Jose Chamber of Commerce, etc. These same old lines are getting boring. You have to admit the truth that SF is no longer a great city as you are constantly trying to lead people into believing. Please stop misleading tourists into wasting there money in SF.

SFTruth-Do you have this answer on a Word Doc so you can just continue to cut and paste it? Lame. As for the problems of SF, yes, they have them, BIG TIME, but to continue to describe it as almost being like a trip to Kabul, Beruit or Amsterdam, and you have to fist fight and battle your way down Market Street or other tourist sights, you DO NOT speak the truth.

Luv, Contrary to what you may say, I do speak the truth. I think that you just can't admmit to the fact that SF no longer is a world class city.

But can YOU admit that San Jose never was and never will be???

Luv, By the way, I have never compared SF to Kabul, Beirut, or Amsterdam. The article that SF problem posted speaks for itself. Mike, What does San Jose have to do with anything? If you don't like SJ, that is okay. It I think that SJ has come a long way in the past 20 years with revitalization of its downtown. It has amenities of any large city. What we are talking about here is San Francisco, not the the City of San Jose.

Mike, What an arrogant statement to make about San Jose. It points to your lack of education. San Jose is a cosmopolitan city with a very diverse population, as well as a much more highly educated population with a much higher disposable income that that in SF. SJ has what SF offers in terms of culture and great restarants but with much better weather. As one of the most expensive real estate markets outside of Manhattan, it must be a desirable place, or no one would want to live there.

Contrary to what you may say, I do speak the truth. I think that you just can't admmit to the fact that SF no longer is a world class city.Contrary to what you may say, I do speak the truth. I think that you just can't admmit to the fact that SF no longer is a world class city. Contrary to what you may say, I do speak the truth. I think that you just can't admmit to the fact that SF no longer is a world class city. Contrary to what you may say, I do speak the truth. I think that you just can't admmit to the fact that SF no longer is a world class city. Cut n' Paste. Pretty easy to do! I'll remember this! Thanks! As for "the article", I don't recall seeing the source. Plus, take out the name "SF" and you could just about put any major city's name in there.

Luv, Here is the source about the article regarding SF. Read it any weap. It THE TRUTH, like it or not you can't deny it. http://www.csmonitor.com/2002/0305/p01s02-uspo.html

You folks act like children, and stupid ones at that. Makes me glad I'm on the east coast.

Hello gc. I have lived in San Francisco for 8 years, love the city and would never think of moving. It is wonderful. Like you said, all big cities in warm climates have homeless people. Getting to your question, since I live here I can't tell you too much about hotels, but here are some of my favorite restaurants. Expensive: Boulevard, Fifth Floor. Moderate to Expensive: Chez Nous, Delfina, Slow Club, Il Cantuccio. Moderate: Luna Park, Cha Cha Cha. That is all that I can think of right now. But, if you have more specific questions about certain types of restaurants, feel free to email me. Have fun. Daria

Deb-Careful. The CS Monitor may declare there is no intelligent life East of the Mississippi. CSM. No unbiased source there. I think we finally answered the "Who Keeps Bashing SF?" question. It's like getting a fair review of Pres. GW Bush's policies from the SF Chronicle.

Weep, I am not a Bush supporter or a Republican for that matter, but what is stated in that article is not biased opinion, it is factual. You know that what is said in that article is the truth, but you just can't admit it. Instead you resort to a lame technique of attacking the source.

Daria, SF a big city in a warm climate???? Who are you trying to fool. I certainly don't think that 60 degrees for the high in July qualifies as being warm. LA is warm city with 8 times the population of SF, but does not have a homeless problem near as big as that of SF's

Why, xxx? Are you killing your homeless with the smog as biological weapon?

You really are a moron. The example I was trying to express about The SF Chron's opinion of Pres. GW Bush and the CS Monitor's on SF was to try and ....oh nevermind. It's obvious that you are very close minded. If you are that good of a Christian, then wouldn't you WANT to go to SF to assist the poor, homeless, drug addicts, etc? Or are you a "CINO". Christian In Name Only?