On the decline of the once great city of San Francisco.

When I was young (1965) five years old my mother used to take my friends and I to Ghirardelli Square and Golden Gate park in San Francisco and LEAVE us there while she went and did grocery shopping on the then naval installation commissary on Treasure Island. She would leave us there in the morning say 9:00 am and return at say 3:00 pm. Neither she nor my friends families gave this even a first, second or third thought. There was obviously no thought of kidnapping for sale to sex-slavers. There was no thought murder, there was no thought of introduction to horrible drug experience either just visually or by actual force. She would take us on field-trips to the Haight-Ashbury district, Golden Gate Park, the Japanese Tea Garden, (I loved the novelty of the super high humpy foot bridge) the Exploritorium, The Botanical Gardens, and to the Berkley Modern Art Museum. I loved the Giant Carousel horse ride in The Park. I used to love watching the model boat people sailing in the Big Pond.   I used to love the Antique Bicycle shop there I, my self, would no more consider taking my child to any of these locations now than I would introducing my child to the drug fentanyl. But, now I imaging that if I did take my child to any of these locations I would in fact be introducing them to fentanyl. 

I haven't been to San Francisco recently but I do hear about major department stores leaving. It seems that the once glorious Union Square is no more Glorious than Skid Row. 

Some 30 years ago I used to take my daughter and friends to San Francisco. We would go to Union  Square, Ghirardelli Square, FAO Schwarts, the Pier 39 district. We would ride Cal-Train into The City walk to Powell street Cable Car turn-around and ride around all day long with no worries at all. I don't know if, in hind sight, I was just plain stupid doing that, blinded by the reliving of my youth in those trips. None of the adults concerned were concerned so... I did feel totally safe on those trips.

I will say this though, I was brought up short once in a conversation with a woman friend-co-worker when I told her of a shorty trip to "The City". She was suddenly and visibly very concerned for my safety. That was the first time I had cause to consider the difference between male and female world view with regard to safety. It never occurred to me that The City was an unsafe environment for women. Apparently it was and by extension still is and to an even greater degree to be sure. That is very telling and a great shame.

I cant speak to the decline of The City from personal experience but just like reading about fentanyl I can understand that it is very bad. Similarly I can, by reading about all the "wackiness" of The City, understand that The City is no longer a Great City. 

Unfortunately, it seems the same can be said about many once Great Cities in  America. New York, Chicago, Baltimore and so many others. It is so sad to contemplate this decline in what were once Great American Cities. Once great cities laid low by liberal left-wing politics.

As a quicky footnote I will add that I have been looking at a selection of what I assume are recent pictures of some of these locations and they do not appear to have suffered much of the decline that I am describing. I will hope and assume that the decline is primarily limited to the down town areas and the halls of policy, which is nice.