City by the Bay

After careful deliberation the verdict is in, San Francisco is to this point my least favorite BIG city. There, I said it!

San Fran may have plenty to offer but it doesn't evoke the same type of feelings that other major cities do. There are too many variables to factor when comparing Europeon cities to American Cities so I'll limit the comparrison to New York and Chicago.

Walking down Broadway and through Central Park in New York can make you feel like anything is possible, that all of your dreams can come true with hard work and sacrifice. That isn't the case, but you sure feel that way when you are in that city. Michigan Ave and Navy Pier in Chicago have their own sense of romanticism. Both cities give the impression that they are living organisms and that life would go on without anyone being there.

The biggest factor is that San Fran of the three is the smallest. The tourists sites of all three cities are all probably even with NY holding a slight edge. Chicago and NY probably have more homeless and beggers but there not as in your face as SF. Manhatten and downtown Chicago are clean. The fact that SF is smaller makes you feel like you see street people everywhere you turn and guess what, YOU DO!

I don't know if it has always been like this. I am sensitive to the fact that the housing market in California was ground zero for the mortgage crisis and I am sure that the CA budget issue aren't helpful to the issues in question but there has to be a better answer than the current state of the matter.

At the end of the day, it always goes back to what your original expectations were. Expectations will determine your opinion 90% of the time. If you are eagerly anticipating the release of a movie and it's not as good as you thought it was then you are diappointed. If you end up knowing a few people at a reception that your signifcant other drags you to and it wasn't as bad as you thought was, then guess what you had a good time! (right Tom)?

I expected something different from SF. It doesn't mean I didn't have a great time figuring it all out, just means that it is my least favorite, so far.....