San Francisco, Oakland, and Berkeley during the holiday season

[OhioGuy]

Following a work trip to San Diego in late November (photos here), I returned to California 10 days later. I spent 10 days in the San Francisco Bay area for a work conference. It was so wonderful to be back where I used to live before relocating to DC last summer. I've certainly missed this place and tried to make the most of my time. Here's what I saw while out & about!

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[homebucket]

Great photos! Looks like you hit up some of my favorite spots

[ColDayMan]

Nicely done.

[geomorph]

Originally Posted by OhioGuy

9.

These people are such scrooges!

Thank you for the nice variety of shots.

[craigs]

I used to work up the block from here, and the white building on the left was full of Chinese immigrants who washed and air-dried their laundry on the roof of that building.

Well, you son of a bitch, you made me homesick. That hasn't happened in years.

You really got around--great job!

[EastSideHBG]

Lovely!

[homebucket]

These were the photos that stood out to me most:

[WayOutWest]

WOW. Great shots. The bay area really makes for one of the most beautiful landscapes of any city in the world, up there with Vancouver, Istanbul, and Cape Town. There so much character in the neighborhoods, the architecture, the streetscape, transit, bridges, etc.

[Murphy de la Sucre]

lots lots of iconic angles, SF should appear more on this forum

[plinko]

No San Jose? You got around. Quite lovely, but feels a bit empty?

[destroycreate]

If the rampant homelessness/junkie/crime issues could be dealt with by any means necessary and return to office was made mandatory again, SF would really be the perfect city. It's so depressing how much Covid19 decimated the vibe of the city and impacted local's quality of life. Hoping a few more years of normalcy will help the city get back to where it was. It's weird knowing that downtown is a shell of its former self.

[homebucket]

Originally Posted by plinko

No San Jose? You got around. Quite lovely, but feels a bit empty?

Based on the lighting of some of the images, it looks like some of the shots were taken early in the morning. SF was actually fairly busy this holiday season, especially in certain neighborhoods. Union Square was definitely shoulder to shoulder pedestrian levels. And the FiDi has always been empty on weekends, even pre-pandemic.

[sooperpaz]

Originally Posted by destroycreate

If the rampant homelessness/junkie/crime issues could be dealt with by any means necessary and return to office was made mandatory again, SF would really be the perfect city. It's so depressing how much Covid19 decimated the vibe of the city and impacted local's quality of life. Hoping a few more years of normalcy will help the city get back to where it was. It's weird knowing that downtown is a shell of its former self.

visited SF over the summer and it was busy everywhere - people were out, including in downtown and around union square, despite the presence of homeless people. it felt just as vibrant as NYC. i feel like SF's decline has been greatly exaggerated, but just based on my limited experience.

[homebucket]

Originally Posted by sooperpaz

visited SF over the summer and it was busy everywhere - people were out, including in downtown and around union square, despite the presence of homeless people. it felt just as vibrant as NYC. i feel like SF's decline has been greatly exaggerated, but just based on my limited experience.

I would say it's still busy, but not as busy as it used to be. I think definitely property crime and visible homelessness has been an issue and has driven away a lot of the suburbanites from the East and South Bay Area. To some extent, it is a little bit exaggerated and overblown by the click bait driven media nowadays, and it definitely is better than what is being portrayed.

SF for whatever reason doesn't seem to do a good job at marketing itself in a positive manner, both locally and nationally. For some reason, SF is a lightning rod for hyperbole, even as seen in this thread, which words like "empty, decimated, and shell", being thrown around by those whose opinions are influenced primarily by media rather than in person experiences.

[OakAngeles]

Gonna be visiting the Bay in October but man, these make me wish it was sooner!

[Cirrus]

The one in the Muni Metro with the man leaning against the wall is very good. And I love the art nouveau trim in #110.

I really wish we'd build a lot more of San Francisco.

[OhioGuy]

Thanks everyone! I just love being out & about in the Bay Area. I always have lots of energy and cover 10+ miles on foot on a typical day wandering around SF.

Originally Posted by homebucket

Based on the lighting of some of the images, it looks like some of the shots were taken early in the morning. SF was actually fairly busy this holiday season, especially in certain neighborhoods. Union Square was definitely shoulder to shoulder pedestrian levels. And the FiDi has always been empty on weekends, even pre-pandemic.

Yes indeed, the photos near the end (with the cloudy skies) were taken on a Sunday morning before I had to leave for the airport. There was certainly more pedestrian activity during the week (though I was busy with work during the week so I didn't take many photos then).