Thanks guys.
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Originally Posted by Evo5Boise
Fantastic photos! I was just there last summer and I enjoyed my time around the city. I, too, spent some time up at Twin Peaks (what a view). It was SUPER windy though when I was there. I wanted to stay for the nightscape but I was so worried about our limited hotel parking that I left earlier to ensure I could get a spot. I bet it was gorgeous up there at night.
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It was really windy when I was up there, too. I think the temperature was in the mid 50s, but with the wind it felt much colder, especially after the sun set. My fingers were numb by the time I left.
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Originally Posted by Pedestrian
So to the visitors, I must ask:
- Did you find it "covid-dead"? There's a lot still closed including restaurants that will never come back and businesses boarded up (to me that seems especially true around Union Square which has always been a tourist magnet).
- Were the number of homeless on the streets shocking or bothersome?
- Any problems with crime? (car smash 'n grabs are legion and tourists leave stuff in their cars sp they are targeted)
- Did you ride Muni while in town? (service isn't yet back to "normal" and especially the night-time hours)
Nice pictures--appreciate the attention.
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It was mid-May when I was there, so it was prior to California reopening. I hadn't been to SF in years prior to that, so I can't really compare activity levels to what's "normal", but I had much less traffic coming into town on a Friday afternoon at 4:30/5:00 than I expected. I saw a few places boarded up, but nothing like what downtown Portland had, basically from last summer up until a couple weeks ago.
The homeless presence didn't seem particularly noteworthy. My visit was short, and limited to a few neighborhoods - Nob Hill, Chinatown, Western Addition/Fillmore, Alamo Square, etc., but I did walk Market St. from Hayes/9th to Taylor, then took Taylor and some other streets through the Tenderloin. Plenty of homeless people in that area, and I saw some drug use, but nothing that I wouldn't expect to see in Portland's Old Town. I hadn't intended on walking though the Tenderloin, especially not with my camera out, but I didn't have any issues and didn't feel unsafe. It was Saturday morning, though - I wasn't there in the evening.
No problems with crime. I was only there for a night, and my hotel had parking that seemed pretty secure.
I didn't ride Muni. Didn't really have a reason or need to. I did all my travel around town on foot, except for the trip to Twin Peaks, which i drove.
The thing that surprised me the most on my visit was how quiet and empty Chinatown was at night. Granted, it was 11 or midnight when I walked through, but there was
no one around, and very little traffic. I guess that's probably a byproduct of Covid restrictions, but it was surprising. Other parts of town had lots of activity late into the night (e.g. the area around Polk St. and Pine, which was near where I stayed). But the quiet streets in Chinatown made it easy to set up a tripod and take photos, which was nice.