San Francisco Chronicle - (Sunday)
S. F. life: Pandemic drives home what makes city worthwhile
Pandemic’s stress drives home that this is the right place to be
I’ ve never felt the inclination to write. Never. Neither a K12 San Francisco private school education nor a degree from UC Berkeley gave me the confidence to think that I actually can. But, in this world where anything can happen, I thought, “Hey, why not?” So, here goes. This is my tale of San Francisco. The story of how I grew to love the city even more during these challenging times.
These days, there is negative press about San Francisco everywhere you look, people are leaving in droves. Headlines like “It’s True — San Francisco is a Mess. And Everyone Knows It” and “Can San Francisco be Saved?” flood the newspapers. Maybe it is my inclination to always root for the underdog, but I have never loved the city more, and I thought I’d offer another perspective.
I have lived in San Francisco most of my life. Thirtyfour years to be exact.
Except for college in Berkeley and a fouryear stint in New York City in my 20s, San Francisco has been my home, and I have always had a love/ hate relationship with the city. Loving the people and the sparkling beauty, but hating the provincial smalltown feel, the boredom, the fog, the dirtiness.
My husband and I used to lie in bed in New York City, picturing Geary Street with loathing and dread. Being 20 in New York, we could not wrap our heads around why anyone would choose to live in San Francisco. But eventually we got married, moved home and had kids. Because that’s what most San Franciscans we know do. We always felt a little uneasy about living here, always questioning in the back of our minds if it was truly what we wanted or what we thought we wanted.
Then a pandemic hit, the city shut down, and we were the first to leave. We spent six months in the mountains, loving the smalltown life, watching our boys thrive in nature, enjoying real seasons ( especially a fogless summer).
We also spent six months turning our back on the city we called home. As we read articles about the homeless and drugs on the streets, woke up to endless Nextdoor posts about car breakins, and heard complaints about the thick fog covering the city, we grew to dread San Francisco. Like many others, we daydreamed about selling our home and moving out of the city.
This could be our opportunity to finally make the change that we thought we wanted.
At the same time, I struggled with a nagging sense of guilt for abandoning my city, for being fortunate enough to escape to a second home while so many people were suffering. I hated that I was a fairweather friend, and I knew that eventually we would have to face reality. Much to my husband’s initial dismay, we packed up and headed home. The party was over.
On my second day home, I went for a run, committed to trying to keep up my newfound shelterinplace hobby. Lucky for me, the city had closed down vehicle traffic on a major street in my neighborhood that goes all the way to the ocean.
In just 5 miles round trip, I ran down the sweet family neighborhood avenues on Lake Street, the colorful, bustling Chinese neighborhoods on Clement Street, the beautiful and historic golf course in the Presidio to the vast, gorgeous Pacific Ocean and stunning Golden Gate Bridge. As I ran, appreciating all this manmade and natural beauty, relishing the diversity our city, I also noticed the many forsale signs on houses and masked “Karens” ( as our sons would call them) on the street.
It was definitely a different, COVIDstyle San Francisco, but I sure never felt happier to be living here. I felt proud to live in a city where people really care about the wellbeing of others; where people are likeminded and can trust one another; that San Francisco might finally get the adjustment that it has so badly needed. That maybe all the beatniks, hippies and artists that helped weave the rich fabric of this city can actually afford to live here again. And, most importantly, that people like me who doubted the city can finally realize why they choose to live here and take pride in it.
I realize that the road to rebuild San Francisco is going to be long, and that there are a lot of serious problems that need fixing. It’s an uphill battle no doubt. But one thing is certain, like any relationship, you need love and strength to grow. The vibe of the city is defined by the energy of the people living in it. In a time of crazy negativity, maybe it’s time to focus on the positive.