San Francisco Tax Dollars At Work

As a hotel concierge I have extolled the virtues of San Francisco to thousands, if not tens of thousands of visitors (maybe even more!), in my three-decade career in hospitality.   Yet I am always surprised at the number of San Franciscans who live here, and yet are unaware of the many wonders the city provides free of charge to citizens and visitors alike.  Ask just about any San Franciscan their opinion of the state of the city, and you will probably get an earful of what's wrong.  I guess that goes for any city, but let's take a moment and share some things the city does right.

Let me be the first to go out on a limb and say that the pandemic really sucked.  I know a statement like that is not really a profile in courage, but one of the better outcomes of our most recent global disaster was (and IS) Sunday Streets SF.  Borne from a time when social gatherings could mean death, the city embarked on a bold plan.  About once a month a major thoroughfare in San Francisco would close to vehicular traffic for several blocks, and then open to the public.

That's it! 

As simple as this plan was, it did wonders for the communities they occurred in.  Not only did it give San Franciscans a chance to get outdoors in a socially distanced-safe environment, but it also gave members of that community a chance to go outside and safely mingle with their neighbors.  Eventually these street closures became the lifeblood of the neighborhood, to the point that local artists and musicians began to share their talent with their neighbors strolling by.  Whatever street was closed to cars, resulted in an impromptu gathering that people liked.

As the pandemic-era restrictions began to lift, some short-sighted thinkers in city hall felt the Sunday Streets SF program should end as well.  What rescued this little gem of an idea were San Franciscans themselves.  There was a vociferous outcry to keep it just as it is.  

The citizens demanded Sunday Streets SF become a regular annual event, and the city saw the benefit to the community.  Over the course of the year, major streets in half a dozen neighborhoods around San Francisco will close to cars, but not people.  I am by no means the only person to experience the deleterious effects of the pandemic.  As a hotel veteran in San Francisco, I share the PTSD I suffered from watching my beloved industry, and just about everyone I had ever worked with, disappear overnight.

Poof, just like that. 

But in that dark misty moment of history a little beam of light called Sunday Streets SF showed through and brightened everyone's life just a little.  

https://sundaystreetssf.com/

POPOS, Privately Owned Public Open Spaces, are open spaces the city mandates from developers.  If you want to build or renovate a tall building in San Francisco the developer must provide some kind of open space by it, next to it, and even on top of it.  There are dozens of little plazas and rooftop gardens strewn across the Financial District of the city.

The Redwood Forest POPOS, next the TransAmerica Pyramid

One of my favorite POPOS is the newly renovated redwood forest adjacent to the TransAmerica Pyramid.  Even though it's next to an 800-foot skyscraper, once you are standing amongst the redwoods, you would hardly know you are in a city.

https://sfpopos.com/

Remember when the library was that dreaded place your mom dropped you off to study your homework.  Or the place with the boring books with no pictures.  Today the San Francisco Public Library offers a whole host of family-friendly and cultural activities, all paid for by our (your) tax dollars.  Personally I've attended free concerts from local musicians, listened to book readings from bay area authors, and participated in free classes on writing.  That's just off the top of my head.  

The Main Branch of the San Francisco Public Library

I took a quick glance at the library's calendar for just one day, September 22nd, It shows an event for families and boardgames, a gardening class, story time for kids, a discussion on Margaret Atwood’s landmark novel The Handmaid's Tale, a meeting of chess players, and a presentation on decoding weather.  Those are just from the first page on the San Francisco Public Library's website.  Once again, your (our) tax dollars at work.

https://sfpl.org/

I think you may have heard of Golden Gate Park, and maybe even Alamo Square with the Painted Ladies in the foreground of a spectacular view of the San Francisco skyline.  Yet this city has over 200 parks within the borders of its 49 square miles.  In fact, in the second most densely populated city in the United States, almost 18% of the city is open space and accessible by public transportation.

A free event in Duboce Park

San Francisco Rec and Park also manages public swimming pools, rec centers, and sponsors programs for at-risk youth.   You can shoot nine holes at the Gleneagles golf course in McLaren Park, or a full 18 at Lincoln Park with stunning views of the Golden Gate Bridge. A PGA certified golf course by the way.  You can slide down the giant slide at the Hamilton Rec Center Pool or take a class at the century-old Golden Gate Park Senior Center.  If you thought the library offered numerous and sundry activities, check out what SF Rec and Park offers.  

https://sfrecpark.org/

It's easy to complain about the city, really any city you live in.  But let's take a moment to appreciate the many things San Francisco does right.