(CNN) 鈥� San Francisco is undeniably having a moment.
Over the past year, headlines claiming the city is caught in a spiraling 鈥渄oom loop鈥澨齢ave become so prominent that听a city commissioner听decided to cash in on downtown San Francisco鈥檚 storefront vacancies, homelessness and opioid issues听by anonymously advertising听an hour-and-a-half long tour showcasing 鈥渄oom and squalor.鈥� For $30 a person, you could see the city鈥檚 鈥渙pen-air drug markets鈥� and 鈥渁bandoned tech offices鈥� first-hand.
However, just before it was scheduled to take place, the tour was canceled听(and the commissioner ultimately resigned). Instead a听听organized by a local nonprofit听guided participants听through the city鈥檚 Tenderloin, highlighting a neighborhood that鈥檚 long been a poster child for the city鈥檚 hardships.
While people sleeping on sidewalks and drug use were still visible, it focused on the community鈥檚 more positive attributes, including a rich history, art and a听 that鈥檚 working to get struggling San Franciscans back on their feet.
Still, for many would-be visitors, it鈥檚 San Francisco鈥檚 more discernible difficulties that are the real deterrents.
鈥淢y clients who鈥檝e recently been to San Francisco have never said they felt unsafe,鈥� says Alana Scalise Livingston, owner of tours in Spokane, Washington (and a former San Francisco resident). 鈥淭hey just say it鈥檚 not as nice as it used to be, and there are many homeless people flooding the streets.鈥�
Joshua Hirsch, owner of , has received much of the same feedback. 鈥淎ccording to our tour participants, the homeless people in cities like San Francisco and New York seemed to have become more brazen and outspoken since the pandemic,鈥� he says. 鈥淭hey think it鈥檚 their neighborhood, and you don鈥檛 even have the right to be walking on the sidewalk.鈥�
Additionally, there鈥檚 the city鈥檚 so-called 鈥渄eath spiral鈥� or 鈥渄oom loop鈥� touted by news outlets (including the city鈥檚 ) 鈥撎齣n which , resulting in less foot traffic and then shuttered restaurants and reduced public services. This in turn leads to more overt drug activity as well as unhoused individuals congregating in front of unoccupied spaces.
It鈥檚 not that the tales of downtown and vacant office buildings are untrue, nor are the stories of drugstore chains such as Walgreens locking up most everything in the store behind see-through cabinets, though the latter is .
San Francisco has also been experiencing a rash of car break-ins, including this , that many fear could have long-lasting effects on the city鈥檚 tourism.
This past June, the investment firm behind the Hilton San Francisco Union Square (at 1,921 rooms, it鈥檚 the city鈥檚 largest hotel) and the nearby Parc 55 hotels that it is stopping payments on a $725 million loan and surrendering the remaining debt to its lender. Tech companies such as Red Hat and the SF Bay Area鈥檚 own Meta have decided to cancel their 2024 in San Francisco as well, citing ongoing concerns over safety and the cleanliness of downtown streets.
鈥業t felt vibrant and alive鈥�
It seems like everywhere you turn, the news about San Francisco just keeps getting worse. Or is it just the news we鈥檙e reading?
鈥淲e definitely feel like there is a significant misconception of what is really happening on the ground,鈥� says Dina Belon, chief operating officer at , which has a property in San Francisco鈥檚 Union Square district.
Yuki Hayashi, a Toronto-based marketing writer and editor who visited San Francisco in late July for the city鈥檚 annual marathon, agrees. 鈥淏ased on what we saw on Reddit, my family and I thought the city had turned into some post-apocalyptic hell zone,鈥� she says. 鈥淏ut instead it felt vibrant and alive.鈥�
The San Francisco hoteliers and restaurateurs interviewed for this article acknowledge that a drop in the city鈥檚 tourism this summer has been evident. That鈥檚 the result of a combination of factors, they say. They include the negative headlines and fewer full-time office workers, 鈥渨hich has significantly reduced our business and corporate travel,鈥� says Belon. There鈥檚 also the absence of Chinese tourists 鈥� which pre-pandemic was 鈥� because of Covid and flight restrictions.
But they also agree that many of the gloomy headlines have been misleading.
鈥淵es, there are parts of San Francisco that need work,鈥� says Marc Zimmerman, owner and executive chef at , a modern Japanese eatery located in the city鈥檚 neighborhood. 鈥淚 don鈥檛 think we should pretend that the city doesn鈥檛 have issues. But the whole idea that, you know, everybody鈥檚 just laying around every SF street with needles hanging out of their arms is definitely a stretch.鈥�
Ben Parks, board chair for , feels similarly.
鈥淚t鈥檚 like, if the negative media coverage is all you pay attention to,鈥� he says, 鈥測ou just really miss out on everything the city has to offer.鈥�
His all-volunteer organization has been leading free walking tours citywide for nearly five decades and currently has 79 offerings. Parks says that these days, their attendance has actually been increasing, with what the organization suspects are more local residents interested in learning about the city鈥檚 neighborhoods, which in many cases are where San Francisco continues to impress.
鈥淭here are so many good things happening in many of our neighborhoods and communities,鈥� Grace Horikiri, executive director of San Francisco鈥檚 , 鈥渁nd it often gets overshadowed by all the non-positive news.鈥�
Within the past year, Japantown has welcomed new restaurants such as and , saw the opening of the in its former Buchanan Hotel space and watched the growth of its popular monthly in the community鈥檚 Japantown mall.
New businesses, new life
The city is also seeing new life in some of its major tourism hubs.
This August, IKEA bucked the trend of major retailers moving out of downtown and focusing on small-space living along Market Street (between Sixth and Fifth streets), while , including Devil鈥檚 Teeth bakery, Holy Stitch! apparel and The Mellow, are setting up pop-up shops in vacant downtown storefronts, beginning mid-September.
Over in Fisherman鈥檚 Wharf, San Francisco鈥檚 iconic Ghirardelli Chocolate Company hosted the grand reopening of its in July after a six-month renovation. The city鈥檚 , which opened in 2022 adjacent to the city鈥檚 Chase Center sports and entertainment area, even won Tripadvisor鈥檚 2023 Travelers鈥� Choice Best of the Best award, despite San Francisco鈥檚 negative narrative.
Chinatown, a neighborhood by the pandemic, is hosting a series of new festivals, including a on October 28. In January, the community also saw the long-awaited opening of its , providing Muni light-rail riders direct access to the heart of Chinatown鈥檚 streets.
Whether it鈥檚 Golden Gate Park鈥檚 1.5-mile stretch known as JFK Promenade, with its Adirondack chairs; street art and playable pianos, which became permanently vehicle-free during the pandemic; or city stalwarts such as in the Haight-Ashbury (which Santa Cruz bookseller Liz Pollock says is still filled with people 鈥渇lipping through LPs鈥� every time she visits), the city is in many ways just going about its business.
鈥榃e needed a kick, and we got it鈥�
Homelessness has been an ongoing issue in San Francisco, with thousands of homeless people sleeping on the streets on any given night, and the effects of the pandemic have brought it even more to the city鈥檚 forefront. 鈥淭he challenges that San Francisco has always had are just more visible,鈥� says Belon.
However, when it comes to violent crimes in US cities, San Francisco鈥檚 numbers are comparatively low. , such as car thefts and break-ins, is what really drives up crimes figures in the city and at the same time drives away visitors.
鈥淲e can鈥檛 just act like nothing is wrong,鈥� says Zimmerman, 鈥渂ut for whatever reason, that鈥檚 the direction we went. But I feel like we needed a kick, and we got it. This is a great and resilient city, and now we鈥檙e seeing a big push to bring it all back.鈥�
To help curb auto break-ins, the San Francisco Police Department is beginning to deploy that can help identity and arrest thieves, notably in tourist areas such as the Palace of Fine Arts, Alamo Square and Fisherman鈥檚 Wharf.
Getting homeless people and into places where they can get viable help (mental and physical) isn鈥檛 so easy, but that鈥檚 not to say efforts aren鈥檛 being made.听In December 2022, a federal judge effectively from breaking up or sweeping tent encampments until there are more shelter beds than individuals, but the issue .
While the works collaboratively with the Department of Public Health鈥檚 Street Medicine team to address the medical and behavioral health needs of many of the city鈥檚 homeless residents and also to offer them volunteer overnight shelter, many would rather stay on the streets for reasons such as feeling unsafe in shelter and the inability to keep their belongings with them.
Still, says Zimmerman, 鈥淚t鈥檚 a different experience for those of us who walk around San Francisco every day. Yes, there are parts of the city that need work. But just in the neighborhood of Gozu, you鈥檝e got Salesforce Park that is beautiful. The ballpark is beautiful. This is the perfect opportunistic position for San Francisco to bounce back.鈥�
While raising capital for his newest venture, Yokai, a new hi-fi listening bar with cocktails and food that鈥檚 scheduled to open just a short walk from Gozu in mid-September, Zimmerman first heard a term that he鈥檚 since adopted as his own: 鈥淪F long,鈥� which investors and other long-term San Francisco residents have been using to show their commitment to the city.
鈥淚t means, 鈥榳e鈥檙e weathering this out together, and we鈥檙e not going anywhere. We鈥檙e in it for the long haul,鈥� 鈥� Zimmerman said.
For all of San Francisco鈥檚 perceived and more evident troubles, the city still has a lot going for it.
鈥淲e have the geography,鈥� says Zimmerman, 鈥渢he location 鈥� with both Napa and Sonoma both an hour north 鈥� the restaurant scene, some great museums, and this awesome cultural melting pot of people. The whole thing is very unique.鈥�听
Others such as Belon, Pollock and Livingston feel the same. 鈥淚t鈥檚 the whole experience of it,鈥� says Pollock, 鈥渁nd you can鈥檛 find it anywhere except San Francisco.鈥�
Laura Kiniry is a freelance journalist and 28-year resident of San Francisco. She lives in the Haight-Ashbury neighborhood.
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