For all its beauty and attractions San Francisco appears to have become a victim of its success. The drive from Elk Grove up to Oakland was on the heavy side but pretty uneventful, we were streaming along normally for the most part. The moment we hit the Bay Bridge to cross to San Francisco was when it all went snail-paced. The volume of traffic waiting to pay the toll reminded me of nightmarish scenes from Manila, and where traffic is nearly always at a standstill. After we did pay the toll there was still heavy traffic but this time we were waiting for the signal to merge into the bridge lanes. So many people wanting a piece of this beautiful city.

Aside from this I’d also beforehand heard and read how terrible the homelessness situation was in the city and true enough it looks like the situation hasn’t changed at all. Walking past so many psychologically-unbalanced vagrants can be very disquieting and it’s a wonder that nothing is visibly being done about it.

If memory serves it’s been 15 years since I last set foot here, then under much different circumstances and frame of mind. I’m by most accounts luckily in a better position now, coming back less wide-eyed, more capable, and still curious with this city that way back when amazed, delighted, and left me wanting. With any luck, most things I hope have stayed the same.