San Francisco's Worst Neighborhood is Actually Great
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- Опубликовано: 23 май 2024
- The Tenderloin in the worst neighborhood in San Francisco. Or a least, that's what everyone will tell you. So I went to see for myself. Is it possible to have a good day in the Tenderloin? Should you visit the tenderloin? The answer is a lot more complicated than you might think.
Thanks to Amos and Matt for stopping to chat with me. It was great to meet you!
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I had the experience of staying near the Tenderloin for two nights (YOTEL on 7th and Market) last week. During the day, the Market St. section and the actual Tenderloin section (further North) were mostly normal. A few drug addicts and homeless here and there, but I was surprised at how full it is with people who are just living their daily lives (running errands, picking up groceries, getting coffee, etc.) I also had no idea the Tenderloin was full of so many ethnic much mom and pop shops, that's becoming a rarity as SF has gotten more expensive. I got a cheap breakfast at some Middle Eastern corner market here and it was one of the highlights of my trip just because it gave me hope that regular people can still make it in SF. I'm from Los Angeles and our worst neighborhood is Skid Row, which is 10x worse than the Tenderloin. You will not find regular people in Skid Row, It's ALL misery. I'm not going to sugarcoat it though, the area (7th and Market) was straight-up apocalyptic at night. Dozens of homeless people openly using and relieving themselves outside my hotel, a scene I wouldn't expect on a street that was mostly normal-looking during the day. Even then, it didn't feel like I was in danger at any moment walking through them.
As a disclaimer, I'm a CA native who's visited San Francisco about 10 times before, and not since 2019. I had only driven through the Tenderloin but never actually walked in it until last week. Having known the Tenderloin's reputation and hearing it all over the news lately (implying that it had gotten EVEN WORSE), I was extremley concerned about what i'd be facing. Needless to say, media and RUclips propagandist coverage was extremely exaggerated. If you're a single woman or have children, I'd still recommend you avoid this area though.
It is sort of a tale of two cities, in many different ways. The change from day to night is wild.
I walked down Polk St at 3am last night, from Leavenworth to Market. I probably saw around 40 homeless people during the walk. I didn't feel unsafe though. Nobody even attempted to interact with me (well, except some prostitutes). Everyone is just minding their own business and getting high. It was kinda shocking to see so many people just preparing their drugs out in the open, not even trying to hide it, and many others "frozen" in that weird hunched-over position that seems characteristic of a fentanyl high.
You're brave. I don't know if I would have gone at 3am. I find it so hard to see people on drugs so openly. It feels almost dystopian. But I agree; I didn't expect to feel that safe when I visited.
Well I don't know if it's brave or just dumb, lol. Polk is also kind of on the edge of the tenderloin, so I thought it'd be fine (and it was). I don't think I would've walked down Leavenworth or Jones by myself at that time, even as a dude.
you are recommending we walk at 3:00am down polk because none of the druggies robbed you, isnt seeing druggies bad enough? San fran got you loving low expectations
@@saremy127 I'm not recommending it, just sharing an experience/data point. Not sure where you got that from
You know... After 8 or 9 years of living in s.f. & Oakland/Emeryville, I really don't think the tenderloin is the "worst neighborhood" in the city. When it comes to feeling safe, or should I say unsafe, the unsafest neighborhood I've been in briefly was the south east part near the now gone candlestick stadium... That whole area is sketch... Soo sketch, 99% of folks that & stay in the city for any length of time just plain ol' will not go there.
Skid row’s so much worse than the tl. Larger, dirtier, much more sad, far less to do, far fewer cool places to eat, coffee, theatre, drink, etc. it just sucks. TL has way more to offer, it’s much smaller with fewer nooks to hide in. Thanks for highlighting some of the highlights
Never been to skid row, but I've heard the same thing form others who have.
What a strange flex
They are both rotten dude
Skid Row has been that way for a long time. Since de-institutionalization
It's grown the fentanyl epidemic has forced it to spread into Downtown and down through the Mission. I am a nurse and I worked these streets helping the sick who lived here.
I live in Polk and Market. I love it here
I used to work next door!
The video was done so well! I've been meaning to tour around here! @@AdamDoesNotExist
My wife and I go to the tenderloin a lot. We see a lot of shows at the GAMH. We regularly eat at Tommys and love walking around there. Never been bothered by homeless or hit up for money. Not saying there isn't crime. Some musicians refuse to play around there due to car break ins. Still great video. Thanks for sharing a light on the good.
Glad you liked it!!
"the most dangerous place in the country" as someone from Chicago i lol'd
I agree. I've done videos in places that are more dangerous. Especially during the day, the TL feels safe enough for me.
Thank you for the relatively positive take. So refreshing vs the nonstop SF bashing that seems to exist everywhere, by, I'm sure, people who have never even been there. Long time lover of SF myself. The open drug use and thefts are sad and sickening. Still love the city.
Thank you! I love it too. And while so much of it is so disappointing, I don't think it's accurate to say there's only one story to tell in SF right now.
The Black Cat and Mr. Tipple's jazz clubs are in the Tenderloin. That's good enough for me.
Me too!
Finally a reasonable story about the tenderloin. It’s very easy to make propaganda about this neighborhood but this video shows how it really is. Thanks from SF!
100% You can tell absolutely any story you want in a place as diverse as SF!
There is so much potential here, SF loses out on so much keeping the Tenderloin in such a shitty state.
It could be so great. I was before.
All major cities in U.S. have homeless people and public drug use. San Francisco is not alone.
Another wonderful informative video Adam! I really appreciate the fair balance in this video. Don't forget that the Tenderloin is also home to Little Saigon with a lot of wonderful restaurants that serve Vietnamese cuisine.
Also for some reason, you kind of remind me of *Raymond Stone* who is another similar sized RUclips channel who is based here in San Francisco😉👍💯
Thanks! Some of the best Vietnamese food I've ever had comes from the TL!
Is Tu Lan still around?
As someone here has indicated.... LA's Skid Row is far, far more desperate..... And is a much larger area. Geographically, the Tenderloin is a small section of SF.
Totally. I walked from one end of the other a few times this day.
Adam! I stumbled across your videos and thought “I know him!” I really love your topics and the depth/history you go into about each. Very honest storytelling, which is refreshing these days. Keep it up! Can’t wait to see what you share next.
OMG Liz! I find these videos both deeply embarrassing, and a lot of fun to make! But glad to hear you like them!
@@AdamDoesNotExist don’t be embarrassed! It’s clear a lot of work and thought goes into each one. I can relate though because I’ve been putting out silly shorts and some vlogs for the fun of it. Cringey to rewatch sometimes but I enjoy it and have loved learning the editing process.
@@Lizbittiker I see that! You're admirably comfortable on camera. You probably wouldn't believe how long it take me to speak a single sentence sometimes. Can't wait to see what else you film!
Hi Adam! im so glad Liz told me about your channel, its awesome to see you post videos about SF with both lenses and not just all negative. SF will have a special place in my heart and it's nice when people share that genuinely.
@@MitchellFong27 Mitchell! It felt like someone had to tell the other side of the story. The negative has been adequately covered imo. Good to hear from you!!!
Thanks for covering the cool spots in the TL!!!
Thanks for watching!
Actual SF resident here: Great video! You do a great job showing BOTH realities. The Tendy does have unhoused individuals and crime, BUT it has some of the best gems in the city! From the jazz bars, to the food stalls that existed at la comida, to some of the best bars in SF. Don’t sleep on the Tendy. If it didn’t have such an underrated perception, I feel like it would be the most expensive part of town due to its location and ease to get around.
Thank you! If SF residents like you like these videos, I can’t ask for much more. And I totally agree, geographically, the TL is in such a good spot.
Hiya Adam
Thank you for the great videos with something fresh you showing about SF city.
Sometime there are many great places to see in the bad neighbourhood or town.Even you can find great yummy food as well.
Sad to see what been happening in
San Francisco 🌉 .
As usual youtube haters always be here. Best to ignored them just waste of time.
Love you man" Adam"
Please make more videos. I love them. Keep the good work brother.
best regards all way the from Malaysia 🇲🇾.
Thank you!!!
@@AdamDoesNotExist you are most welcome
It's immigrants that keep the TL vital, interesting, and alive with something other than a bleak dystopia. Eateries close all the time there. But thanks to wave after wave of immigrants, keep coming and opening new ones. It's a great place for foodies.
It’s really dirty and it stinks, but it’s not nearly as dangerous as it looks
A few years back on a road trip I got the cheapest airbnb I could find. Turned out it was right on the edge of the tenderloin. As soon as I got there I looked out the window and saw police pull up, but they didn’t seem to do anything. After that I walked around town for like 3 hours but to get back I had to walk through the tenderloin. I was all alone but it really wasn’t that sketchy. Everyone seemed to mind their own business
Sounds about right!
Thanks for an informative video. I learned a lot, often areas that look bad I have found have more spirit and love in them that wealthier areas.
Yup, you just have to work a little harder in the TL
~ I think ~ The Biggest thing ~ That I would like to Mention to People ~ About the Tenderloin ~ Is the Fact That ~ Most of the People ~ Who you See Causing All the Problems ~ Weren’t Even
Freakin Born in San Francisco ...... But Migrated here from all over the Country & the World. So before you blame SF CA ... Know that they may come from your State Too ...~
45% of the people who they recently Busted for Drugs in the Sweep... Live in Other Cities .. .. and thats a Fact Jack...
lol, that guy yelling at people @1:44 was outside the Moscone Center yelling at us during my last visit. He has a bullhorn now.
He's out there all the time! I believe his main message is - respect your parents
What you didnt seem to get with that camera story, is San Fran has decriminalized just about everything, much like Portland.
Not theft of $25k worth of camera gear
i agree it's great!
I walked from Civic Center BART to Phoenix Hotel for the summer pool parties and the 2 blocks going there were.... scary haha. But I did park near the Phoenix Hotel multiple times and my car never gotten broken into
It's hit or miss honestly! You It's fine most of the time, but always interesting!!
I'm not convinced ... still looks way too bad to go down there.
LOLOLOLOLOLOL.
Appreciate you chronicling the culture of the TL. It is beautiful, but it is disappointing too. In 2017, the first time we came to the city for a music event at the Graham, we walked from our hotel to a merch Pop-up store and it took us straight through the TL. We had NO idea. Everything you saw in the media was right in front of us, yet, we felt "safe." We now are much more savvy about SF. We have attended events at the Phoenix (which was wonderful. We had NO idea) but unfortunately, the Phoenix is for sale, currently and we enjoyed an event at the Great American Music Hall, too. Appreciate this. 🥤
Thanks! It really is a strange place. You can make it look really terrible. And in many ways it is. But if you dig a bit deeper, there's more than meets the eye.
Btw some cable car advice, take the California St line instead of the Powel St lines.
You seem to have omitted your time spent at the Power Exchange. Hopefully it will be in an upcoming video of its own.
Never heard of it!
4th street in Reno, NV looks similarly, but more Destopian
Yikes. I know Skid Row in LA is quite a bit worse, and a lot larger too.
Underneath the homeless and crime it really is pretty cool. A ton of potential. Had a great meal there once or twice. Also I think they filmed parts of Vertigo there.
Protect tender loins
Literally never been bothered there.
Talk about dululu...
I'm sure the deck chairs and pizza on Costa Concordia were top notch...
As someone who has lived in San Francisco since the 70s, I can tell you firsthand that it was once one of the coolest cities with an awesome art and music culture. Now it’s the opposite. The tech culture displaced the local culture that existed their previously and unfortunately, for the most part, they are some of the most bland, lame normies imaginable.
Post Covid lock downs San Fran has never fully recovered , & all of those businesses closing down is not just due to the homeless problem, & the junky problem, & the petty crime to the dangerous criminal element , but also due to the lease agreements, & the rent being so expensive ,so retailers decide to close up , cause the rent is super expensive, so why even try to refinance, or renew the lease at the higher rate.. Most shop owned businesses work on small margins , so they can't afford to take a big hit..
San Fran Big wigs haven't been Business Friendly in over 30 years, so it's a slow decline. MY opinion San Fran is NEVER COMING BACK to it's glory days ,because it's a one party system, & because there's just not enough good ideas being put forth that make sense.
it's just bad . San Fran suffers from the lack of ability or concerted effort to come together as a community & solve issues it's all about woke ,& DEI ,& all of this other nonsense of identity politics ,
so it seems as if San Fran is eating itself alive, & cannibalizing the rest of itself.. But the city hasn't always been like this.. sadly there's very little unity in the body of San Fran.
unless a dude like Mike Savage ,or Mike himself runs for mayor & is elected , the city is gonna keep going down hill.
All those retail stores that have left are never coming back, & not for a long time till the city starts to vote other than left leaning. What ever is left is holding on for dear life...
it's your wallet or your life in San Fran..
I predict what the City of San Fran will start to do is sell off it's assets like so many other major blue cities have been doing in order to fund their operations.. & beg the fed Gov for a bailout, because those toxic assets are still on the books, & whose gonna end up holding the bag? yep, the city tax payers..
& who knows maybe the local down town shopping mall where Macy's is currently will be sold off to some rich Saudi prince ,or some rich dude in the UAE ,or even China that will buy up the area, & do gawd knows what with it.. it's all up for grabs...But I bet San Fran Big wigs will sell it at a loss, so the city & the tax payers will take a haircut.. Fuck it sell it to the Mafia .
At the end of the day that retail space has to be sold off or auctioned off to the highest bidder.. Again I predict San Fran will end up cannibalizing itself .
if I were a civil service worker in San Fran I would just retire ,& take my losses & go home, but that's only if if I just came on the Job. I personally would never sign up to become a firemen ,or police men ,or let alone an EMS worker for the city of San Fran.
I just don't have faith in San Fran's pension system or that all those unfunded liabilities will be funded when I retire..
Again this is all based on my opinion of which I could be 100% wrong.
Bottom Line I don't have faith or hope that San Fran will ever recover.. it's the next Detroit
the people in charge don't have any well thought-out ideas
The people in charge a crooked. But people keep voting them in.
It's always been bad. It should be the hottest neighborhood in town but they have kept it full of welfare hotels.
Do you think it's worse than it was pre covid? It's hard for me to tell honestly.
I have not been there for 25 years by choice. Lived there eight years and visited frequently after. I got tired of the relentless begging everywhere.@@AdamDoesNotExist
def worse than pre covid. it was terrible before, now its post apocalyptic@@AdamDoesNotExist
If you ever want to make any updates on the tl let me know because I want to help and contribute in some way. I have a lot of experience with the tl and it's opposite. 30 years bouncing between the world of money, tech and wealth and the streets of the tl.
I don't have any plans to in the immediate future, but I'd love to at some point.
Next Metal Leo is going 2 make video of Closed Tenderloin district. 🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣
Oh wow! First, I have this to "Watch Later" (will watch tonight) but I was gonna reach out to you today. Also, I was JUST talking about the Tenderloin in Reddit. It's all about.........timing. Anyhoo, was gonna reach out to see if you're attending the A's Fans Fest this Saturday at Jack London Square. We are going! Would love to chat with ya. Have a cold one.
That would be great! But unfortunately I can't get to the fan fest. Wish I could. #selltheteam
@@AdamDoesNotExist Ahh. Bummer. Ok. Maybe another time. Cheers! 🥤
He’s not screaming unintelligibly..he’s screaming about “respecting Yo matha and fatha!
Well then I support that message!
Great video, Tenderloin is on my experiences list. Chinatown on the horizon?
Thank you! I love Chinatown! But I wonder if there's more of a story there than this place is awesome. Compared to the TL, everyone knows Chinatown is great. What do you think? It is briefly in a video I made about SF last summer.
phil's looks like it sucks it just has the flags you like lol
I suggest that the city must collect tax from those homeless for revenue. lol
I am very nostalgic about the City, after living there in in the 1970's. I watch real estate videos of SF daily. The City is nowhere near the hellhole portrayed by rightwing media.
It’s a shithole. And you could definitely get robbed there. You feel safe till something happens.
Sure, you could get robbed anywhere. There's more to the TL than you've seen on the news.
@@AdamDoesNotExist I’ve been there before and after Covid! I live in California and I love it. I’m just not excepting this is how are cities got to be. Our politicians suck and we need a change in leadership! And the evidence is all over your video!
@@Extremefloorcare909 You and I are 100% aligned on that!
The best gift for me during my life is never visiting San Francisso.
it was great maybe 2 months ago but now everythings closed . its bad again
That sucks to hear. I hope the folks I talked to are doing okay.
That sucks to hear. I hope the folks I talked to are doing okay.
Almost got in a fight w/ 2 homeless people harrassing me at different times on the same day while walking on polk street from ghirdelli to bill graham. Park my car @ ghirdelli parking structure to avoid broken window, cheaper.
Wow that's quite a hike. Have you considered the parking under civic center?
I would, but it's public parking and i rather pay extra $ to avoid broken windows. Coworker says its peace of mind parking car @ private parking structure.@@AdamDoesNotExist
You got so many things wrong in this video. But thank you for making a positive video about the to. Ralf is a good man, he has saved me several times.. thank you for including him in the video because he is what you said he is and so much more, I’ve never met anyone with a bigger heart than him. And those aren’t drug dealers, those are fences… maybe have someone who is an actual native help you with your video to make it actually credible. Still a good video. And don’t support dumb ass yuppy business in the TL….they don’t welcome me, an actual TL native, or other actual TL natives..so why should I welcome them? Like you said….they’re where they shouldn’t be. Still, good job on the video.. but it would be cooler to hear from the people that actually live there and.not just what you find on google search… ❤
If I do another one, I'll definitely hit you up!
I ❤ San Francisco 🥰🥰
Thanks for showing the nice side of our city!
Glad you liked it!
Nancy Pelosi should be deeply ashamed!
I don't disagree. But at the moment she's in Congress and focuses on federal issues.
The moral of this video ... "Oakland is worse".
im from sf. lol no its not a great neighborhood. its hell on earth
I hated my three visits to San Francisco
Who paid you? Probably the tourist board. Tijuana is safer.
I wish
@@AdamDoesNotExist Keep that energy. Maybe the trades that were driven out will return. Not likely, but I appreciate the enthusiasm. And I wasn't kidding about Tijuana.
I live in the "TenderKnob" but spent years being homeless and lots of time in the Tenderloin, it's really rough sometimes, but sometimes it's chill.
However since Trump, Fentanyl and COVID it's gotten worse.🙏🏼☮️
Skid row is way worse. Tenderloin people mind their business.
SF has become a meca of misery and despair. Worst place to live, exist and thrive. 🎉😢
everyone here who complains about drugs and homeless folks is just plain soft lol
Nah. /
Glad to see the Phoenix going strong still
Actually, The Phoenix is up for sale ☹Doesn't mean it will be razed, but it's not looking good
I had no idea!
@@AdamDoesNotExist Got the news from the SF Standard.
@@SippyCupAdventures The guy who started the company was an advisor to a company I worked for. He used to talk about how no one thought you could start a hotel in the tenderloin...
@@AdamDoesNotExist When we made plans for the event, I believe it was a Sunday afternoon day event, and we did consider staying there. We had an event the evening before, on a Saturday night. So, stay downtown/Financial District, our norm, or stay at the Phoenix in the Tenderloin. We chose to stay downtown because of the valet, which we always do. Just use valet and rideshare around town. Our car always comes back in one piece. We were hesitant to leave our car overnight at the Phoenix, just parked outside in the TL. After the event at the Phoenix where we saw one of our favorite artists, and just had a wonderful time, we were "sold" on the Phoenix and told ourselves, if the opportunity arose again, that we would indeed stay there, so, hoping we get another opportunity.
You went lik 10 in the morning, I saw barely any people in the street
It's a different place at night
Nancy Pelosi district.
great job normalizing the situation!
most exaggerated thumbnail of the week goes to ...
Anyone who thinks this is a safe neighborhood… ignore this channel. Ignore this guy.
AI thumbnail trash. FOH.
Thumbnails are really hard to make. That's on top of planning, filming, editing, etc.
@@AdamDoesNotExist Instead of coming up with lame excuses, you could do other things that tons of other RUclipsrs have done for years and still do. Stock photos and paying actual artists are two of them. Besides the AI stuff looking like trash, it's also using other people's work without consent. You could have even used shots from your own footage JFC. Really hard to make? Do you think pre-AI RUclips was just blank thumbnails?
You clicked on it though right? If you make me a better one I'll use it.
@@AdamDoesNotExist I didn't click it because I thought it was cool 🤦♂ and I didn't watch the video. And that last statement proves my point about how lazy you are. If that's how you approach creating content as a small channel, then you're not going to go anywhere.
@@frankboyer1490I sincerely wish you the best Frank
The intro is complete bullshit. Not only is every single data point objectively not true, you also did not cite a single source. How do you expect anyone to believe you when all you've got to offer is "trust me, Bro"?
Did you do even 10 minutes of research for that intro? I already know the answer, I just want you to show one single source that corroborates anything that you said there.
What's not true? If you live here, it's pretty much all you hear on the news. I'd site sources, if this was published in a peer reviewed journal, but this is youtube.
@@AdamDoesNotExist Literally nothing of what you said is true. What you mindlessly recited is the right wing propaganda that they are trying to push that is not backed up by the data.
Seriously, what are your sources for any of that? Where did you get that content from? Did you make it up? Do you want me to go over your claims point by point? How many of the dozen you've made do you think are actually true in the real world?
Pick any one and I'll share a source. But I can't do that if you can't tell me what's wrong. Better yet you could do what I did, go see for yourself, and make a video about it!
@@AdamDoesNotExist * "The most dangerous place in the country." Utter bullshyt. 3 seconds of googling disproves that.
* "Crime here is basically legal". Bullshyt, countless arrests in the Tenderloin as part of a massive enforcement operation that led to the drug markets hiding in other places and only at night. How is that "crime is legal" again?
* "Police don't issue citations". Citations for what? They're arresting people. What "citations" are even talking about?
* "Police don't report crimes". Citizens report crimes, police respond to them. This is just meaningless word salad.
* "When there are obvious drug deals and violence police look the other way." Complete bullshyt. They're constantly arresting people there which, again, has led the drug markets to move in order to keep the cops at bay.
* "The Tenderloin is the largest open-air drug market in the world". Complete nonsense. There are larger open air drug markets in the Bay. Even larger ones in other states. And wildly, incomprehensibly larger ones in other countries.
* "San Francisco might be the epicenter of homelessness in the country" Again, complete bullshyt. There are much larger homeless populations in other regions and even larger ones per capita.
Dude, did you seriously just do a full "vibes" intro? Come the frock on! Use your brain a little.
I don't hate you, but I think you hate me. Anyway, I'll address a couple.
Prop 47 made theft legal to a certain point. I'm sure you're familiar. Now there's bipartisan support to repeal it: calmatters.org/newsletters/whatmatters/2022/01/california-crime-prop47/
There is really good citation data for traffic violations that lead to death. Check out the trend for total citations in the tenderloin specifically. One way to reduce crime statistics is to just... not issue citations for crimes.
The shot when I say police look the other way is of a group of drug dealers next to a police car. It's something I see almost every time I'm around the TL/Mid Market/Civic Center.
I'm sure you realize that talking about all of this, and including citations in the intro of a youtube video wouldn't make for a very entertaining video. I'm always trying to improve, so thanks for your comments.