San Francisco is a beautiful city. I have lived here for nearly 20 years now and I have yet to find somewhere that matches it. The charm of neighborhoods and our colorful history all add to its allure. Should you need a break, there are beaches, mountains, wineries, cities and farms - all with in a relatively short drive. We are a very liberal city, and I am more than OK with that. Banning evil plastic toys, plastic bags and water bottles - go for it! Declare the war in Iraq is illegal - yea! Marry gay couples - go Gavin! Good times!
There are a few negatives that you have to deal with too: aggressive panhandlers all over trying to get whatever they can from you, a large homeless population that often feed into the aforementioned group, housing costs are RIDICULOUS (don't even think about it, really), oh yeah, and earthquakes. I think I deal with all that and more pretty well.
There is one thing that really bothers me though. San Francisco' is a beautiful and stylish city. European in nature, American in design and overall very classy. However, San Franciscan have an incredible lack of personal style and fashion sense. Not everyone, mind you! We have a few and far between fashionistas and the gay boys are usually very well put together. But when you think of San Francisco fashion you picture the hippies, right? Yeah, it's like that - the nouveau hippies with the trust funds, the old hippies whose brains are too fried to let go of the tie-dyed, and the hidden hippies who don't think they can get away with the hippie mode 9-5, but they rock the tie-dye boxers and wear the birks and socks on the weekends. They are at least colorful and sometimes fun to look at, but most folks here are either BORING beyond words or are trying so hard to be what - alternative? (not so much) individual? (like everyone else) whatever (that's it) ?!? with all the piercings and tattoos. I am at the point where I really must say that San Francisco "style" can be downright FUGLY!
So I bring you, dear reader, my observations from a stylish city whose citizens never got the memo on style.
