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 | San Francisco Warnings or Dangers | Tips 1 - 10 of 277 |  |
 | |  |  | Areas to Avoid: A few spots to be wary of | Tip Rating:   |  |  | |  |
I've lived in SF most of my adult life. San Francisco is a relatively safe city, and, with common sense you should be just fine. Most of the places you're likely to go as a tourist are safe. However, here's a few places you should avoid. Hunters Point/Bayview - Never EVER go to the HP. Day or night it is extremely dangerous. Fotrunately, it's hard to get lost there - few buses go there, so it' unlikely you'll wind up there by mistake. There's only ONE reason, as a tourist, that you would go there, and that's to see the 49ers at 3Com. Stick to the main exits and don't try to drive thru the 'hood. Tenderloin - The TL isn't as bad as it used to be, but it should still be avoided at night. Some parts of it, like Turk Street just north of Market, should always be avoided. The bad blocks are pretty obvious - if it looks bad, turn around and find a different way. Market & 6th - This is one of the scummiest blocks in the city. Avoid it at all hours. SOMA from 4th Street towards downtown is relatively safe however. The main homeless area (their home) is around 7th & Market, heading towards City Hall. Haight Ashbury - Safe during the day, but LOTS of bums - calling them "homeless" is intellectually dishonest. Expect to be panhandled mercilessly. Simply smile and say "sorry" and keep walking. Do not make eye contact with anyone you don't want to have a rambling conversation with. Junkietown - the area near Golden Gate Park at the end of Haight Street near McDonald's - should be avoided at night. 16th & Mission - a major transportation hub but also a VERY scummy block. If you take BART to the 16/Mission station, go up the escalators, on to the plaza, and keep walking! Don't loiter around the plaza; all sorts of vermin hang out here. Things improve greatly just one block away. Leave a Comment
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| | | | Earthquakes: The truth about earthquakes | Tip Rating: | | | | |
I am often asked by people who live outside California "Aren't you worried about earthquakes?" The answer is no -- most residents of California hardly give earthquakes a second thought. Seismic reinforcement of structures in California is quite advanced. Major earthquakes do cause some damage, but when that happens, structures are rebuilt and reinforced, and made much stronger. City Hall is a good example. It was extensively damaged during the 1989 Loma Prieta earthquake (7.1 on the Richter Scale), but after years of reconstruction the entire building was strengthened to prevent that type of damage in the future. This picture shows the inside of the huge dome above the rotunda. The dome, which twisted four inches like a corkscrew in the 1989 earthquake, is now supported by 1,200 of steel near its top. In a future quake, the dome is designed to move with the building, preventing damage. The truth is, your odds of being injured in an earthquake in California are very, very slim. If you are still concerned and want to keep tabs on our recent earthquakes, click on the link below. Leave a Comment Website: http://quake.wr.usgs.gov/recenteqs/Maps/SF_Bay.html
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| | | | Driving S.F.: Caution: we are rotten drivers! | Tip Rating: | | | | |
San Franciscans have a reputation for being really lousy drivers. Having lived here virtually my whole life, I can say that it is a very well-deserved reputation. It's not like in Boston with aggressive drivers. Quite the contrary - if you're driving aggressively, then at least you're paying attention! No, San Francisco drivers are just clueless. And the advent of the cell phone has not helped matters. 9 out of 10 times you see someone doing something really stupid in a car, they are on a cell phone! And if you are one of those people who drive yapping on your phone, don't assume that I'm talking about the other guy! Chances are you've been in several close calls and were too busy gabbing away to notice! Shut up and drive! In San Francisco, a yellow light means drive like hell, because the light's about to turn red! Red light running is a way of life here, unfortunately, and you should exercise caution both driving and walking - especially in the Castro District, where drivers are notoriously stupid (even by SF standards). Things have definitely become more uncivil on the roads in the past decade. The primary cause is that many freeways were torn down because of earthquake damage, and, thanks to SF's liberal squabbling and Willie Brown's cronyism, it is now 15 freakin' years later and all that traffic is still choking city streets! The Octavia Street off-ramp and boulevard project has relieved some of the pressure, but if you drive in the northeast quadrant of the city, you should expect heavy traffic. Leave a Comment
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