 | San Francisco Warnings or Dangers | Tips 51 - 60 of 276 |  |
Home of the Homeless!
San Francisco hosts an enormous homeless population. Some are just plain down and out due to financial or other problems, some choose the lifestyle, but many have substance abuse or psychological issues. It is common to see shopping carts driving down the street or sidewalk loaded with anything except groceries. Homeless people can be located anywhere within the City. Only in a few residential neighborhoods are they rare. They are far more abundant in certain areas like downtown, Civic Center, the Mission, the Tenderloin, portions of Golden Gate Park, the "South of Market area", and the City's few remaining light industrial districts.
Their claim to fame is panhandling. Sometimes several apply their trade on a single block. A few have organized into collectives, and spread out to cover a territory more affectively. Some are aggressive in their approach. Others are more courteous. Nowadays, the phrase "Brother can you spare a dime" has been replaced by "spare change, do you have a quarter, or got a dollar." Use your common sense in any dealings with these folks. If you come to San Francisco and are not hit up for change, you have spent too much time in your hotel room.
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 | |  |  | Land / Water Safety: Safety in the city | Tip Rating:    |  |  | |  |
San Francisco has been ranked consistently over the years with fairly low crime rates. However like any other city in the world, never let your guard down in any case. Be aware of Pickpocketers that hang out along Market St. and Fisherman's Wharf, hoping to prey on naive tourists. Also the area of Hunters Point in southeastern San Francisco should be avoided at night, as it can get rough.
Because of the tech boom in the late 1990s, many "dot-commers" moved into the city and immediately rose housing and rent rates, forcing many low-income residents and artists to leave. Some weren't lucky enough and are today sadly homeless. San Francisco does have a good share of homeless--some of the highest rates in the U.S.--and you might encounter them if you're walking down one of the major streets. As a rule, don't give them money; it might likely be used for drugs or alcohol. Instead, if you want to be generous, giving food would be much better.
The infamous California earthquakes have been hyped up by the media so much that you might think the whole state's going to drop in the ocean too. Funny. Take it from a local, but that's not going to happen any time soon. The Bay Area hasn't had a major earthquake since 1989. San Francisco itself hasn't had a direct hit since 1906 when that earthquake destroyed much of the city. But that's highly unlikely that that'll occur again, as the city today doesn't consist entirely of wood. In other words, an earthquake is always possible, but very infrequent or rare. You are more likely to get hit by a tornado in the Midwest than to experience a major California earthquake.
If you have any unlikely emergencies, contact the San Francisco Police Department, the San Francisco Sheriff's Department, or the California Highway Patrol. However, the Police and Sheriff departments might combine into a single force in the near future. Leave a Comment Phone: 911Website: http://www.ci.sf.ca.us/police Other Contact: www.ci.sf.ca.us/sheriff
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| | | | Suicide Jumps off the Golden Gate Bridge | Tip Rating: | | | | |
When you walk the GG Bridge, you'll notice the eastern winds from the Pacific will lift you up and push you towards the railing. One who is sad is all too often inspired by this sarcastic wind, the dizzy of the sky and northern bay current below into jumping off the bridge and committing suicide.
While there, if you see a lonely person, give them a smile, inspire them to live another day. We forget how valuable and uplifting a smile can be.
The guard rail is hideously low and unsafe. With the gusts off winds, be careful. Note how easy it is to jump as illustrated by this picture.
Since 1937 when it was created, about 1,200 have jumped off the GG Br.
Just some interesting anecdotes and facts regarding or related to the suicides from GG Br. jumpers:
-The founder of Victoria's Secret, Roy Raymond committed suicide by jumping off the Golden Gate Bridge in 1993.
-The "guard" rail or hand rail is only 4 feet high.
-The chief architect of the Golden Gate Bridge, Joseph Strauss was 5 feet tall.
-One person who jumped and died left a journal at his house the day he jumped: "if one person smiles at me, I won't jump."
-One person (a 71 year old man) had the following note in his pocket:
“Survival of the fittest. Adios—unfit,”
-The 500th jumper, who died in 1973, was tripping on LSD.
-Another man had the following note:
“Absolutely no reason except I have a toothache.”
-Jim Jones, cult leader of the People's Temple, who led 912 of his followers in a mass suicide (killing his followers cynaide laced cool-aide) brought his cult (including the many who would later relocate to Guyana) and had a "anti-suicide" rally and in a televised interview said that "being by the bridge, his words, growing, became increasingly incoherent, left him in a rather suicidal mood."
-The press stopped reporting suicides after the 997th jumper.
-Only 4 of the 15 survivors could walk again after the event.
-The jump lasts 4 seconds.
-If you jump, you'll impact the bay at 78 miles per hour. Leave a Comment
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Don't Get Blown Away!
Being on the coast, San Francisco knows how to kick up a good wind. It is not uncommon for a strong wind to be present on an otherwise warm day. Don't be surprised if you are faced with the choice of wearing a jacket and boiling over or getting blasted by wind. Some locations are more likely to get windy; such as, Downtown and the Financial District where the high rises create wind tunnels, Civic Center (near Market Street and Van Ness Avenue), Ocean Beach, the Marina, Twin Peaks, and the deck of the Golden Gate Bridge. Due to the City's microclimates, it is common for one neighborhood to experience gusty winds while a nearby neighborhood has dead calm. You may want to bring a jacket when you head out on the town.
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Gas stations can be hard to find in the City as they are constantly being closed and demolished. Soon overpriced housing rises from their formerly toxic soils.
Prepare yourself for the fact that gas in S.F. and nearby locals is among the most expensive in the country.
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| | | | Driving S.F.: Curb Your Wheels | Tip Rating: | | | | |
San Francisco is a city of steep hills. Sometimes you wonder why parked cars (on grades even more vertical than the one in the photo) don't flip downhill, one after the other, like dominoes.
When parallel parking on a hill, remember to set your hand brake tightly and curb your wheels, i.e. when facing downhill, turn the wheels sharply TOWARDS the curb, and when facing uphill, turn the wheels AWAY FROM the curb. If you have trouble remembering which direction is correct, think "Whenever possible, hit a pedestrian." That is, turn the wheels so that if the car were to roll, it would move away from the street. Leave a Comment
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