History

Politics of the City Today--Shaken but not stirred by the Loma Prieta earthquake in 1989, San Francisco witnessed a spectacular rebound during the 1990s. The seaside Embarcadero, once plagued by a horrendously ugly freeway overpass, was revitalized by a multimillion-dollar face-lift, complete with palm trees, a cable-car line, wide cobblestone walkways, new restaurants, and a skating, biking, and walking promenade. SoMa, the once-shady neighborhood south of Market Street, exploded with new development and became home to the Museum of Modern Art; the beautiful and attraction-packed Yerba Buena Gardens; überluxurious hotels; a slew of hip clubs, cafes, and condos; a new baseball stadium; and, most influential, dot.com companies. Plus, the tourist and shopping mecca Union Square got a gussied-up central plaza. But what comes up must come down.

When the Internet industry bubble burst, which was evident by spring 2000, it left serious damage to San Francisco. Contrary to the previous years' soar in population, rental and housing prices, and salaries, it was unemployment, commercial space availability, and dismal economic forecasts that were hitting new highs.

San Francisco definitely bore the brunt of the recent economic hiccup, but, not surprisingly, the city founded on the boom-and-bust mentality of gold seekers survived the experience just fine. New businesses slowly filled the dot.com office spaces, the Ferry Building Marketplace and its Farmers Market became the city's gastronomic Disneyland, and waiters who fled the restaurant industry for high-tech jobs returned to the dining rooms and resurrected the recognized importance of excellent service with them.

Of course, San Francisco still has typical big-city problems. Homelessness and panhandling have gone largely ignored. Visitors new to the city will be surprised by its dirtiness in some areas. Those with enough funds to buy a spacious home in most parts of the U.S. can't afford a one-bedroom condo here. Rental units are still expensive enough to have changed the city's demographics: Artists, young transplants, and others seeking an alternative lifestyle can no longer afford to move here and sustain their lifestyle. Parking is beyond a nightmare. Public transportation is embarrassingly inefficient. Congestion and impatient drivers make cruising the town an anxiety-ridden and very slow ride.

But the city's in good spirits -- especially since electing Mayor Gavin Newsome in 2003. After barely settling into office, the young (and media-savvy) mayor created controversy and heightened Bay Area pride by allowing gay marriages. It didn't take long to be overruled by the higher-ups. But not before Mayor Newsome won the respect of locals, many of whom see alternative lifestyles and equal rights as trademark San Francisco, at least in theory if not in practice.

As a whole, San Francisco is doing just fine. Its symphony is in the black, restaurants' cheaper prices (lowered during harder times) and new exciting destination haunts woo locals to dine out, and though many of the once instantly rich residents lost it all in the stock market, many argue it's been a good thing for the city. We needed a little reality, not to mention elbowroom for those making under six figures.

Anyone who remembers the old, liberal, truly progressive, and funky San Francisco knows those days are long behind us. But even without the hard-core alternative edge, San Francisco rightfully retains its title as Americans' favorite city destination.