San Francisco's Struggle: A City's Dilemma with Office Workers and Tourism

As I walk around San Francisco, I notice that it's like someone was walking around, just kind of...demented. Yeah, we just have to be careful around here. The city is fine, but since the pandemic, tourism has taken a major hit. It was once a huge part of the city's economy, generating huge tax revenue, but now it's still recovering and hasn't reached pre-pandemic levels.

San Francisco was always known for its vibrant office worker population, which made up a big chunk of the city's workforce. However, with more people working from home, that number has significantly decreased. This shift has affected the city in a way that's hard to predict. On one hand, it's good for the environment and allows people to have more flexibility in their work lives. On the other hand, it means that office workers are no longer a driving force behind the city's economy.

The question becomes: what does San Francisco need to do to come back and be a thriving city? Some say that investing in AI can help bring new life to the city. Others argue that the city needs to adapt to a post-pandemic world, where remote work is the norm. But one thing is certain: the city's reliance on office workers is a double-edged sword. Without them, the city struggles to stay afloat. However, when they return, the city is bustling with activity, filled with people who want to explore and enjoy all that San Francisco has to offer.

Despite its challenges, San Francisco has always been a beacon of hope and opportunity for anyone looking to make their mark on the world. From its humble beginnings as a small town in Northern California to its current status as one of the world's most vibrant cities, San Francisco has always been a place where dreams come true. The history of companies like Levi Strauss, who started out with just a simple idea and grew into a global brand, is a testament to the city's entrepreneurial spirit.

San Francisco was never designed for both a shutdown and a future with remote workers. However, it's clear that the city needs to find a way to adapt to this new reality. As people continue to work from home, the city will need to find ways to make itself more appealing to visitors and residents alike. From its stunning natural beauty to its rich cultural heritage, San Francisco has always been a place where people come to explore and discover new things.

In recent years, there have been efforts to revitalize certain areas of the city, such as Fisherman's Wharf and Pier 39. These initiatives aim to bring in new businesses and tourists, which will help boost the local economy. However, it's clear that more needs to be done to address the underlying issues that are holding San Francisco back.

One thing is for sure: San Francisco is not a failed city. It has always been a place where people come to chase their dreams and make their mark on the world. Even in the darkest of times, there is always hope for a brighter future. As I look around the city, I see signs of life and optimism. The Giants game was on TV, and the Warriors were playing well – it's clear that San Francisco is still a place where people come to watch sports and enjoy themselves.

The event I attended had thousands of attendees from all over the world. It's clear that San Francisco is no longer just for Californians; it's a city that welcomes people from everywhere. This influx of new faces brings with it fresh ideas and perspectives, which can help revitalize the city.

However, there are still concerns about income inequality and how the wealth gap affects the city. Some say that the city needs to do more to address these issues, while others argue that it's a complex problem that requires a multifaceted solution. One thing is certain: San Francisco needs to find a way to balance the needs of its residents with the demands of its business community.

San Francisco has always been a place where people come to chase their dreams and make their mark on the world. From its early days as a small town in Northern California to its current status as one of the world's most vibrant cities, San Francisco has always been a beacon of hope and opportunity. Even in the face of challenges, there is always optimism for a brighter future.

My opinion is that San Francisco needs to be more proactive in addressing its problems. It needs to find ways to make itself more appealing to visitors and residents alike. With its stunning natural beauty, rich cultural heritage, and entrepreneurial spirit, San Francisco has everything it needs to thrive. But it also needs to be willing to adapt to a post-pandemic world, where remote work is the norm.

The question remains: what does San Francisco need to do in order to come back and be a thriving city? One thing is certain: it can't just sit around waiting for things to get better. It needs to take action, invest in itself, and find ways to make itself more appealing to people who want to live and work there.

As I look around San Francisco, I see a city that is full of life and energy. It's clear that the city has what it takes to thrive, but it also needs to be willing to adapt to the changing times. With its rich history, stunning natural beauty, and entrepreneurial spirit, San Francisco has always been a place where people come to chase their dreams and make their mark on the world.

Despite its challenges, I remain optimistic for San Francisco's future. The city has always been a beacon of hope and opportunity, and it will continue to be so as long as it's willing to adapt to the changing times. With its rich history, stunning natural beauty, and entrepreneurial spirit, San Francisco is a city that will always thrive.

"WEBVTTKind: captionsLanguage: enI feel like I'm in a movie so four girls just egged a worker at Trader Joe's for whatever  reason and also obviously stole some food and then just started sprinting down the street the  Trader Joe's worker literally chased them down but the girls got away it's not just about crime it's  just some weird Behavior too and really sad I'm back in San Francisco after 2 years to see what is  happening with this city and it's somehow better yet somehow worse real estate in downtown seems  hopeless the price of this building in 2016 was $62 million and it just sold for only $6.5 million  that's a 90% drop in price I've was told is like pretty dangerous in s suburbs McDonald's Whole  Foods Walgreens so many restaurants and retailers are pulling out of this city and now this massive  Macy in San Francisco's iconic Union Square is going to be shutting down on this corner of Union  Square there are four police cars more than any other types of cars first there was a pandemic  which meant office workers would essentially leave downtown and turn it into a ghost town  this is the iconic Macy's store in Union Square it's massive it's been around for a while but it  will be shutting down less homeless less drug problem I hope San Francisco gets better then  businesses shut down and ones that stayed would face massive surges and crime and looting not safe  not safe not safe I don't enjoy it so two years ago when I came to San Francisco you wouldn't even  see something like this because Union Square was basically locked down there was police everywhere  security everywhere and this was kind of right after the Looting was happening the Apple Store  the Louis Vuitton store people would just smash the windows break into them and then just steal a  ton of stuff so when you look on a day like today you see actually a lot of improvement there's been  a younger crowd that's moved here to start the careers off during the pandemic a good amount  of people moved to like the Austin of Texas Miami Nashville Las Vegas a lot of them did for better  situation for their families more accommodating for home tax breaks so in this video we're going  to look at what happened to the city and how it's changing everywhere I look around downtown  I see the same sign for rent for rent for rent for rent for rent for rent for rent for rent for rent  for rent for rent the city's office occupancy rate continues to go up and reached 37% by the  way if you're enjoying this video make sure to subscribe because I do a lot of videos like this  around the world and it's free San Francisco's homelessness became a major crisis during the  pandemic I did cross the tender line just walking past definitely dodgy looking but no one was like  in my face or anything this is the tenderloin it used to be a vibrant nightlife area bustling with  theaters restaurants and hotels but today it's known for its struggles with homelessness drug use  and poverty it's a tough neighborhood and common to see open air drug dealing and people living on  the streets in San Francisco deaths among homeless people doubled with drugs being a main culprit  the total number of homeless people and those in shelters has also gone up identify people with is  not just drug but mental illness and then provide the resource to help them that will help a lot  and uh making the city cleaner meanwhile housing here is still crazy while home price growth has  fluctuated it's still expensive the median sale price for a single family home in San Francisco  is around $1.3 million and rents are also very high with some areas still exceeding $3,000 for  a two-bedroom apartment right now San Francisco is caught in a loop people don't want to live or work  here when a city feels off and the city feels off as long as office workers and new residents stay  away and adding to that is work from home meaning a lot less people are commuting in every day and  you've had a surge in crime outside of Ross you have three security guards making sure that you've  actually paid for your items and it's no surprise when I was here 2 years ago there was actually  police called in because people would just grab items and run out of the store and now there's  basically a barricade to make sure people don't do that in California theft that is less than $950 in  value is considered to be a misdemeanor and just not taken super seriously this law is mocked by  citizens who blame this in part for the rise in Theft there was even this fake sign put outside  Union Square that went super viral but crime is just part of the problem with people working  from home you have less people coming into the city and that means less people going to offices  eating at restaurants going shopping and more it's one reason that crime surge so much although  recently it's starting to come down which is a good sign a lot of these cars look like they're  straight out of the '90s this looks like it's in a museum or a TV show this behind me is called  Market Street and it's the most important Street in San Francisco San Francisco's dying Westfield  mall has lost more than $1 billion doll in value since 2016 but why has it gotten so bad now likely  because of looting this Michael K's entrance has been closed this would lead you directly into the  street but the only way to access the store is to go through the mall this Burberry store in  the mall decided to leave it wasn't worth it for them they didn't even fully remove the sign which  is kind of crazy even Starbucks removes the sign overnight and what's also interesting is there's  not only Mall security but a lot of these stores have their own additional security like the Coach  store I'm now going to the food court to see what still is open so this is the middle of  San Francisco this is a food court by all accounts it should be a lot busier than it is now less than  half of the places available are even open right now and what's really crazy is that it's 2024  you can't blame the pandemic anymore for these places being closed by all accounts it's really  bizarre to be in the heart of a big city that's a nice city but see it to be so dead and so many  places empty and you think about a restaurant or a company and you think what is the upside  of opening here when there's not a ton of foot traffic and there's a lot of crime and potential  looting why would you do it every city I've been to around the world New York Paris London they're  all back to normal and in a lot of cases even thriving but here in San Francisco in the Heart  of the City in the heart of the food court in the mall most of these places are actually completely  empty and it BS the question why I mean they can't use pandemic as an excuse anymore it's  2024 but if you think about it if foot traffic is relatively low and there is high crime what  is the upside why would you open your restaurant here and on top of that rent is still not cheap  when you first walk into this mall you see closed closed Tumi store closed closed close and I think  that was an abomi store and then this is American Eagle closing these floors above me are completely  empty they don't even turn on the lights anymore so they've actually blocked off the escalator to  the rest of the mall because there are no stores there are no customers it's completely just a  ghost town up there meanwhile throughout other parts of downtown it seems like it's getting  worse with so many storefronts becoming empty in this intersection three of the Four Corners are  all empty they're for rent they're four lease but what's really interesting is this Barney is this  shut down in 2019 now that's before the pandemic but imagine for 5 years this four-story building  has not been leased or rented by anybody who wants this much space right now in San Francisco for 5  years just sitting empty in this entire block you see all of the real estate is empty it's for lease  except there's one little shop and it looks like they're selling Boba a lot of these real estate  companies are trying to say hey things are getting better progress is being made this entire block  right here completely empty except for an espresso store unlike 2 years ago when when I was here I do  see a lot more tourists in San Francisco and it does not feel dangerous to walk around at night  like it did last time actually right now it's are trying to avoid those kind of areas and right now  when we were crossing a street also we saw a person like you know who was kind of demented I  guess like was just walking around so yeah we just have to be careful around here the city is fine I  just stayed nearby I took a hotel nearby and it's walkable it's fine before the pandemic tourism  was a major part of the city's economy generating huge tax revenue but since then it's taken a major  tool and has yet to reach pre-pandemic levels San Francisco has been much more reliant on  office workers than a city like New York City it's kind of like the chicken or the egg see in order  for the city to thrive it needs office workers but for office workers to actually want to come  well the city needs to be thriving there needs to be incentive it has to be a Vibe and as long as  there's no office workers it's harder for the city to come back but it's not just that in a lot of  cities a lot of people don't want to go back to an office working from home is a lot easier and more  convenient people are coming into office like half the week and so the city's starting to come more  busier busier there's a lot more events people are going to watch like today the Giants game was on  the warriors were playing really well most of the people during the pandemic who left San Francisco  and when they did like myself we moved to most of like Northern California from like Silicon Valley  become a big living place from pal out like to St Jose the East Bay is grown a lot some people are  saying that AI can really help invest back into the City and bring the city back to life so this  event here has thousands of attendees most of them I'm talking to are not from San Francisco or even  California it's bringing together people from around the world some are saying San Francisco  is a failed City it lost around $7 billion of household income between 2019 and 2021 and that's  even after accounting for people who moved to the city we distribute make some of the wealth better  but also can go the other way as well where like it's key certain few people get the most of the  money and then exacerbates the issue I guess is this city struggling because of its politicians  is the income inequality because of tech just too high or was this city just never designed  for both a shutdown and a future with remote workers and what happens next San Francisco  my opinion is a Bas for just American Dream if you look at the history of like companies Levi  Strauss like basically took advantage of building startup dream and helping people who are here for  the Gold Rush have comfortable jeans or War it I see people out of restaurants more people are  you know walking on the streets even before America there was people from China there was  people from Japan there was people from Mexico here like even from Spain and Portugal who came  and and worked for their dreams and and vision and actually collaborated and work together so  it was always a a like a Melting Pot it was very proactive it a very much an entrepreneurial spirit  and it's still to this stay that Vision like you could be anybody and you could come here  and live that American Dream he might be right you could come here to live that dream but the  questions sort of becomes do you want to it's nice to see some signs of life I'm optimistic I mean  if you look at it more on a macro level San Frisco definitely has its moments for every like 10 to 20  years like and then do com boom it exploded then it crashed and then like when like the Web 2.0  happened it started to revive over time I want to know what you think what does San Francisco  need to do in order to actually come back and be a thriving City let me know in the comments\n"