I spent the first weekend of June in San Francisco before returning to Krakow. SF is a city I first visited in 2011 and then on several other occasions, the last time six years ago. I’ve always found San Francisco beautiful. The curiosity to see how the city evolved brought me here again.

Before the pandemic, San Francisco was so crowded that you could hardly find restaurants to go to during weekends. Today things have changed. Many companies moved their businesses elsewhere because of the city’s high crime rate. However, things are better than they seem. When I came to the town from the airport, I saw many homeless people on the streets. On some roads, there were many tents on the sidewalks. In those neighborhoods, the situation is worse than it used to be. But in the central areas, the city is cleaner, and there are fewer homeless people than in the pre-pandemic times. That makes the visitor experience better as you don’t risk much.

Although I have visited the city a few times already, there are many tourist attractions, and I chose to see places I have yet to see. This time I went to Botanical Garden and Ashbury-Haight neighborhood.

The botanical garden is enormous. San Francisco weather allows having here plants and trees from all over the world. There are sections of the park dedicated to many geographical regions. Plants I had not seen before from Australia and New Zealand and a vast part devoted to Asian, African, and South American continents. I am not a specialist in Botanics, but I enjoy seeing plants from places I have not been before and may never go to. Flowers in strange shapes and a wide range of colors, some scented, others not.

The other highlight of the visit was the Ashbury Haight neighborhood. The place is famous as the place where the 1967 “Summer of Love” social phenomenon occurred. At that time, young people moved here attracted by the low rent. It is funny how things have changed in terms of rent prices. The area still has a hippie and psychedelic appearance after all these years. Walking down the Haight streets, one could see Jimmy Hendrix’s house or some other places reminding of the history of that area. Pictures explain better and can trigger memories or things you associate with “Summer of Love”. People still remember that movement even more than 55 years later. You can still wear some flowers in your hair.

Of course, I’ve again seen the main attractions of San Francisco: the Golden Gate Bridge, Pier 39, the Coit Tower, Union Square, and Market Street.
If you are careful where you stay in San Francisco, I recommend visiting the city. It has charm, beautiful hills, lovely views, and a fantastic bridge.