THE CITY BY THE BAY

Wednesday, November 19, 2008

For years I could sing and mean it, “I left my heart in San Francisco…”

The first time I saw San Francisco, we were on our honeymoon at the beautiful beyond description, little town of Carmel—Carmel by the Sea.

Following that initial visit we went to San Francisco many times. We eventually moved from Southern California to Northern California, only seventy-five miles from San Francisco. We went there often. We loved it. But that was fifty years ago. Things are different now.

Oh yes, the famous golden gate bridge is still there. It’s still exciting to visit fisherman’s wharf, ride the little cable cars up and down the steep hills, and visit China town. But the well dressed people are almost all gone from the streets of the city. They have been replaced by vagrants, prostitutes, drug dealers, and homosexuals. It’s not that these people have no place in the city; it’s just that they are now the overwhelming majority-- not of the total population, just out on the street. The reason for this is because people no longer feel safe walking down the street. What a shame!

I left my heart in San Francisco. The last time I went back to see about it—it was broken!