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I live in Seattle, visit downtown occasionally, and spent a week in SF in June 2021. I'd say Seattle has more visible homeless, based on seeing no more than 5 homeless people and 1 tent in an entire week in SF. I don't know what or why people complain about SF so much, and I even visited the Mission and rode a bus through the edge of the Tenderloin. I guess there are other areas I didn't see, who knows?
To add on with the situation in Seattle: tents have mostly been eliminated from the main parts in downtown in 2022. The main tourist areas in the central and north side of downtown are safe, lively and interesting. The same that I said above for SF is true now for Seattle. You could spend a week and not notice many homeless, if you stay in the those areas. However, as a local resident I have particular reasons to spend more time in the south sides of downtown, where you will definitely see the effects of extreme poverty on the streets: downtown south of Union, Pioneer Square, the ID, Sodo. Therefore I voted for Seattle.
No, come to Seattle. A lot of us love tourists, including many of us who choose to live in touristy areas.
PS, the hotels are back to normal in the summer but still below normal in the winter due to the slow return of business travel so far.
That said, we just opened a second equally-sized convention center (the first highrise convention center in NA, stacking halls from deep underground to over 200' in the air), which will help add business travel as it returns.
No, come to Seattle. A lot of us love tourists, including many of us who choose to live in touristy areas.
PS, the hotels are back to normal in the summer but still below normal in the winter due to the slow return of business travel so far.
That said, we just opened a second equally-sized convention center (the first highrise convention center in NA, stacking halls from deep underground to over 200' in the air), which will help add business travel as it returns.
Amazon return to office mandate in May will help too.
Both great cities. But my most recent trip to Seattle gave me the impression it was dirty and homeless were very aggressive too. Like one threw a water bottle of pee at a moving car. Lol.
San Francisco I have not been to in years. Cant say. I dont remember it being bad in 2012.
I've never been to Seattle. It's on the top of my to see list. Hopefully late this year or next. I did go to Vancouver back in '19 for the first and only time. It's a beautiful city/area.
I was just in San Fran back in mid-late October. I even parked my luxury rental car right on the main street (the Embarcadero?) in front of the pier where we went to Alcatraz. I had read reviews that homeless break into cars and stuff but it was a sunny weekend afternoon day so I took my chances and no issues at all.
I must've missed homeless on this trip to SF. However in my first trip there back in '12 I do remember walking home to my hotel in Union Square after some bar hopping in nearby areas that were a bit sketchier. I had some cracked out homeless and few night walkers asking to play with my jewels lol.
Last edited by BigCity76; 02-20-2023 at 11:20 AM..
You may be looking at a vacation in the wrong way. Instead of focusing on how many homeless people you'll come across, focus on what you you really want to see and really want to do, and make your choice based on that. What's more important to you? Visiting Alcatraz or riding a cable car, or catching a Sonics game and trekking around Mt. Ranier? Decisions like that would make the choice for me, not how many homeless people I see on the street.
FWIW, both are pretty interesting cities, so you have a great choice to make.
Well, except the Sonics game! Maybe in five years.
By next year Seattle's central waterfront will be a key visitor spot. It's always been touristy but used to have a multi-level viaduct freeway. Now the freeway is gone and the old arterial is being shifted over about 50', leaving its old space for a much wider public space along the piers. A hillclimb to the Pike Place Market is also included, incorporated with a new pavilion for the Aquarium. Much of this is still a construction zone at the moment, though it's still a worthwhile walk.
You may be looking at a vacation in the wrong way. Instead of focusing on how many homeless people you'll come across, focus on what you you really want to see and really want to do, and make your choice based on that. What's more important to you? Visiting Alcatraz or riding a cable car, or catching a Sonics game and trekking around Mt. Ranier? Decisions like that would make the choice for me, not how many homeless people I see on the street.
FWIW, both are pretty interesting cities, so you have a great choice to make.
The Sonics are supersonic about moving.
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