Obviously, tourists holidaying in the picturesque city by the Bay are leaving a piece of their hearts behind when they jet home after a brief stint catching the local sights.
According to a recent poll, a whopping 98.3 % of the visitors surveyed were enthusiastic about repeat vacations to tony San Francisco down-the-road.
Not surprisingly, the top tourist attractions in the bustling European-style metropolis turned out to be Union Square (65.2 percent), Fisherman's Wharf (56 percent), Chinatown (38.4 percent), the Embarcadero Center and Ferry Building (37.9 percent), and last - but not least - North Beach (31.7 percent).
Obviously, savvy world travellers are not that keen on patronizing the local strip joints, or retracing the footsteps of cult heroes like Jack Kerouac and Allen Ginsberg who once frequented character-driven haunts in the North Beach neighborhood.
Unfortunately, a couple of troubling problems running rampant in the streets have sent up red flags.
Top annoyances?
Aggressive panhandling and noticeable homelessness in garbage-strewn streets - were not only a turn-off to the jaded few - but triggered worries over unwanted advances and potential threats to their overall well-being and safety while hunkered down in the West Coast enclave.
Recently, the city passed a tough ordinance in a deliberate effort to curb loitering in high-traffic tourist areas, but the jury is not in yet on how effective the measures have been in alleviating those glaring social dilemmas.
According to one columnist in a local daily, until San Franciscans find long-term solutions to the problems, the West Coast destination may not realize its full economic potential.
News at 11!
http://www.thetattler.biz
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