What Makes San Francisco San Francisco?
Why San Francisco is Still The Largest Welcome Mat in the Country
Herb Caen, the former venerable San Francisco Chronicle columnist, once said, “One day if I do go to heaven, I’ll look around and say, ‘It ain’t bad, but it ain’t San Francisco.’”
Caen has a lot of company in his love for San Francisco, which he dubbed “Baghdad by the Bay,” to reflect the multiculturalism and exotic character of the city.
Those who love San Francisco defend its honor with passion and elicits strong sentiment from people around the world. No one is without an opinion whether he or she has ever been to the city or not.
Why is that? Why does San Francisco have such a strong affect on the public whether they know anything of the history of the city, the physical environment or the people?
The obvious answer of course is jealousy. Those who do not live here wish they did and resent those who do. It is not uncommon to dismiss what you can’t have in order to justify the loss. Some people get angry or put “it” down and dismiss whatever “it” is as insignificant.
It’s often true that the stronger a person’s reaction to a situation, the more it strikes a nerve. It’s tough not to let jealously or disappointment not dig at us, particularly if the subject is a loss, something that…
