Paris of The West

From Paris of the East to Paris of the West. I just learned via a crossword puzzle that San Francisco is referred to "Paris of The West" and it is easy to see why. I have been to San Francisco many times now but it is always different each visit. This trip we stayed at the classic Palace Hotel. This hotel very much reminded me of being back in Paris from the architecture to the Garden Court to the Parisian balcony we had in our room. Outside of the hotel I noticed some 1950's style trolleys. I usually notice the older ones but this was my first time seeing those. San Francisco can bring you back in time at every corner. Sometimes I feel like I am in a Hitchcock movie, or sometimes I feel like I am in Paris in the 20's.

In a stark contrast to the beauty of San Francisco, there is a huge wealth disparity. It pains me to see so many homeless people and it is really apparent here compared to many other cities. I recently watched a documentary called San Francisco 2.0 and this film shared the growing gentrification of the city. This documentary was made in 2015 and you can see an even bigger contrast now in 2018. There is no middle class here anymore, just rich Silicon Valley kids and people who were forced out of their homes due to high cost of living.