Excuse the nostalgic rant

SoMa and FiDi are a shell of where they were pre-covid.

I spent the last three days trying to revisit many of my favorite spots and was sad that the small businesses that powered a vibrant community are gone.

South Park, specifically, is stark.

No french breakfast or lunch burrito in South Park, Darwin on Rich is gone, many VC offices I’d visit seem to be closed or uninhabited.

South park is a beautiful new park where no founders hang out.

I would’ve never stayed in SF or fallen in love with it without South Park. I had three offices nearby and spent 6 years strolling, working, and pacing its grounds.

It was where I could get energized by a pulse of founders, investors and others.

I teared up without folks modeling patagonia as they stroll around on their phones.

Caffe Centro survives and I’m grateful for that.

The park has the occasional dog walker or parent but more now frequents crack or fentanyl addicts.

During my sunny afternoon two benches and a table were being used as beds by completely stoned addicts who would, at times “wake” slowly adjust and resettle.

Don’t get me wrong, it’s a beautiful empty place to take a nap and I’m glad they were safe but — not at all the crowd I was seeking.

This city has so much money, the investment required to get small businesses started again to serve the community is negligible.

I feel like a dozen half million dollar grants could be enough to get some new up and coming chefs off the ground in a neighborhood to give folks a reason to come out again and meet at cafes and coffee shops.

Who’s going to be SF’s Tony Hsieh?