Dude Who’s Lived in San Francisco for 1 Year Makes Video About What SF is “Really Like”

An aspiring YouTube creator named Tom Dehnel has just put out a new video called “What San Francisco is Really Like”.

Considering the dude has only lived here for a year, my first reaction was…well, I didn’t actually react. He messaged me on twitter and I forgot about it. But then today he followed up with me and I finally watched it.

And you know what? I like it.

Is it over simplified? Yes. Does it miss major points of tension that somewhat define this city? Yes, but that’s ok.

It’s actually refreshing to see someone celebrating what makes this place special instead of picking it apart for how it’s failed us. I know I’m just a guilty of this as anyone. I can’t count how many articles I’ve written about the ways SF has broken my heart, so it’s nice to see something earnestly created by someone who seems to genuinely love The City.

And it’s really well done. The videography is quite lovely and the editing is good. Plus there are some really cute moments like when he says, “This is a sanctuary city,” while the camera shows a flyer welcoming all people to a business, then follows it with, “but we’re not above making a buck by selling you a jail themed vacation” as it pans to a bunch of Alcatraz gear.

Dehnel does a great job of lining up all kinds of contradictions like that, including, “”We practically invented working remotely, but we’ll sit in traffic for hours.”

So give it a watch, and then go ahead and leave your nasty comments in the comment section because well, this is the internet.