Things Visitors Are Surprised by When They Visit The Bay
Complete this sentence:
“When people visit me from out of town, they are surprised by…”
What visitors to The Bay Area are most surprised by:
1: Unparalleled access to the wilderness
Over 70% of Marin County is protected land and covered in trails for epic hikes. In fact, as we all know and love, The Bay Area is covered by pockets of protected parks to see those super blooms, enjoy walks with redwoods and find treasures in the woods. What’s most surprising is that many of us can drive just minutes from an urban jungle to a quiet and serene forest.
Views of the trail up towards “Old Survivor” include bridges and 100+ year old redwoods in Oakland
2: How small Alcatraz is.
It always makes me laugh a little when someone sees Alcatraz in the middle of the bay and they are shocked that it’s crammed onto a tiny island.
3: The Golden Gate Bridge isn’t gold
If there was a test you had to take before you came to visit The Bay, I’m pretty sure most out-of-towners would shockingly not know what color the GGB really is.
“This “bridge” was neither golden nor a gate. I can understand why some people might find it useful,” – 1 star review of The Golden Gate Bridge by Colby W. on Yelp.
Photo of the Golden Gate Bridge
4: It’s not as dirty as they originally thought.
Maybe my crew of visitors came on a particularly clean day but most of the places we went to had less trash and sidewalk turds than usual. Really though, most places in The Bay Area aren’t covered with trash. Sure, we have good large pockets of literal trash dumping grounds but, when compared to some other cities, most Bay Area cities are fairly clean.
5: The homelessness.
Yes, we do have a homelessness problem. Sadly, this isn’t isolated to The Bay Area and at this point we all know that but the opinion by locals seems to be polarized on what to do about it.
“Even before the pandemic, the dystopian wealth gap between the rich and the poor was really evident since the 7 mile by 7 mile city is a really condensed city where unlike Los Angeles where LA was able to set up Skid Row, the poor and the homeless are more visible in SF.”- 1-star review about SF by Richard K. on Yelp.
6: The sense of community: neighbors band together
My neighborhood in The East Bay is super diverse. While my neighbors and I may not have a ton in common other than location, we have built a strong community. We look out for each other and work together when someone needs a helping hand. It surprises my visitors when they came that there was such small town vibes in such a big city.
OMCA Off The Grid
7: The wild juxtaposition of both extreme cost of things & cheap adventures
No matter how well you prepare someone for how much things cost here, it will forever surprise someone when you have to pay over $5 for a cup of coffee or, sadly, when I tell someone that rent over $2K is considered cheap these days. But for everyone who complains about the cost, there is a person who will share their best kept secret spot for the best budget friendly meal. (or meals… I’m lookin’ at you, burritos)
“Be prepared to pay 3-8x of what you would pay elsewhere. Even in high priced areas of LA and NY, it’s still 30-40% higher for rent or purchase.”- 2-star review of SF by Randy B. on Yelp
“As a visitor, there are plenty of things to do without blowing out a budget. You can spend a day walking around and find familiar landmarks – some without costing a single penny, if that’s what you’re after. (Coit tower, The Palace of Fine Arts, Mrs. Doubtfire’s house, Full House, etc.) There are plenty of “hole in a wall” hidden gem eateries if you look hard enough. Some places have free street entertainment – the walk from the Ferry Building to the Wharf provides tons of those. And that’s barely scratching the surface.” 5-star review Jennifer B. on Yelp.
8: The size of San Francisco
It’s always a fun fact to share that the city is only 7×7 square miles.
The views of the surrounding Bay Area are pretty stunning.
What have you heard that out-of-towners love and hate the most when they come to visit?
We could probably go on and on in this article but I’d love to hear what you have heard people love and hate the most when they come to visit. For instance, no one is ever surprised by the density of the population, the political divide we have at points, the influence on The Bay Area by tech companies or the beauty all around us. When I have people come visit, I always feel like my love for The Bay Area is restored. I get to visit my favorite spots and share the things that make me love living here.
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