Alright, I didn't like Fisherman's wharf but the rest of the town seemed authentic enough. I didn't see the red light district or SoMo and I want it clear that I am NOT trying to include those in my comment. I liked what I took to be downtown. It had sort of an old-town and classical setting feel. Having WALKED from the Market that is the start of Southern San Fran to City Lights Books, I can say that I was impressed with a lot of what I did see. The business district was bustling and very clean. The people were considerate to a newcomer, and I got a couple of people trying to con me. Thankfully I really WAS in a hurry/on a deadline.
On a slightly different issue, the "homeless problem" isn't so much of a problem as a reality. And there are a lot of homeless but the 'scraggly broken needy' picture a lot of people have, did not seem to be accurate, or at least not as *apparent* as I had heard so often. I was in "Richmond- Sunset" area which was totally awesome. The less than a mile walk from there to Clement St. brought me to 4 different fruit markets and a few citrus things I wasn't familiar with, that I will not soon forget. And on Clement near the Green Apple Bookstore was a nichsmall but very tasty coffeeshop that I can't remember the name of. Then again, it's been almost 4 years. So to me that's alright.