Almost never see needles on the ground. There is a lot of shit, but not like endless shit like that. The city is 99% shit free even counting homeless areas because of the city’s efforts to address it. However for me, I’ve lived in many cities where it wasn’t as common so seeing multiple piles a day is jarring to me. But as long as you watch where you’re going, it’s not a problem.

It may be a problem, but certainly not to the point where SF isn’t a beautiful city, it definitely is. I’ve never seen anywhere like it! The people here are so friendly, too! It gave my partner a bit of culture shock actually.

As for some recommendations, I love pier 39. I don’t go out much but that’s always fun. There’s a spot to watch sea lions there, too! And the civic center and ferry building are a must see ofc. One more thing: There’s a farmer’s market by the library in front of the civic center on Wednesdays and Sundays iirc, it’s very cheap and the fruits and veggies are so much better than what stores sell, especially the fruit.