|SAN FRANCISCO|4 min read
TWO SURPRISES greet first-time visitors to California’s Bay Area. The first is that Silicon Valley is not a specific place but a booming mini-region, with no sign advertising when one has arrived or left. The second is that despite its beauty and wealth, San Francisco is one of America’s grittiest cities. In some neighbourhoods people openly use drugs, defecate on the street and flagrantly steal. It feels as though law enforcement has turned a blind eye to many lesser offences.
This article appeared in the United States section of the print edition under the headline “The lax tax”
From the February 16th 2019 edition
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