Attaché Dispatches No. 4

Welcome to Issue 4 of Attaché Dispatches. A slightly different tone to this one but it was cathartic to write so I hope you will indulge me. You’ll also find our next filming trip revealed - a rare scoop! And right at the end of the email there’s a new thing I want to try. Don’t miss it.

Quick favour - if you enjoyed this, please forward it to someone you think might enjoy it. And if you’re the recipient of aforementioned forward, don’t forget to subscribe - it’s free and you can unsubscribe at any time.

I have a confession. I gave up on San Francisco years ago. The Bay Area was my childhood home, and growing up just a few miles away during the heady days of TV’s Full House, San Francisco was a beacon of infectious early-90s optimism. But in the 21st century, the tone changed. Tech booms and busts, political scandals, and a crisis of homelessness and addiction dimmed the neon sheen of the 1990s. Issues that in the past had been confined to a few blocks in a few neighbourhoods began seeping down Market Street into areas that were historically considered safe. It got so bad in the run up to and during Covid that areas of the city became effectively lawless, with the authorities unable or unwilling to intervene. Walking through those neighbourhoods was unthinkable. Crime was rampant. Major retailers abandoned the city in droves, some cutting leases on buildings they’d occupied for generations. I’ve always loved the Bay Area but I started avoiding San Francisco like the plague.

San Francisco has so much going for it, it always has. It’s beautiful, diverse, and even with its permanent patina, charming. Or at least it was. The patina gave way to grime, and the appeal of San Francisco was no longer obvious. And I was heartbroken. Angry, actually. Not at the city itself, but at the people who let it get this way. Please don’t misunderstand me, I’m not talking about the homeless or the addicted. I view them as much victims as anyone else negatively affected by San Francisco’s deterioration. Nor do I think it’s as simple as assigning blame to any one party - politicians, police, voters, the tech industry - indeed I blamed the latter entirely for a long time - and as satisfying as it was, it’s not fair. Because in reality, San Francisco is a victim of its own situation. It’s just one city of over a hundred in the Bay Area, and therefore lacks the cohesive, all-encompassing policy approach that somewhere like New York City employed to emerge from its dark ages in the 1970s and 80s. San Francisco is a single cog in a very complicated machine that was starting to pull itself apart.

It had been nearly five years since I was last in San Francisco. And as the trip loomed closer, I began to experience pinches of reluctance and resentment. It felt personal. Like seeing an old friend who habitually made bad choices despite the repeated pleas of loved ones, and was now paying the price. I was increasingly concerned that San Francisco would somehow be even worse than I remember. Is that even possible? I braced for the worst. And in a lot of ways, that fear was justified. The downtown area remains a shell of its former glory. The monumental Westfield shopping centre is entirely abandoned, leaving a shadowy chasm in what was once the city’s most vibrant retail area. Many of the flagship stores that border Union Square are shuttered and dark, their weathered facades revealing the length of their absence. Even national retailers who decided to weather the storm like CVS and Target keep much of their merchandise locked up or hidden. Not a great first impression for a city whose outward narrative is one of revitalisation and renaissance.

This is the part of the story where I’m supposed to employ some sort of sporting comeback trope - a tidy arc that reveals San Francisco’s glory is once again restored and all is well. I wish I could. But I can’t. It would be disingenuous to suggest that San Francisco has returned to its former glory. It hasn’t. Not even close. But I can tell you this. There’s a new mayor who, having never held political office, has prioritised housing, policing, and political accountability - the three horsemen of San Francisco’s recent apocalypse. And in every corner of the city, I saw the green shoots of these (and many other) efforts. Almost every San Franciscan I spoke to balanced their frustration with tempered hope. The city felt undeniably different this time. There were pockets, particularly Chinatown, that felt like their old, vibrant selves. The Castro was as buzzing and energetic as ever, even on a blustery Thursday afternoon. Large parts of the city felt tidy and cared for. I enjoyed San Francisco for the first time in at least a decade. I even got twinges of envy towards the people that call the city home. And while there is still work to do, long may this much-needed restoration continue. San Francisco deserves it.

What is “the best” anyway? - I had a burrito while I was in San Francisco. Because it would be insane not to. My go-to order is a carnitas super burrito, a San Francisco creation itself. It’s a mission-style burrito, weighing at least 1.3lb/600g, packed with meat, rice, beans, cheese, sour cream, salsa, and guacamole. I had two (not in one sitting, I hasten to add) - one at the legendary Taquería El Farolito in the Mission, and one at Papito in Hayes Valley. Both were exquisite, of course they were. But it got me thinking — if I asked locals which Mission taqueria was the best (let alone the best in SF) I would have gotten a maelstrom of rabid, conflicting responses. The same with NYC bagels. And Chicago pizza. When you come to California, whichever taqueria you pick won’t be the right one. Nor will it be the wrong one either. Don’t let any influencer or vlogger or journalist or tour guide tell you otherwise. Because compared to the rest of the world, where we’re starved for even passable Mexican food, the concentration of quality Mexican restaurants in California is so high that the chances of you having a bad burrito are basically zero. So don’t focus too much on finding “the best”, because it’s around every corner.

Everywhere I ate - Let’s try something. Here’s a list of everywhere I ate in San Francisco, warts and all. Not sure how useful the warts are but let me know what you think of this format:

Check, please - I’ve mentioned it in almost every US episode we’ve ever done, but payment systems in the US still baffle me. For an innovative city in an innovative country, paying for things in San Francisco still felt so antiquated. Lots of signing and countersigning, lots of paperwork (Mitch Hedberg for reference), lots of cash-only places, Apple Pay etc not nearly as pervasive as in Europe or parts of Asia. It was nice to see some tap-to-pay options, but you’ll still need to have cash on hand for a lot of establishments. And then of course there’s tipping…but we’ll save that for another day.

Airfare Shenanigans - jetBlue (who I don’t think are long for this world) have been accused of “surveillance pricing” - that is, using demographic and income information to present different fares to different users. Gross. They deny it, of course, and having spent a long time in and around the airline world, I think the truth is a little more complicated than the article suggests. But it’s safe to say that with the weaponisation of AI, practices similar to this are here to stay. My advice - clear your cookies, search for flights in incognito mode, and compare against Google Flights.

Next episode - As you read this we’ll be wrapping up yet another shoot. Las Vegas. There you go, the first newsletter scoop (membership does have its benefits). The last time I was in Vegas was during Covid and it was an odd, otherworldly experience in an odd, otherworldly place. But I think there are a lot of stories to be told there, beyond the tired and obvious, so I look forward to sharing it with you in due course. As always, beloved Patreon backers will get it first, and I’ll be sure to include it in the subsequent newsletter once it’s on general release too.

A travel read I enjoyed recently - Hong Kong’s Cha Chaan Teng are a treasure. Casual cafés serving simple east-west fusion dishes in surroundings that are unlikely to have changed in decades. I love them. And they will serve as the backbone for an upcoming project we’re working on. This Bon Appetit article (free access with trial - totally worth it) is a lovely paean to these beautiful and delicious institutions.

📚 Got a travel read you think I and the Attaché community would enjoy? Reply to this email and let me know!

Whither goest, Waymo? - One in every four cars I saw in San Francisco was a Waymo. No exaggeration. I’d never seen one in the wild, let alone herds of them, so it was quite bewildering to see cars pootling around, picking people up and dropping them off, and making questionable traffic choices, all with no driver. Apparently they’re coming to London in the very near future.

Thanks again to the many of you who offered feedback and suggestions on the last issue - hugely appreciated. I’ve incorporated some of your ideas while trying to maintain consistency from issue to issue. I’m also doing what I think is best on a per issue basis. So stay tuned. But I remain open to and encouraging of your feedback, so as always, hit the reply button and let me know what’s on your mind.

📩 Reader Mail - With the above in mind, let’s try something. Got a travel question? Reply to this and send it to me. I’ll pick one to answer and publish in each issue. Could be fun. Could be a nightmare which I’ll regret. Let’s find out.

Until next time…