San Francisco, CA
Tourists weigh-in on SF visit during Super Bowl week despite city imperfections: ‘Beautiful’
SAN FRANCISCO (KGO) — San Francisco has made national headlines because of the city’s issues with the unhoused, drugs, and crime. And now, the city is in the spotlight once again because of Super Bowl week.
The big game is this Sunday and there are visitors all over San Francisco. ABC7 Eyewitness News wanted to know what they think about the city and what surprised them the most.
Everyone is counting down to the Big Game and fans are pumped.
All the festivities for Super Bowl Week around the Bay Area are wowing visitors and locals alike.
MORE: Super Bowl live updates here
In San Francisco, out-of-towners are getting a good look at what the City is all about—the good and the bad.
Saurabh Raybaruah is visiting from Maryland.
“When I came 2 years back. I found it a little dirty, a little unfriendly. But now, it has changed. I love how it looks now. It’s clean. It’s beautiful,” said Raybaruah.
SUZANNE PHAN: “What surprised you the most? Raybaruah: How clean it got. It really got clean.”
Annie Dias from Boston said is visiting San Francisco for the first time.
SUZANNE PHAN: “What do you think?
ANNIE DIAS: “Beautiful city.”
On the Pat McAfee show, the host said Thursday San Francisco isn’t what he expected.
“We were so surprised by what we were told and expected versus when we walked through the streets,” said McAfee. “I think San Francisco is showcasing to us– I don’t know about the rest of the world– I don’t know how people are going to change their opinions about what’s going on. But, it’s a beautiful place.”
Kristina Foreman is celebrating her birthday. Her parents from Florida are seeing San Francisco for the first time.
“As we are walking around the first day today i feel fairly safe,” said Christopher Foreman, a Florida resident. “There was the presence of police and Coast Guard around. I thought it was going to be more smelly, more homeless than I’ve see– that I’ve heard about coming on the news. But, I haven’t seen as much of it around.”
MORE: Here’s an inside look at Super Bowl Experience in San Francisco
In the Mission District Thursday night, the buzz is all about one thing– this weekend’s half-time show performer.
“It’s a Bad Bunny look-alike contest. We want to see what the other good looking Bad Bunnies look like,” said Linda Sandoval.
Paul and Linda Sandoval of Penngrove are eager to check out the star attraction-the Bad Bunny look-alikes.
MORE: Will San Francisco increase encampment sweeps during Super Bowl week?
The Sandovals will be the first to tell you that San Francisco is worth the visit.
“There’s always lot to do. There’s ton of diversity,” said Linda Sandoval.
“They talk about what they see on TV. But that’s not what you see on the street. It’s very different,” said Paul Sandoval. “Sometimes they see homeless people and they hear about crime and things of that nature. You know what? It’s like that in every city everywhere.”
Many people who live and work in San Francisco say the city isn’t perfect, but they also believe it’s headed in the right direction.
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Sometimes life requires an easy hang, without the need for reservations and dressing up, and preferably with food that’s easy to rally folks behind. The newish Hamburguesa Bar is just such a place, opening in December 2025 and serving a tight food menu of smash and tavern burgers (made with beef ground in-house), along with hand-cut duck fat fries, poutine, and Caesar salad. The best part? Nothing here costs more than $20. Seriously, this spot has so much going for it, including solid cocktails and boozy shakes. It’s become a homing beacon for post-work hangs, judging by a recent weekday crowd.
Hamburguesa Bar’s drinks are the epitome of unfussy: Cocktail standards, four beers on tap, two choices of wine (red or white), boozy and non-boozy shakes, plus 21 beers by the can or bottle. Standards on the cocktail menu are just that, a list of drinks you’ve heard before — such as an Old Fashioned, daiquiri, gin or vodka martini, or Harvey Wallbanger — with no special tinctures or fat-washed liquors to speak of (that we know of, at least). I’m typically split on whether boozy shakes are ever worth it, but the Fruity Pebbles option ($14) makes a convincing case, mixed with a just-right amount of vodka and some cereal bits. (I’ll leave the more adventurous Cinnamon Toast shake made with Fireball to others with more positive experiences with that liquor.)
Downtown and SoMa has a reputation for restaurants closing early, but Hamburguesa Bar keeps later hours, closing at midnight from Monday through Saturday (closed Sundays). It’s also open for lunch at noon during those days, with the exception of Saturdays when it opens at 5 p.m.
She acknowledged that Iranian Americans hold a range of political views, including some who support U.S. intervention, but said she believes the future of Iran should be determined by its people.
“The Iranian people in Iran can decide the future of their country,” she said. “War, I don’t think, is going to help.”
Speaking to the crowd, Mortazavi challenged what she described as a narrative that Iranians broadly support U.S. and Israeli military action.
“They want you to believe that every Iranian … is cheering on the United States and Israel,” she said. “That is unequivocally false.”
She urged attendees to continue organizing beyond the rally and announced plans for additional demonstrations.
Dina Saadeh, an organizer with the Palestinian Youth Movement, said multiple groups mobilized quickly in response to the strikes.
“I’m angered today,” Saadeh told KQED. “People here don’t want to see our country engaged in more endless war.”
Saadeh described the protest as part of a broader effort to oppose sanctions, military escalation and what she called U.S. imperialism. She said participants were calling on elected officials to redirect public funds toward domestic needs.
“People want money for jobs and education, not for war and occupation,” she said.
KQED’s María Fernanda Bernal contributed to this story.
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