Response to a NY Times Article
I enjoyed reading Tsui's article, "The Western SoMa Area of San Francisco Is Resurgent," from the New York Times website (http://travel.nytimes.com/2012/03/18/travel/the-western-soma-area-of-san...) because it was about a neighborhood in San Francisco that went from a crime-ridden and scary place to a trendy area that is getting bigger with their new coffee shops, restaurants, art galleries and nice environment.
I'm learning more about travel right now, and in particular what I'm wondering about is: What makes a great travel spot? I was researching this question online, and this newspaper article caught my attention because it had to do with San Francisco which is an area in California I've always been interested to visit or even live there. Living on the West Coast is something I've always liked to try.
But despite its appearance, the area has seen a slow but steady revival in the last five years, starting with the opening in 2007 of the San Francisco Federal Building, designed by Morphosis and swathed in perforated steel. It was followed by a spate of upscale restaurants that serve the design geeks and office workers who began to frequent the area".
The quote I chose here is basically describing how the neighborhood has gained popularity and become trendy due to their restaurants and San Francisco Federal Building and the types of people that have been attracted by the new things popping up in that area. I think this is descriptive because it really tells people not only what the change is all about in this neighborhood, but also how this change came about. It makes me wonder if suddenly the more dangerous and ghetto neighborhoods are becoming the trendy ones to live in. If we look at examples in New York, take the East Village in Downtown Manhattan. The East Village was known for being very dirty with lots of drugs going around but now it's a popular place for people to hang out and live, any age. I've also heard that Harlem, known for its gangs and violence rates is cleaning up its act and are starting to get nice restaurants and social places. Perhaps what makes an ideal trendy spot are places that have been known for their troubles but now has been cleaned up. It's almost a competition of who's daring enough to hang out in this new trendy place. Another sentence Tsui wrote that stands out for me is: " It declined considerably after its heyday, in the early 20th century, when it was known as San Francisco’s grand theater district". I think this is very informing because the author lets the reader know the history of this trendy place and how the history does play an important part of what made this neighborhood change such a phenomenon of being a chic get-up. A third sentence that I liked was: "Sunlight pours into the high-ceilinged dining room; the enchanting décor changes four times a year to reflect the seasons (“winter” features bare branches, coppery light fixtures and lots of white)." This stood out for me because it already gives this new Western SoMa area of SanFran a vibe that shows that they really do care about creating an environment that's welcoming and different. There was nothing that I could really agree or disagree with in this article because it was a description article of this new neighborhood. I suppose I agree with the author that the Western SoMa district sounds pretty fun! What I appreciate about this writer's work is that she really describes everything in great detail. I look forward to seeing what she writes next, because I want to be updated on the latest trendy places that are shaping up, getting their act together and performing some serious "Before" and "After"'s.
