While the "idea" of San Francisco may sound romantic, the reality is quite different.

First, the only part of San Francisco that is worthwhile is the small "Tenderloin" area north of Union Square which you can almost cover on foot in a day's time. You can start at Union Square, east on Sutter, north on Grant thru Chinatown, east on Clay past TransAmerica Tower to the Embarcadero, and north to Fisherman's Wharf, with a quick side trip to Coit Tower along the way, hang around Ghirardelli Square and grab a bite to eat if you can still find a decent restaurant ... Gaylords is gone forever. Walk westbound on Bay Street to Fillmore, go south thru Pacific Heights, maybe see Pelosi's house, east on Geary back to Union Square, and you've pretty much covered the essentials. Not only is Gaylord's gone, but Mocca Cafe on Maiden Lane closed in 2015. Pure heresy. The streets are dirty and filled with litter and stuff that that is not found on streets in civilized cities. Businesses closed. Lots of them. In the travel sweepstakes, first prize is a day in SF. Second prize is a week in SF, and you would be screaming to go home. After many trips there during its heyday, I have absolutely no reason to go back. Sad.

LA, despite its political and mismanagement problems, is an interesting city. Rachmaninoff chose it when he exiled Russia, so it must have been something special. Dudamel and the LA Philharmonic are still going strong. . It is a vast area. You could drop SF's "Tenderloin" somewhere in the area and maybe never find it again. You could spend months here and not see everything. The few times that I visited, I was pleasantly surprised. I toured Hollywood, Huntington Beach, Newport Beach, Dana Point, Burbank, Laguna Niguel, City of Industry, Santa Ana, Anaheim, Garden Grove. Saw Philip Johnson's Crystal Cathedral. Should'a spent more time in LA and less in SF. It's a great city in need of direction and a comeback. Maybe go back sometime.