At sold-out event, San Francisco weighs in on whether the city is 'back'

""I'm expected to tell you all why this is the worst city in the world," Sam Kriss, a writer from London, began. He stood at a lectern in the middle of the dark room. The sold-out audience - an uneven mix of techno-optimists and -pessimists, faux centrists and progressives - listened between sips of champagne."

""And the only way to fix it - give me a chance, you'll see - the only way to fix it is by gently scattering the entire Bay Area with about 10 to 12 neutron bombs." The comment drew hoots and applause."

""Kriss was one of eight personalities who spoke at Bimbo's 365 Club Wednesday for a series of debates organized by Substack. The evening's theme, in San Francisco fashion, was "utopia." A biochemist sparred with a journalist on the question of designer babies; a techno-optimist argued why robots should automate human jobs. Heckling was encouraged.""

""The difference between San Francisco and Boston is not that Boston is better, but that in San Francisco, we actually talk about our problems.""

A sold-out Substack debate at Bimbo's 365 Club gathered eight speakers to debate 'utopia' and the city's future. Sam Kriss opened by calling San Francisco the worst city and offered a provocative, joking solution that drew laughter. Mike Solana countered with falling crime statistics, rising business tax revenue, and a prevailing sense that something great is coming. Solana criticized city leadership and a sprawling NGO complex while valuing the city's willingness to confront problems publicly. Other panels touched on designer babies and automation, and heckling was encouraged throughout the event.

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