As I have previously discussed, San Franciscans are exceptionally nice and freakishly tolerant. In fact, the only thing I have universally seen San Franciscans get upset about (besides not adequately recycling or composting of course) is lacking to respect The Yelp.
I refer to the internet-based, social networking, community-oriented, crowd-sourced, B to C to C2, review everything site: Yelp.
I hear some of you asking, “hey SFIW, WTF?” You remind me that Yelp is an international website. Heck, perhaps you’ve even used it to find reviews about dermatologist-bikini-pet-waxers in your city. What, you ask, is so San Franciscan about Yelp?”
Ah, my naive friend, while you may have “Yelped” before, until you step foot in San Francisco you will not understand the day-to-day importance of this happy little website. I personally believe The Yelp may actually be the cultural backbone of San Franciscan society!
Nary a denizen of this fine town leaves home without first “Yelpping” the destination, the surrounding area, local amenities and neighboring hot spots. There’s a religious fervor surrounding Yelp! And like all religions, there are of course men and women of the cloth.
Yes, Yelp is an open-source forum where every man, woman and child can verbosely share their profoundly insightful opinions about In-N-Out Burger. But, just like Animal Farm (and to a lesser extent season eight of American Idol), not all Yelpers are created equal. Tucked amongst the millions of reviews lay the razor sharp critiques of the Yelp-clergy, the “Yelp Elite Squad” (that’s their real name, I’m totally cereal). These fine men and women have been singled out by The Yelp as the best-0f-the-best. The people who have the responsibility…nay the obligation…to share their own expertly crafted and meticulous honed observations above-and-beyond all others.
So before you embark on a trip to this fine “city,” might I suggest you take a few weeks to peruse the Yelp reviews as you craft your itinerary. Hundreds, if not thousands of strangers have taken hours out of their perfectly good day to extol the virtues and pitfalls of every local attraction. Whether you think of it as non-professional reviews or a glimpse into the neurosis of thousands of people, it’s just a damn good time.
San Francisco is Weird 
I was in SF for one summer and when I asked anyone for restaurant recommendations, people would just refer me to yelp. I use it for NYC now too…!