Yeah, Mission St is pretty grungy. Had me confused why people thought Mission was such a up and coming place. Then I explored the adjacent streets on either side of Mission St and it’s a lot nicer.

Valencia, for sure, but South Van Ness on the other side of Mission st isn't what I'd call nicer. Folsom (one more past South Van Ness) feels downright unsafe!

You might be right about that actually. I was probably thinking of some of my favorite restaurants and cafes there (e.g., Stable Cafe) but the street itself is a bit empty and can feel sketchy at times.

I just followed what Google Maps showed me to do given where I was trying to go; I'm not an SF local so I don't really know any better than to take what looks like the direct route. I was on a skateboard, going at fast-walk pace, and was asked for money about a dozen times in that mile, cussed out (for being a yuppie? I think?) twice, and deliberately body checked and knocked off the board once.

Back in 2010 I used to work at roughly 7th and Harrison and was generally having a better time of commuting to and within the city.

Exactly. Dolores, Valencia, Guerrero, all fairly nice, even lovely in many parts.