I was in the Embarcadero area for one month for work and I genuinely have felt much safer in developing countries. The reason we(other Americans) critique SF so hard is out of tough love. The east coast has its rough spots too, but nothing as prolific and in-your-face. I'm sure there are some real gems if you avoid [large swaths] of downtown and [long list of streets], but that's what they say in developing countries. It doesn't have to be that way in such a rich, talented place.