SFist Photo: "Theater District" vs. the Tenderloin
Check it out. This map from OnlyinSanFrancisco.com, "the Official Visitor's Site for San Francisco", seems to suggest there is no Tenderloin area in our fair city. No Tendernob neither. What's up with that? Let's explore this and see what another map has to say, after the jump.
"Theatre District" - how's that for a euphemism? We've never heard that term used non-sarcastically. Perhaps Lower Lower Nob Hill would be a better description? What should we call this place, if not its real name?
Things can get confusing what with small areas getting named, such as parts of Larkin Street being referred to as Little Saigon. And don't forget Polk Village.
Comes now Frommer's to save the day. Their map (complete with swoopy streets that seem to bend around for no apparent reason) squarely labels the 'Loin, giving it the respect it deserves.
The Official Visitor's Site for San Francisco doesn't totally ignore TL. If you look, you can find this description:
"Tenderloin - Thousands originally from Laos, Cambodia and Vietnam have given this 20-square-block district west of Union Square new life. Sermons on social justice blend with rockin' choir music on Sundays at Glide Memorial Church on Ellis Street, symbolizing the neighborhood's resurgence. An experimental theatre house, jazz and blues clubs, 200 restaurants and cafes, bookstores and billiards point to an upbeat feeling."
Well, that's something. Of course there's lots of good mixed in with what everyone would agree is some bad. Don't know if we're ready to abandon the term Tenderloin just yet. How about putting it back on the map?