I brought my pocked-sized copy of The Communist Manifesto, in case of acute let-me-stay-in-america-forever symptoms.

Uncanny sight: a group of homeless people next to an AI ad billboard.

American cities are like weeds, with skyscrapers sprouting like dandelions.

At ground floor level, the humanity per square meter is approximately zero. Except in Chinatown, Japantown and Little Italy.

Who wants to live in SF? It’s just a transit point.

American cities are built for the working man.

SF looks like a giant financial district. It’s an entire city of La Défense.

The tech worker badge is fashion.

Look at those empanadas. Worth getting robbed for?

The houses in residential areas remind me of Halloween.

Freshly baked fortune cookies are exquisite.

Ah, the plaques. Please give me a bench that isn’t haunted by some ghost.

Spotted a MAGA (normal breathing, walks normally) on the street.

No, I don’t need to choose among fifty different yoghurt flavours.

FYI, I came here to do mathematics and anthropology.

Shopkeepers place toothpaste in locked compartments. Am I encouraged to steal whatever isn’t in a locked compartment?

Already fed up with AI ads.

Maybe AI ads are more like SF branding. Does the mayor sponsor the AI ads?

Europeans, the homelessness problem is worse than you think.

A 50-year-old guy wearing a giant star-spangled banner as a cape passes by the café. Metal music blasting out of a small, low-quality JBL speaker.

America is a developing country, seriously.

Capitalism means decision fatigue.

Why is every bakery selling French bread?

Tech workers are dispensable. The tech industry runs on new hire energy and fear.

I’ve seen more drug addicts in SF than in Manila.

Would these entrepreneurs solemnly swear that they think their startup will improve the world? Everyone can’t defer to the invisible hand.

The city smells of testosterone.

How to spot Europeans in America: their gaze is always slightly tilted upwards.

Is it worrying that some people strongly prefer Waymo over Uber?

They always say ‘Hello, how are you doing?’ Should I stop responding ‘I’m doing well, thanks. How about you?’

Brave New World – everyone is hooked on something.

Would the drug addicts benefit from some AI pills?