What do people love about San Francisco?

SAN FRANCISCO - It’s a chance to contribute to a giant love letter to San Francisco. It’s in the form of a large collaborative multi-panel mural. Hosted by the Civic Joy Fund, chalk is available for folks to share what they love about the city. 

The five-panel mural sits in front of the Children’s Day School across from Mission Dolores Park on Dolores Street. 

Brian Rashid got stuck in Uruguay when the pandemic hit. The airport was closed, and he couldn’t leave the country. He wrote the country a love letter that went viral. 

Rashid received thousands of messages. The words moved him deeply and inspired him to continue the artistic urban art project. 

The project inspired him to create a mural that allows anyone to contribute their own love for the city. 

He said, "We have so much good in front of us. There is so much magic. There's so much creativity. There is so much ability to do something meaningful and positive and beautiful for the world and for your community. And I hope this project inspires people."

A mural asking folks to write what they love about San Francisco in chalk on the multi-panel mural. (Alice Wertz)

Adults, children and seniors from the community wrote with chalk on the panels that show the Golden Gate Bridge, the bay and a giant sunshine, with space to write loving elements. 

There were several references to food, diversity, nature, and dogs. Students from the school participated as well. Charlie Sjogreen is a middle school student who shared his favorite things about San Francisco.

He said, "I mean, I love the food, the culture, all the parks, access to nature. I mean, in a beautiful city, weather. All this stuff." 

Oliver Day, also a middle school student, offered a reminder that sometimes it’s the simple things that we take for granted, living in the city. 

"Definitely access to the outdoors." He said, "Just like how many parks there are around, and the food and the culture and everything." 

 Manny Yekutiel is the founder of the Civic Joy Fund.  He’s also a small business owner involved in San Francisco's cultural events. He shared this collaborative artistic endeavor with folks to reflect on what’s good in the vibrant city he calls home. 

"It was created as an idea to help remind people what they love about San Francisco and why they love San Francisco, as a way to counter this pernicious doom and gloom narrative," He said. "It’s 2024. It’s a new year, and it’s time for a new story." 

According to Yekutiel, the mural is a counter to the doom loop narrative that’s been circling the country lately about San Francisco. 

close up of peoples love of San Francisco, as displayed on a mural near Dolores Park

There were lots of jots on the mural about food and culture, naturally. But we heard from residents who shared that San Francisco is a place of self-discovery where everyone is welcomed. 

Pierre moved to San Francisco three years ago. He used to live on the border of New York and New Jersey. 

He said, "You can do anything for jobs, not just professional, you can freelance."

Michelle Wantuch was visiting the city for three weeks from Seattle. When asked what she wrote on the mural about what she loves about SF, she said, "I wrote burritos and family!’" 

Her father, Peter Wantuch moved here in the early seventies. He also remarked on how people get to be who they want to be in San Francisco and create a destiny here. 

He said, "Compared to other places in the U.S., this is the land of opportunity.’’ 

Alice Wertz is a freelance reporter with KTVU Fox 2. She can be reached at Alice.Wertz@Fox.com