Cheap rent, dive bars: Exhibition looks at the Tenderloin’s days as an ’80s punk stomping ground

In recent years, San Francisco’s Tenderloin has been described as “dystopian,” a drug-addled wasteland of human desperation and suffering. Most tourist guides dismiss it with a shudder, and some even refer to it as “the worst neighborhood in San Francisco” due to its ambient chaos and reputation for criminal activity. 

Of course, this crude characterization obscures the rich history of the neighborhood, long populated by immigrants, artists, activists and visionaries. The Tenderloin Museum, located at 398 Eddy St., honors this forgotten history, presenting a fascinating walk through the pivotal events and characters that informed what the neighborhood is today.