At first you're seduced by the sweeping ocean views, cute Victorian houses, picturesque tangerine bridges and storybook bed-and-breakfasts. But on closer inspection, the sheer volume of scented candles, glass-blown swans and seashell ashtrays sends the mind reeling. Banners that boast I LEFT MY HEART should rightly read MY WALLET, since San Francisco's real raison d'etre is separating tourists from their money. This too-too-precious chilly, hilly city is determined to stupefy you with caramel corn, sourdough bread, chocolate cable cars and painting-by-numbers that goes by the name of sidewalk art. "It's like living in a theme park," says Lee Houskeeper, a local...
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