I grew up in Parkmerced. Lived there for 25 years, from 1959 to 1984. There could have been no other place to live in San Francisco that compared if you were a kid. The elementary school, Fredrick Burk, was outstanding - my favorite school years. The park was emaculate, everything lush, green, well-kept. Young families and elderly people lived there at a time when mothers didn´t work. Everyone knew each other. The yards and common areas, the recreation center and the hill along Brotherhood Way were paradise to us kids growing up. The perfect place for a paper route and trick-or-treating. There were easter egg hunts at the rec and Christmas lights at the big circle. The shopping center had just about everything you could want. Everyone obeyed the rules and parking was never a problem. Times changed. It makes me sad to drive through Parkmerced today with its barren landscape and hideous colors and cars parked where they would have been towed in my time. Recent upgrades to lighting and windows have taken away the original architectural charm. I suppose if I had to live in an apartment in the city without feeling like I was "in the city" I would choose Parkmerced - just get used to the fog.