” They had come into the area on Market Street and were in a part of the city with several tall buildings, about twenty stories high. Not far off in various directions, Tim could see some cool architectural features, including domes he was pretty sure must belong to an Orthodox Church. They struck onto Geary Street, where Billy had been pointing. A few minutes later, Billy confidently announced, “We’re about to cross into The Tenderloin.” “Let the festivities commence,” said Julie, half-heartedly. “I still say that with a name like The Tenderloin, those festivities had better have something to do with eating some really good steak,” Rose joked. The other three laughed nervously. And they had reason to be nervous, Tim supposed. They were about to cross into a portion of San Francisco known for its illegal activities. Not only were they doing this without adult supervision, but their parents would not be born for another sixty years or so. They kept putting one foot in front of the other, because that’s what they had to do.
