Ask HN: What's it like to live in San Francisco? • Hacker News Board

Re: Ask HN: What's it like to live in San Francisco?

#61

Post by badpun » Thu, May 10, 2018, 11:40 AM UTC

jhbadger wrote: post #57

badpun wrote: post #42

Earlier quoted context omitted.

True, but a city of "artists" is also a monoculture.

Less so, because in reality most "artists" actually end up doing normal jobs to make a living in a variety of fields and just keep art as a side interest. A city of hobbyist programmers wouldn't necessarily be a monoculture either.

In current realities that's probably true. I've read about a city (town) of artists in post WWI France, which was dominated by Americans who moved there to pursue their artistic interests (painting). They were regular American folks, but thanks to the wealth disparity between USA and France at the time, they were basically wealthy by French standards, which allowed them to live a life of leisure and do nothing but paint. In that city, there were the dominant part of the population.

Re: Ask HN: What's it like to live in San Francisco?

#62

Post by [deleted] » Thu, May 10, 2018, 11:56 AM UTC

imustbeevil wrote: post #50

tallowen wrote: post #35

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Montreal?

When Americans say the singular "America" they mean USA.

[deleted]

Re: Ask HN: What's it like to live in San Francisco?

#63

Post by [deleted] » Thu, May 10, 2018, 11:56 AM UTC

jes5199 wrote: post #43

baby wrote: post #8

I’m interested to know about three other things: rent cost, safety and public transport.

rent is the worst in america I know several people who have had laptops and cellphones stolen out of their hands while they were at a cafe the public transport is basically fine, crowded.

[deleted]

Re: Ask HN: What's it like to live in San Francisco?

#64

Post by thankthunk » Thu, May 10, 2018, 12:58 PM UTC

collyw wrote: post #25

ralusek wrote: post #5

There are many different neighborhoods with pretty different feels, but generally speaking I would say this: The city is dirty, there are many homeless people, public infrastructure is not great (bad roads, questionable public transit), and it is the most expensive rent in the world. Culturally, it is much less "gay" and "hippie" nowadays, and almost entirely "tech," at least in my own experiences. If you're a softwa…

> If you're a software engineer, there are plenty of jobs and you will never have issue finding work. Even over 40? I am genuinely curious.

> Even over 40? I am genuinely curious.

It'll be tougher, especially if you are a white or asian male, but there are plenty of software jobs out there. You are less likely to be getting choice projects, raises, promotions, etc. And you are on the top of the list come lay off time, but you won't be on bread lines anytime soon as a software developer. But you will be marginalized as you get older and even more so if you are part of the overrepresented group in the industry.

Re: Ask HN: What's it like to live in San Francisco?

#65

Post by bhu1st » Thu, May 10, 2018, 1:23 PM UTC

Not in SF but I lived in East Bay for past two years. Since good tech meetups were mostly happening around Mission I'd be in SF downtown once or twice a week. One night I missed last BART and had to spend my rest of the night until 4am in a 711 near 2nd St which changed my view towards homeless people in SF. I wonder why they're not welcomed by the job market. One guy said the city, SF is beta testing ground for Silicon Valley. Overall I loved being part of the city. But as others here have commented recently Oakland seems more happening.

Re: Ask HN: What's it like to live in San Francisco?

#66

Post by bsvalley » Thu, May 10, 2018, 1:53 PM UTC

a13n wrote: post #16

I lived there for 3 years and left a year ago. I lived in Nob Hill, Mission, Noe, and Castro. When I was first there, I felt a strong disgust towards tech. People protesting shuttles, hateful graffiti, news articles about it. Tech workers were moving in troves and driving up rent and people getting displaced. I felt like part of the problem. Market Street is a mix of insanely wealthy and insanely poor people. Other c…

+1 I’d just add one thing, would you pay $1 million for a studio in the middle of all that? You could live right next to your office and enjoy everything (mentioned above) that the city has to offer while writting code all day. Sounds like a healthy and dreamy life.

Re: Ask HN: What's it like to live in San Francisco?

#67

Post by indescions_2018 » Thu, May 10, 2018, 2:10 PM UTC

In NYC, certainly seems like there is a fresh influx of former SF residents. Many around crypto / fintech as all large banks are here.

Refrain I often hear is that "street culture" is dead in SF. Tech workers just stay in and order Seamless and tinker on their respective inventions all night long. Although nowhere what it was at peak in 80s and 90s. NYC nightlife is still popping ;)

I'd also be interested to hear about life in the Peninsula. Hills above Palo Alto, San Mateo, even South SF. Family and friends seem to love it despite chilly nights in the summer...

Re: Ask HN: What's it like to live in San Francisco?

#68

Post by pdfernhout » Thu, May 10, 2018, 2:40 PM UTC

mayniac wrote: post #22

SmellyGeekBoy wrote: post #11

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Is it more visible than London, for example? I know people talk about it a lot but you see some extreme wealth inequality in many big cities. (Just genuinely curious, it's not a trick question)

I live in London, visited LA (not SF but kind of similar?) The wealth inequality was massively more visible in LA. Far more homeless people. Neighbourhoods were either rich or poor, there wasn't any mixing. OFC London has similar problems, you're going to see more luxury cars than homeless people in Chelsea and vise versa in Brixton, but LA felt like it had gone a lot further. The projects in LA are also far more run…

Another difference between the UK and the USA besides size is wealth of the country; see: https://www.greanvillepost.com/2011/08/12/generation-fcked-h... "British children have the most miserable upbringing in the developed world. Is it a coincidence that the US and Britain are now the two developed nations with the most savage and cynical capitalism and deepest class fissures? ... “The reason our children’s lives are the worst among economically advanced countries is because we are a poor version of the USA,” he said. “So the USA comes second from bottom and we follow behind. The age of neo-liberalism, even with the human face that New Labour has given it, cannot stem the tide of the social recession capitalism creates.”"

As I suggest here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4vK-M_e0JoY alternatives include some culturally appropriate mix of:

* improved subsistence through developing and distributing better tools and know-how for off-grid living like solar panels, 3D printers, mobile microhouses, composting toilets, and gardening robots

* expand the gift economy for both physical and digital goods

* soften capitalism's exchange-based social harshness with a basic income

* better democratic planning to insure public infrastructure to meet everyone's needs (e.g. convert prisons to artist dorms; ensure free food and water is available eveywhere; better automated clean public bathrooms; expanded libraries and health services)

Re: Ask HN: What's it like to live in San Francisco?

#69

Post by paulcole » Thu, May 10, 2018, 2:45 PM UTC

loggedinmyphone wrote: post #12

From 2005-2010 the city had a very positive vibe: we're the most European city in America, we love good food, we have a balance of artists and people who support the arts. Now it's overcrowded, overvalued and overcapitalized. Rather than being welcomed, you will be resented and perceived as pushing other people out. Oakland has a more friendly and creative feel these days, if you can deal with the pervasive criminal…

Are you a lifelong resident? How did it compare to say 2000-2005?

Re: Ask HN: What's it like to live in San Francisco?

#70

Post by bsvalley » Thu, May 10, 2018, 3:35 PM UTC

To answer your question without complaining too much about SF I’d say that people are either new to SF (haven’t experienced the real deal described by everyone here), or holding onto something that used to be a dream a few years back, like a great position at a hot startup waiting for it to go public or a 1 bd apartment bought at $700k a few years back versus +$1 million today. Really not about the city by the Bay anymore.. So, as you may guess the attitude in 2018 here is extremely materialistic, which sounds weird when you think about hippies right? :) either my home equity or my stocks.

People who want to become entrepreneurs these days would rather stop by to create some connections and operate from a remote location. Last but not least, tourists on a weekend trip to SF from all around the World. They want to see the bridge and jump on a boat to Alcatraz