Tech elites leaving San Francisco threaten Silicon Valley's supremacy • Hacker News Board

Re: Tech elites leaving San Francisco threaten Silicon Valley's supremacy

#931

Post by hn_user82179 » Tue, Dec 08, 2020, 4:40 PM UTC

legerdemain wrote: post #711

rcpt wrote: post #624

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I biked to work nearly every day in NYC. The weather really isn't that bad. And in NYC if ever I had some other obligation after work instead of my usual commute that was bikeable to. In California nearly every time an errand popped up I couldn't bike that day.

"Really isn't that bad" is your experience. The physical reality is that average January lows in NYC are 20 degrees lower than in SF.

Agreed. It's definitely doable in the winter but is objectively less "easy" (have to pull out/put on weather gear) and more dangerous (lower visibility when it's snowing or raining, and fewer cyclists are out in general so cars don't expect you as much).

Re: Tech elites leaving San Francisco threaten Silicon Valley's supremacy

#932

Post by hn_user82179 » Tue, Dec 08, 2020, 4:45 PM UTC

rcpt wrote: post #624

hn_user82179 wrote: post #616

Earlier quoted context omitted.

SF has a phenomenal climate though in comparison. The public transportation is lacking but I mind walking or bike a lot less in SF winters as opposed to NYC winters.

I biked to work nearly every day in NYC. The weather really isn't that bad. And in NYC if ever I had some other obligation after work instead of my usual commute that was bikeable to. In California nearly every time an errand popped up I couldn't bike that day.

Sure, but SF is temperate year-round. Winter weather cycling's definitely doable but I immensely prefer cycling in SF year round, where I don't have to plan ahead or remember any warm gear. And I find not being able to bike for errands surprising, unless you lived outside of SF proper? I exclusively ran errands walking/biking/by bus for several years.

Re: Tech elites leaving San Francisco threaten Silicon Valley's supremacy

#933

Post by fatnoah » Tue, Dec 08, 2020, 4:54 PM UTC

rpearl wrote: post #688

ng12 wrote: post #677

Earlier quoted context omitted.

And Boston and DC. I wouldn't live in SF without a car unless I was a biking enthusiast. Also I find that many people who proudly refuse to own a car in SF just end up ubering everywhere.

To be clear I (the original poster in this thread) have lived without a car in the bay area for almost a decade, and I don't Uber anywhere. NYC is definitely more walkable--and just as expensive. Boston is about as walkable, I think (I haven't spent much time there)--and also pretty expensive!

>Boston is about as walkable

Boston is definitely walkable. My wife and I shared a car when living there, and I'd literally go weeks without actually getting in the car (she worked in a suburb, so she needed it for daily driving). Everything was generally within 1/2 mile, including school for the kiddo, sports fields, parks, grocery, hardware, etc. Transit was also convenient and plentiful.

Re: Tech elites leaving San Francisco threaten Silicon Valley's supremacy

#934

Post by BobbyJo » Tue, Dec 08, 2020, 4:57 PM UTC

Pet_Ant wrote: post #923

BobbyJo wrote: post #882

Earlier quoted context omitted.

They are people, and I feel for the trouble they are in, but no amount of compassion or empathy could convince me to take a stroll through a majority of SF downtown after dark. Likewise with many of the South Bay trails and parks. I don't even go to SF downtown during the day anymore because of the number of times I've almost stepped in human feces, and the needles strewn about. 8 years of liberal politicians claimin…

> I'd also like to point out society does not exist to gift every person peace, safety, and health. A just society offers opportunities, not guarantees. In that case I won't guarantee not to nick your stuff, just give you the opportunity to not have it nicked.

An opportunity is enough, I'd politely decline :)

Re: Tech elites leaving San Francisco threaten Silicon Valley's supremacy

#935

Post by BobbyJo » Tue, Dec 08, 2020, 4:58 PM UTC

jason0597 wrote: post #913

BobbyJo wrote: post #882

Earlier quoted context omitted.

They are people, and I feel for the trouble they are in, but no amount of compassion or empathy could convince me to take a stroll through a majority of SF downtown after dark. Likewise with many of the South Bay trails and parks. I don't even go to SF downtown during the day anymore because of the number of times I've almost stepped in human feces, and the needles strewn about. 8 years of liberal politicians claimin…

> A just society offers opportunities, not guarantees. Tell that to the people who made a mistake when they were younger, got a criminal record, and are now vilified for the rest of their lives and are turned down from the vast majority of jobs. Is it any wonder you see those people turn to crime to make a living?

Sounds like those people need more opportunities to me.

Re: Tech elites leaving San Francisco threaten Silicon Valley's supremacy

#936

Post by habosa » Tue, Dec 08, 2020, 5:03 PM UTC

tzatziki wrote: post #861

habosa wrote: post #690

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Every city is special in its own way. Very few cities have anything truly irreplaceable, but it's a combination of small differences that make a city special. My two favorite cities in the US are San Francisco and Philadelphia. Many people hate those places with a passion. To each their own!

Would you mind expanding on what parts you like about Philly and why? I’ve been thinking about moving there but don’t see it mentioned favorably too often.

Sure! Some things that come to mind in no order:

* Food - an incredible an ever-changing restaurant scene, from cheesesteaks to 10-course tasting menus. And all much more affordable than fine dining in most US cities, plus free BYOB is extremely common. * Music / Sports - incredible music scene with major and minor venues of all kinds, and a professional sports team in all 4 major leagues with a passionate fanbase. * Size - neither a very large city (NYC) nor a very small city (Boston). Easy to get around, narrow streets make it very walkable. * Attitude - Philly people are just different. I'd describe it as a "warm hostility" :) but you'll find Philadelphians are very welcoming while also being brutally honest. * Diversity - there is no racial majority in Philly. It's about 40% white, 40% black, and 20% other. * Price - Philly is cheap!

Re: Tech elites leaving San Francisco threaten Silicon Valley's supremacy

#937

Post by busterarm » Tue, Dec 08, 2020, 5:04 PM UTC

baja_blast wrote: post #925

busterarm wrote: post #660

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Cold is fine. Getting robbed at gunpoint isn't. That's the real Chicago you have to contend with.

As someone how has lived in both cities, I can say I felt unsafe way more often in SF than Chicago. Chicago's crime is gang related and isolated to a part of the city kind of disconnected from the main hub. But in SF the craziness is in the nice areas, I have had to deal with way too many violent mentally unstable people there, in fact I remember one of the two years I lived there a British woman randomly got a kitch…

As someone who has lived in several of the places topping the crime charts in the US, I want to tell you that this comment stinks of privilege.

In Chicago you were able to afford to live somewhere isolated from the reality of most Chicagoans.

In San Francisco you have so thoroughly priced everyone out that there isn't anywhere for the lower classes to go and so the bullshit is everywhere for everyone to deal with. Boo hoo.

Re: Tech elites leaving San Francisco threaten Silicon Valley's supremacy

#938

Post by busterarm » Tue, Dec 08, 2020, 5:08 PM UTC

a_t48 wrote: post #833

busterarm wrote: post #741

Earlier quoted context omitted.

And Chicago has nearly 6x as many violent crimes per year as Oakland or San Francisco and still edges them out on property crime.

Is that per captia?

Chicago is less than 6x bigger than San Francisco or Oakland.

Re: Tech elites leaving San Francisco threaten Silicon Valley's supremacy

#939

Post by bart_spoon » Tue, Dec 08, 2020, 5:19 PM UTC

bosswipe wrote: post #745

busterarm wrote: post #657

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Only by some San Franciscans who've been sniffing their own farts for too long. Everyone else thinks that The Bay is culturually homogenous.

If I said something bad about "red necks" or other such subcultures people would get angry and indignant. But somehow it's become OK to make disparaging comments like that about San Franciscans.

As someone living in the Midwest, I assure you that we do get slandered far more often than San Franciscans and no one bats an eye.

Re: Tech elites leaving San Francisco threaten Silicon Valley's supremacy

#940

Post by bart_spoon » Tue, Dec 08, 2020, 5:30 PM UTC

legerdemain wrote: post #711

rcpt wrote: post #624

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I biked to work nearly every day in NYC. The weather really isn't that bad. And in NYC if ever I had some other obligation after work instead of my usual commute that was bikeable to. In California nearly every time an errand popped up I couldn't bike that day.

"Really isn't that bad" is your experience. The physical reality is that average January lows in NYC are 20 degrees lower than in SF.

> The physical reality is that average January lows in NYC are 20 degrees lower than in SF.

The physical reality is that 20 degrees lower isn't that bad. Humans have thrived in colder climates for thousands of years. Being a human being in a modern day NYC/Chicago winter is a cakewalk, unless you are among the small subset of people who treat anything below 60F like its a death sentence.