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What I wish I knew before moving to San Francisco

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Re: What I wish I knew before moving to San Francisco

#251

Post by bherms »

sukuriant wrote: post #205
bherms wrote: post #196

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I hate that everyone calls the weather here amazing. Being cold all but maybe 30-40 days a year is not incredible weather, especially factoring in fog.

Better than Seattle. But oh the sunny days. Oh. The. Sunny. Days.

I will give it to you that those special days where it remains 75 throughout the entirety of the day are pretty awesome. However, in 18 months here, I can count those on two hands, and the days where it was comfortable in shorts/tshirt until 8-10 at night number at probably 2.

Re: What I wish I knew before moving to San Francisco

#252

Post by mtalantikite »

muzzamike wrote: post #229
Cl4rity wrote: post #224

Well, of course it's going to come as a big shock coming from Boston, because I don't consider Boston to be a "big city." I was born and raised in Los Angeles, I lived in San Francisco for a while, and now I live in New York City--Brooklyn, specifically. Much of what you said applies to New York, too. I don't agree with the weather thing. I've been to Boston where it was 60 during the day and in the low 30s at night,…

I find it interesting that Boston often gets the rub of being a "small city". It certainly is when compared to New York or LA, but when looking at the metro area it's on par with San Francisco: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Metropolitan_Statistica... Not that there's anything wrong with being a small city!

I think it's because most people don't really consider the metropolitan area to have anything to do with the city itself. For New York, parts of Jersey and Connecticut count as the metropolitan area, but you'd never say New York and mean New Haven.

With that in mind, Boston is 600k or so people, which is tiny in city terms.

Re: What I wish I knew before moving to San Francisco

#253

Post by natrius »

w1ntermute wrote: post #142
gambiting wrote: post #97

Oh US and your complaining about taxes. "You leave with ONLY 65% of your income after paying taxes". In Denmark you pay 60% in taxes, so you leave with 40% of your income in your pocket. And petrol is now more than $10/US gallon.

The problem isn't so much that the taxes are high, it's that the money is wasted. I think that if Americans saw a (domestic) example of high taxes being used in a productive manner, they would be much more open to the idea of a Scandinavian style cradle-to-grave system. But as long as the states with high taxation are poster children for governmental dysfunction, there will be a palpable opposition to taxation. And t…

Texas used to not have a business income tax, but in 2006, a business "margin" tax was enacted that is pretty much the same thing.

http://heartland.org/sites/default/files/03-02-12_drenner-le... (PDF)

Re: What I wish I knew before moving to San Francisco

#254

Post by geebee »

asveikau wrote: post #48
sharkweek wrote: post #39

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Seattle is the same way -- there are more dogs in the city than children -- http://www.seattlemag.com/article/seattles-dog-obsession

I've lived in both places. Back in college I also lived with someone who was allergic. That changes my reaction a bit, I think. It makes the people who bring their dogs on transit, to the bar or to the supermarket look like jerks.

Having kids has also changed my perspective on this. I've been taking my kids to a sports field near a playground for the past few years, and so far, the incidence of off leash dogs has been 100%, even though there is a dedicated off leash space right next door. Most of the dogs have been very friendly, but occasionally you do get an unknown very large and powerful off leash dog bounding up to a 3 foot tall kid. This is all next to a well posted sign about leash laws, though I have never seen any enforcement.

I've heard this is frustrating for other dog owners as well. There are a lot of people whose dogs need to be socialized better and they try to keep them on leash, and it's pretty much impossible to go to an open space without off leash dogs.

I'm still 100% in favor of creating a lot of excellent off leash areas, and most dog owners are considerate. But it does frustrate me that enforcement is so lax that there is pretty much nowhere in SF that isn't used as an off leash area.

BTW, if you're moving to SF, "dog wars" are definitely something you'll get used to. Lots of emotion in SF around this one.

Re: What I wish I knew before moving to San Francisco

#255

Post by tsycho »

potatolicious wrote: post #228
sswezey wrote: post #169

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Actually, a lot of it is pretty similar, especially if coming from the east coast. * Weather - replace fog with overcast/drizzle. * Rent & Cost of living - Seattle is not cheap by any means, and rent and house prices are really steep until you get quite far from the city. * Canine-friendliness - Definitely a west coast thing, there are tons of dogs in Seattle, dog parks, and companies that allow dogs at work. * Commu…

I've lived in both Seattle and SF - the situations are quite different. SF weather is nothing like Seattle weather. Sure, they lean towards the chilly side, but Seattle doesn't have the curious microclimates that SF has, which is actually a substantial deal in daily life. Ditto rent and cost of living. Seattle isn't cheap cheap, but the cost of living as a proportion of the average software engineer's salary is night…

Not only are Seattle rents substantially lower, but state taxes in Washington are ZERO, compared to roughly 10% in California.

Re: What I wish I knew before moving to San Francisco

#256

Post by goblue »

muzzamike wrote: post #229
Cl4rity wrote: post #224

Well, of course it's going to come as a big shock coming from Boston, because I don't consider Boston to be a "big city." I was born and raised in Los Angeles, I lived in San Francisco for a while, and now I live in New York City--Brooklyn, specifically. Much of what you said applies to New York, too. I don't agree with the weather thing. I've been to Boston where it was 60 during the day and in the low 30s at night,…

I find it interesting that Boston often gets the rub of being a "small city". It certainly is when compared to New York or LA, but when looking at the metro area it's on par with San Francisco: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Metropolitan_Statistica... Not that there's anything wrong with being a small city!

Doesn't make much of a difference for the Boston/Bay Area comparison, but I think the combined statistical areas are more indicative: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Combined_Statistical_Ar...

Re: What I wish I knew before moving to San Francisco

#257

Post by swong8 »

sakopov wrote: post #98

In my opinion the high cost of living kills everything else on that list. I'd much rather have a comfortable living, travel the world and be optimistic that i will have no problems buying a nice house for me and my spouse/family if i need to/should i want to. I don't really see this possible based on what i hear from a couple of friends living and working there. Both consumed by their tech jobs, some cool things to d…

I still don't get why folks don't consider living in places just outside of SF that are much more affordable. Places such as South San Francisco, Daly City, Brisbane, Oakland, etc. The proximity to the city is very close (5-10 mins).

Re: What I wish I knew before moving to San Francisco

#258

Post by georgeorwell »

paulhauggis wrote: post #235
georgeorwell wrote: post #221

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Calling people crack-heads and shambling zombies is pejorative. You don't casually use words like fag, dyke, tranny, bitch, ho, nigger, Indian (for native / aboriginal), and kyke, right? If you want a name, say "drug-addicted homeless person". We're talking about the most badly abused people in our society and you and the author are simply abusing them more with these words. Surprise, they aren't there to say anythin…

You need to lighten up..I bet you're a blast at parties.

It makes me angry when privileged people don't demonstrate compassion. I have trouble demonstrating compassion for them. You're right, I don't have fun at parties full of such people, and I've been to a few.

But you're also right that I need to lighten up. Attacking people out of the blue like I just did is not good for one's health, and it has little positive effect on the world. I have pretty poor social skills.

Re: What I wish I knew before moving to San Francisco

#259

Post by bherms »

darkandbrooding wrote: post #248
bherms wrote: post #196

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I hate that everyone calls the weather here amazing. Being cold all but maybe 30-40 days a year is not incredible weather, especially factoring in fog.

I grew up in the South West. I don't miss hundred-plus degree summers, burning my hands on steering wheels and the backs of my legs on car seats. I don't miss the asphalt being tacky because of the heat, or the sandy, sticky, salt-encrusted feeling after spending a day running errands, alternating between air conditioned interiors and sun-baked exteriors. I certainly understand why other people might not enjoy the pe…

I guess that's personal preference. Growing up in Indiana, we hit 100+ in the height of summer (and humid as hell) and subzero in the winter... While I don't _enjoy_ those extremes, it does really lend to a sense of time passing and makes the really nice days throughout spring and fall that much more enjoyable. I miss waking up on Xmas to a foot of snow, despite not enjoying snow, and having to huddle around a fire to warm up after being outside. I hate the cold, but I dig how it brings people together. As for the heat, you'll never appreciate a cold beer or lemonade (or both) like you will after mowing your lawn in 90+ degree weather. And those first few days of spring where it's light sweater weather in the morning and then 80 the rest of the day after having just braved a winter of snow and freezing temps? That's my favorite time of year.

Clearly I'm nostalgic.

Re: What I wish I knew before moving to San Francisco

#260

Post by icey »

_pius wrote: post #206
driverdan wrote: post #83

I considered moving to SF but chose Austin instead. I refuse to live in a state with such a dysfunctional government and ridiculously high taxes. Some of the same reasons I left NY. You can do tech anywhere. You do not need to live in the bay area. If you really like the city pick a place (like Austin) with inexpensive direct flights and go a few times a month. You'll still save money.

I considered moving to SF but chose Austin instead. I refuse to live in a state with such a dysfunctional government ... You do realize you live in Texas, right?

As a non-Texan, I'd be interested if could you share some of the dysfunctions of their government? I haven't heard many people claim that before, so I'm curious as to what I'm missing.
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