Just want to say thanks, this helps a lot since I'm in the process of migrating there right now.
What I wish I knew before moving to San Francisco
421–430 of 573 posts
Re: What I wish I knew before moving to San Francisco
#422Earlier quoted context omitted.
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).
5-10 minutes without traffic, 5-10 hours with traffic.
bart.
Re: What I wish I knew before moving to San Francisco
#423Earlier quoted context omitted.
Hah, I thought exactly the same. Even out here in Sacramento people call it "The City" (fair enough, Sacramento is just a big-ass, boring suburban sprawl)
I just visited Sacramento this summer, and it seemed about 100x more interesting than where I'm from.
Well, where are you from? I'm so sad for you right now...
Re: What I wish I knew before moving to San Francisco
#424Earlier quoted context omitted.
I've been out here a year and a half- when I moved, I knew things would be pricier, but not this bad. Going straight from college in upstate NY (where I paid $300/mo for my share of a huge suburban house with some friends) to here (where I paid $1500/mo for half of a smallish Soma 2-bedroom), I definitely experienced a bit of sticker-shock.
Sounds like Rochester pricing. I miss it sometimes --$1000 for a 3 bedroom with a garage and a backyard, in a nice neighborhood near Highland Park, a nice bike commute to RIT or downtown. Too bad about the job situation up there, though it's getting better.
Small world. I am in the Bay Area for a stint currently, but have a house in Rochester a block away from Highland Park. I'm seriously considering basing a company in Rochester since the cost of living is so reasonable and the quality of life is high. I'm not convinced it makes sense to be in the Bay Area unless you're trying for VC funding or have some other connection to the area. Rochester has the Public Market, Wegmans, Eastman School concerts, The Little, Geva shows, bike and hiking trails, four distinct seasons, a well-educated community, a handful of great restaurants, and the list goes on. It's a metropolitan region at low cost, and just a cheap flight or (long) drive away from New York or Boston. Perfect for bootstrapping. I wish more people would stay.
Re: What I wish I knew before moving to San Francisco
#425Earlier quoted context omitted.
No way, last time I went to SF it was $20 for two burritos. Compare to $10 at Roberto's in Mission Beach, and they don't put sour cream in the carne asada...
What? What neighborhood were you in? $10 for a burrito is outrageous. I never pay more than $7, anywhere. What kind of burritos were these?
I'm with you. My go-to place is Pancho Villa: $5 for veggie; $7 for meat: http://sfpanchovilla.com/menu.php
Taqueria Cancun, another solid place, is $5 for either meat or veg: http://sanfrancisco.menupages.com/restaurants/taqueria-cancu...
Re: What I wish I knew before moving to San Francisco
#426Earlier quoted context omitted.
Agreed. I just moved here from Tucson, and there's virtually no way I'd be here if not for the fact that I'm living with a medical resident in an apartment subsidized by her hospital. Given a choice among SF, NYC, and Seattle, and I'd choose Seattle: It has much of what makes the first two desirable, but at 60% of the cost. BTW, to the extent that you want to make cities like SF and NYC more affordable, favor the rem…
NYC is a big place and its not all the same. One could, for example, live in Brooklyn, pay a more reasonable rent and be surrounded by interesting people all with access to great food and bars. I suppose you could stretch that a bit further to Queens as well. Manhattan itself is quickly changing into a business district. You go there to work, grab dinner or hit the theater, then leave.
This is by far the best way to live comfortably in NYC. People forget how diverse the city is. Everyone thinks that you just have to be in Manhattan. Yes if you are working for a startup in NYC it will be located in Manhattan (Etsy is an exception), but there's no real good reason to live there. It is a fantastic place to work and dine, that is for certain, but in terms of living it is overcrowded, overpriced, and quite noisy.
In Brooklyn or Queens you can have plenty of room for much cheaper than Manhattan/SF/Seattle. There are one bedrooms in Astoria that start around $1200 and with a roommate you can easily be paying less than a grand each for a BIG place in a great part of the City. Almost all of the creative and intellectual activity in NYC comes from Brooklyn/Queens, whether its the rise of new and interesting publications (N+1, for example), art houses being opened, exhibitions being held, wild house shows or rooftoop parties and so on and so forth. It has a great vibe that I have yet to get from any other city.
I remember being on a rooftop in Greenpoint with some friends, having a nighttime barbecue, and they had a marvelous view of Manhattan. I mentioned that it would be nice to live there and my friend just laughed, saying "The city looks so beautiful now. Why would you want to ruin it by living there?"
Re: What I wish I knew before moving to San Francisco
#427Earlier quoted context omitted.
It has been getting more expensive quickly, so no, most people don't know how expensive it is. In particular, the rental situation is now back to 1999 levels of crazy. As to many of the rest, they were exactly the things that I was surprised by when I moved here, and they are things I hear about from noobs all the time.
How much of that is just that when you move to a place, these sorts of differences are conversation starters? When I decided to move I was painfully aware of the cost of living and housing issues. They factored heavily into my decision and I made sure the numbers added up. When I got here, did I still complain about it to anyone who'd ask, and some who didn't? You bet. Also, though by the time I got to SF I had been…
Well, people could be faking the surprise. But it seems authentic to me.
Re: What I wish I knew before moving to San Francisco
#428Earlier quoted context omitted.
This comment does not belong on HN. It's angry, self-righteous, and unproductive. Comparing people who defecate, urinate, shoot-up, stink, and leave needles on your front porch to other minorities is really offensive. Especially when these people have all the resources in the world to get out of their situation. Often they have better apartments than the people they are begging money from.
> This comment does not belong on HN. Just as you petitioned SF to get rid of the homeless people from your precious neighborhood, you can downvote my post, flag it, and petition PG to ban my account if you don't want me to post comments like this. If it fails, just as your real life petition failed, you can always find another web forum. What's becoming clear is that I don't belong on HN. There's just no real sense…
Sorry, this isn't a forum where saying "Fuck You" to another poster is okay.
Re: What I wish I knew before moving to San Francisco
#429Earlier quoted context omitted.
Agreed. I just moved here from Tucson, and there's virtually no way I'd be here if not for the fact that I'm living with a medical resident in an apartment subsidized by her hospital. Given a choice among SF, NYC, and Seattle, and I'd choose Seattle: It has much of what makes the first two desirable, but at 60% of the cost. BTW, to the extent that you want to make cities like SF and NYC more affordable, favor the rem…
Everyone forgets Chicago. In the US, it's the most important financial center outside of Manhattan and is the third place city in number of Michelin starred restaurants (fewer than SF; Seattle has none). Boeing moved their corporate HQ there from Seattle because of its financial prominence. It has a world class university in U. Chicago and excellent bus/rail transit across the metro area. But the Chicago area is seri…
from my experience there, it's simply too far from other places (vs Boston/NYC/DC area or) and weather is a lot harsher
Re: What I wish I knew before moving to San Francisco
#430Earlier quoted context omitted.
Agreed. I just moved here from Tucson, and there's virtually no way I'd be here if not for the fact that I'm living with a medical resident in an apartment subsidized by her hospital. Given a choice among SF, NYC, and Seattle, and I'd choose Seattle: It has much of what makes the first two desirable, but at 60% of the cost. BTW, to the extent that you want to make cities like SF and NYC more affordable, favor the rem…
Having moved from SF to Seattle, I just want to say that Seattle is terrible, and you should warn everybody you know to stay away. ;)
Serious question -- did you have trouble adjusting to the lack of sunshine?