561–570 of 573 posts
Earlier quoted context omitted.
Alcohol isn't allowed on Caltrain on days when there is a sporting event.
Not true. Alcohol is allowed on CalTrain, and is only prohibited after (i.e. on the return trip from) a sporting event.
Earlier quoted context omitted.
I've lived in Bellevue, WA, then Worcester, MA, then Seattle, WA, then Tucson, AZ, then New York, NY, and I've never had a problem with sun or its lack. Different people react differently, however, and I still a) went running most days, and b) really like the cultural / lifestyle aspects of living in cities. I prefer the Seattle experience of relatively temperate weather, year-round, to the Tucson experience of insan…
> Obviously nowhere else in the U.S. is going to rival the weather experience of the CA coast. Did you not read the article? :-) Seriously, summers in the city (of San Francisco) can be miserable , at least insofar as your definition of summer includes wearing fewer clothes and dining outdoors. In general the coast of California north of say, Seal Beach, is not an enjoyable place to be after sunset, anywhere. Even in…
Earlier quoted context omitted.
What's Chicago known for these days? When I think of Seattle, I think of music (grunge was big, and today there's still a lot of it), Amazon, Microsoft, tech stuff, and arts. When I think of SF I think of free-spirits, the 60s, and startups. When I think of New York I think of movies, finance, artists (especially writers), publishing, and fashion. When I think of Chicago, I think of. . . corruption? Commodities marke…
As a place to live, in my opinion the biggest thing that Chicago has over other cities I've spent significant time in is green space. The city's motto is Urbs in Horto , and it shows. Virtually the entire lake shore is one big park, outside of downtown most the area along the river is also park land, there are forest preserves within city limits, and other significantly-sized parks and playgrounds are scattered all a…
My caustic opinion is if you're not a farmer or self-sufficient type who is thrilled with the opportunity to live outside of a big city, then try for a city on the coast, like San Francisco. Big midwestern cities just aren't "all that" relative to their coastal counterparts. In the midwest you get:
- Higher crime rates and corruption
- Miserable, MISERABLE prolonged winters
- Salted roads --> depresses the value of any enthusiast (Porsche/BMW/Ferrari) type cars you might have on resale
- Rampant backwards conservatism
- Uncomfortably hot and humid summers
- Tornados and severe weather
- A severe lack of places to go and things to see
After living there for so long, I have a really tough time understanding why you would want to stay there if the opportunity to leave arrived, unless you're involved with a major university or are a farmer / homesteader type person living in the country. Bottom line, if you could magically swap San Francisco with Chicago, social network and assets included at no cost for a day I bet 100% of my money a bunch of Chicagoans would reconsider their whereabouts, and most SFers would be PISSED.
Also. And this is important: weed is legal or effectively legal for most of the west coast. This may not be a big deal to you but it's just amazingly energizing to live in an area with sane people who are not brainwashed as opposed to backwards conservatives so prevalent in the midwest. People are healthier and more active here, and I feel many are a bit more open minded. You can call it a negative that the startup scene is unavoidable, but really, isn't fluorishing innovation what you'd expect to see in any super happening big city? If you don't want to see innovation, maybe city life isn't for you, maybe dairy farming is for you.
just my 2c :0 plz dont hate me
Earlier quoted context omitted.
Have you been to Austin? Or Dallas? (I'd personally stay away from Houston and San Antonio). It sounds like you're passing judgement without really experiencing the area. Texas is a fairly reasonable state when it comes to most of their laws. There has been some controversy around the human-origin that will be taught in schools, but this issue isn't isolated to just Texas. And beyond that, if you really dislike the p…
Don't forget the Anti-Dildo laws: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Texas_obscenity_statute http://daxlegal.com/dildos-sexually-obscene-toys-illegal-in-... This is so fantastically nutty I could hardly believe it (when I first read about a woman that had been arrested in Texas for smuggling Dildos).
Earlier quoted context omitted.
> Obviously nowhere else in the U.S. is going to rival the weather experience of the CA coast. Did you not read the article? :-) Seriously, summers in the city (of San Francisco) can be miserable , at least insofar as your definition of summer includes wearing fewer clothes and dining outdoors. In general the coast of California north of say, Seal Beach, is not an enjoyable place to be after sunset, anywhere. Even in…
July is the start of summer and it takes another month for the cold ocean currents from the north to warm up, keeping Santa Monica cool. An hour inland and it could be 110f. LA has maybe 300 sunny days a year, while Medellin is nowhere near the beach... like 1000km away.
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).
If you're into drinking, even socially, it means no designated driver. No hunting for parking (can take > 10 mins in SF), especially in the areas where all the food and bars are.
Most neighborhoods in SF (and I'm guessing NYC) there's usually some shopping district with a street full of stores and restaurants, non-national chain, within walking distance.
Growing up in Orange County that is something I had never experienced and at least until I have a spouse and kids I don't really want to go back to.
Where I live I'm within a 3 minute walk to a Whole Foods, 15 or so restaurants. A convenience store. 3 cleaners. A twice a week farmers market. Several banks. A drug store. 6 bars. 5 coffeeshops. 2 bookstores. 2 bike stores. And I'm only a 10 minute walk from the mission or a 5 minute walk to the muni (to go downtown).
Compare to the O.C. where pretty much had to drive everywhere. Daly City is a similar place.
Earlier quoted context omitted.
Meh, original comment about shitty services holds http://www.texasobserver.org/how-the-budget-got-cut/
I don't see anything in that article that isn't sensible. There's no reason government expenditures have to keep going up in good times and bad.
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.
You CAN do tech anywhere, just as you CAN be a banker outside of NYC or an actor outside of LA. Doesn't mean it's the most efficient or effective way. I have lots of respect for people who choose to live in other parts of the world but to suggest that there's not much difference between living in SF or Austin for someone interested in starting or working for a successful technology firm is inaccurate. I don't count f…
> I don't count freelance development as "doing tech" as it's equivalent to being a "day-trader" vs banker or "youtube star" vs actor.
For every big name actor there are 1000 serving food to make ends meet. For every investment banker managing billions there are 1000 working in cubicles analyzing obscure sectors and securities. Are you implying that their work is more desirable and/or more real than a successful day trader or YouTube star?
I get what you're trying to say and I completely disagree. I think my clients, many of which are startups who happily hire freelancers, would too. I really dislike this condescending attitude some startup founders and investors have. If you're a freelancer, run a "lifestyle business", or bootstrap with a real business model and and target long term growth you're looked down upon. It's bullshit.