Move to SF and hate it? • Hacker News Board

Re: Move to SF and hate it?

#111

Post by tptacek » Mon, Sep 13, 2010, 9:46 PM UTC

dzlobin wrote: post #105

evgen wrote: post #100

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The original question was about the bay area and not necessarily SF itself. You have identified several downsides to living in SF, but few of them apply to the bay area as a whole. In fact, one can walk down the list to see that most of them are very specific to living in SF. * [...] fine dining in San Francisco is, if you properly exclude Yountville from your definition of "San Francisco", simply not as good as NYC…

Seriously, other than Alinea you really don't have fine dining in Chicago Moto, Schwa l20 blackbird publican avec Those are just off the top of my head.

Avenues Topolo Everest Graham Elliot Bonsoiree Trotters Nomades Tru mk Nomi Vie... is this even an argument worth dignifying?

Re: Move to SF and hate it?

#112

Post by dzlobin » Mon, Sep 13, 2010, 9:59 PM UTC

tptacek wrote: post #111

dzlobin wrote: post #105

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Seriously, other than Alinea you really don't have fine dining in Chicago Moto, Schwa l20 blackbird publican avec Those are just off the top of my head.

Avenues Topolo Everest Graham Elliot Bonsoiree Trotters Nomades Tru mk Nomi Vie... is this even an argument worth dignifying?

Agreed.

btw, since I know your tastes lie close to mine, are you coming to Lincoln soon or what?

Re: Move to SF and hate it?

#113

Post by startupcomment » Mon, Sep 13, 2010, 10:03 PM UTC

malyk wrote: post #70

tptacek wrote: post #65

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Has SFMOMA gotten better? The Cal Academy barely qualifies as a wing of the American Museum of Natural History; the Legion barely a wing of (even) the Art Institute. I concede that there are museums. I question whether they're in the same league as their DC equivalents.

Went to the Moma a couple of weeks ago and was disappointed to be honest. I don't think their collection is that great, but I also think I'm just not a fan of most modern art. Oh well. DC's museums are world class. SF can't compare very well in most instances (The asian art museum is really nice...the shanghai exhibit was great...but now gone). Also, DC museums are free which is really nice. In the OP I wasn't really…

There are tons of such activities in the DC area. I have lived in DC for a few years, and I suspect that the OP was not keyed into such activities in the DC area. There is a very large population of highly educated individuals in the DC area across a wide range of professions, industries, etc. There is a thriving private sector in the DC area, and it is not just government-oriented. Hilton and Marriott, for instance, are based in the DC area. The DC area has one of the highest, if not the highest, proportions of knowledge workers in the country, including a very large IT community and a healthy startup community. Also, the OP must have been too far out in the 'burbs. The DC Metro system is one of the best in the country, and it extends out into the suburbs. In many areas of DC and closer-in suburbs, you could easily get by without having a car if you live near a Metro station. Zipcar also has a very large presence in DC. Overall, the DC area offers a very high quality of life professionally, culturally, and educationally and in terms of opportunities for a range of outdoor activities and professional athletics.

Re: Move to SF and hate it?

#114

Post by deathflute » Mon, Sep 13, 2010, 10:05 PM UTC

As someone living in nyc for the last four years, some of the things that I noticed when I spent a few days in SF last month :

1. Cabs advertise could computing instead of strip clubs.

2. It was tough to find cabs in the Mission district.

3. The city never seemed like much of a walking city. The neighborhoods are far apart and everyone has cars.

4. There are lots of cafes and on average they serve better coffee than nyc.

5. The food is a little bit cheaper than nyc.

6. The architecture seems much for uniform and nicer than nyc buildings. Sure nyc has its brownstones, but there are not that many of them.

7. Some of the highest yelp rated bars in the Union Square area were closed on Sunday nights. This would never happen in nyc.

8. I couldn't imagine how people go out to bars if they have to drive.

9. The weather gets a little too cold in the evenings/nights.

10. Restaurants serve more generous portions of wine and the average restaurant has a pretty good wine list.

11. I heard the tenderloin area was sketchy, but at least in the area just around Union Square, I never saw anything like that.

Re: Move to SF and hate it?

#115

Post by lotusleaf1987 » Mon, Sep 13, 2010, 10:09 PM UTC

wtracy wrote: post #64

tptacek wrote: post #31

Earlier quoted context omitted.

There is no worse place for a 20-something tech person to live than in one of those South Bay apartment hives. If you're new to the area, please, for god's sake, cross Sunnyvale, Santa Clara, San Jose, and Cupertino off your list. Read Christopher Alexander; those apartment complexes will make you insane and sad. Live in Oakland, in a shared house in San Mateo, or (if you can) the city.

I've lived in one of those "hives" for a around a year. I've been fighting with clinical depression, but I was already having problems with that before I moved there. I can't tell if it's made things worse, though it certainly hasn't made things any better.

I'm living on the border of Sunnyvale and Mtn. View at 23 years old, and it is depressing as hell. Absolutely nothing within walking distance that's worthwhile, no one remotely my age, nothing going on other than the farmer's market (forgive me for not being excited about it). There are some positives, but I had no clue how BORING this place was before I moved here. I'm moving to San Mateo or farther north ASAP, but then will just have to commute even further...

Re: Move to SF and hate it?

#116

Post by lotusleaf1987 » Mon, Sep 13, 2010, 10:11 PM UTC

rmk wrote: post #88

kbob wrote: post #26

Arrived in 1992. Left in 2001. Lived in a Sunnyvale apartment two years and a San Jose house (NW of Campbell) for seven years. I moved there for my career, which did very well. I largely hated the valley as a place to live, simply because it's too crowded. I have a low tolerance for traffic. I couldn't stand to drive to the supermarket, let alone go to work every day. So I spent all my time either at work or at home,…

I recently visited the college town where I studied with my wife, and I am considering moving there, because the bay area has become practically unaffordable. I know that the weather is really something to die for, but the financial situation of the state is dire -- that makes for a very bad long-term outlook. Portland appears to be a very nice place, strikes the right balance between sprawl and compactness. If only…

I've thought about moving to Portland for similar reasons but I just can't deal with that much rain.

Re: Move to SF and hate it?

#117

Post by akl » Mon, Sep 13, 2010, 10:15 PM UTC

fbnt wrote: post #38

kbob wrote: post #26

Arrived in 1992. Left in 2001. Lived in a Sunnyvale apartment two years and a San Jose house (NW of Campbell) for seven years. I moved there for my career, which did very well. I largely hated the valley as a place to live, simply because it's too crowded. I have a low tolerance for traffic. I couldn't stand to drive to the supermarket, let alone go to work every day. So I spent all my time either at work or at home,…

- It's the only place I've lived where my geekiness wasn't the least bit unusual and where I wasn't usually the smartest person in the room, and that was refreshing. - There's something I don't like in this sentence. This isn't the first time I hear something like this on HN.

It may sound bad, but it's a legitimate feeling to have; there's a horrible feeling of stagnation and boredom when you are the technical escalation point for everyone you know - or at least there was for me.

Re: Move to SF and hate it?

#118

Post by lotusleaf1987 » Mon, Sep 13, 2010, 10:23 PM UTC

siculars wrote: post #76

I am from NYC, born and bred, so I may be a bit biassed. Nevertheless, I have been to SF a number of times over the last few years for various conferences. Each time I go people I meet there ask me why I haven't moved out yet to get into the tech scene in SF. Each time I tell them the same thing. SF is not fun and too involved in your life. Now, coming from NYC, I understand a thing or two about big city living and b…

>>>Yet, I have never felt as disturbed by overbearing government as I have in SF. There are a number of examples that I wont go into but the overall feeling is that of an overbearing, authoritarian state that tries to force you into doing things the SF way. Not only does there seem to be more of this in California in general but in SF in particular. You won't even provide an example... Come on, this is HN back it up with some evidence.

>>>Also NYC women > SF women. Period. That is entirely debatable. The women in NYC are going to be much higher maintenance. I really like the women in SF, they are much more intelligent and down to earth. Not as much as Portland, but better than So Cal and NYC for sure.

Re: Move to SF and hate it?

#119

Post by mey » Mon, Sep 13, 2010, 10:44 PM UTC

Sounds a little similar to why I am a happy transplant from Boston to PDX.

Cost of living, surroundings, easier/cheaper access to delicious foods. (mmmm salmon)

Re: Move to SF and hate it?

#120

Post by venturebros » Mon, Sep 13, 2010, 10:46 PM UTC

I am going to be graduating soon so I know it is best to go where the jobs are. SF probably has the best tech scene in North America. But I know if I move there I will hate it with a passion.

3 hours to Tahoe and no train or any form of public transportation that goes there? That put the nail in the coffin, Vancouver is on the top of my list now sadly tech jobs are harder to come by over there on top of the whole immigrating issue.