Can anyone comment on the dating scene for heterosexual males in SF vs London? I've been considering moving to SF, but the male-female ratio makes me think dating will be hard and I do want to find someone to settle down with at some point...
London vs San Francisco – back and forth
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Re: London vs San Francisco – back and forth
#52A tech job in Europe does not mean Berlin or London. Zurich has the ETH university and the biggest Google office outside the US. It is a great place to live and is the only place where net-salaries are on par with the Bay Area.
Salaries are in the range of 7000 - 10.000 CHF / month after taxes and apartments can be way cheaper than in San Francisco.
Zurich is expensive but als tiny. Almost everyone lives "in the suburbs" where the rents are half as much and which only means a 10-15 min commute[1] to town (using the superb public transport).
I am a technical recruiter with a software engineering background and I live in Zurich. You find my email address in my HN-handle.
Re: London vs San Francisco – back and forth
#53I've only been briefly in San Fransisco. As a non American I think there is a certain exhilaration with these American cities. All sorts of people talk to you, while at the same time American cities to me often seem quite scary and dangerous, but often in a kind of exciting way.
I remember my first day in San Fransisco in the tenderloin district. It felt like I was walking in a real world grand theft auto with dangerous gang bangers, people yelling and each other across the streets and gangs of though guys on the corners. It was both exciting and scary.
But I also met very open minded and exciting people and went to some really nice restaurants.
But as this Londoner describes it. All sorts of transport and infrastructure seemed absolutely terrible in SF. I was surprised that this sort of tech capital of the world was so run down in many ways. The airport was an awful mess, and subway getting there was really filthy.
I've been to London a number of times. Kind of hard to compare. Despite being much bigger I actually felt safer in London, and it has great public transport. What the tech scene is like I have no idea. But I come from small town Norway so London is way too big for me. My favorite city is Amsterdam in the Netherlands.
Re: London vs San Francisco – back and forth
#54Earlier quoted context omitted.
2hrs to skiing where?
Glencoe 15cm of snow on the ground today according to Google. I live in Edinburgh and have always been able to live less than a 15 minute walk from work, often in my own flat, for very reasonable sums. Everyone I know in tech has been able to afford their own property within 6 years of starting work. I'd choose here over London any day of the week. You sort of get used to the weather eventually...
One of my colleagues, who is from Spain, was struck by the speed of the clouds when he moved here.... :-)
Re: London vs San Francisco – back and forth
#55I moved here with my wife from the UK on a H1-B a few years ago now. Three weeks ago we drove (less than 1hr) to Stinson Beach, spent all day hiking the hills, spectacular views of the Bay, the City and the Farallon Islands in the distance. Two weeks ago we drove to Monterey, took a Whale Watching boat ride for a few quid. We spent an hour watching a group of Orca hunt Sea Lion a couple hundred feet away. Last weeken…
I have to complete agree with this. I was lucky enough to live in the Bay until September last year and the variety is just unparalleled. There's something about having the moderate whether where you live and then being able to travel in at most 5 hours between a desert or a ski resort that is unrivaled.
Re: London vs San Francisco – back and forth
#56Earlier quoted context omitted.
I live in London, three weeks ago I drove (more than 1hr) 4 miles into the town centre.
Thank you for this well-placed gem of British humour. Although it begets the question - with the excellent bus and tube system, why drive?
"with the excellent bus and tube system"
Let's just say "reasonably good"
Re: London vs San Francisco – back and forth
#57This is like Stalin vs. Hitler London: gloomy, tremendously overcrowded, stressed people everywhere, binge drinking until 11pm and then you're out of luck, spineless european investors, and a cost of doing business so high due to high rents and expenses, that the Startup scene is really a non-starter. SF: The frat boys have won, the nerds are a long-gone memory, the city is eating itself with brogrammers while americ…
> Live somewhere else.
There is a catch though - for programmers, London is by far the best paying city in Europe (except maybe Swiss cities).
Re: London vs San Francisco – back and forth
#58This is like Stalin vs. Hitler London: gloomy, tremendously overcrowded, stressed people everywhere, binge drinking until 11pm and then you're out of luck, spineless european investors, and a cost of doing business so high due to high rents and expenses, that the Startup scene is really a non-starter. SF: The frat boys have won, the nerds are a long-gone memory, the city is eating itself with brogrammers while americ…
I think one of the biggest issues with, say Prague as you suggested, is the language barrier. Sure 50+% of people speak English, but that's still a huge transition for someone who has only ever lived in an English speaking country.
Re: London vs San Francisco – back and forth
#59Can anyone comment on the dating scene for heterosexual males in SF vs London? I've been considering moving to SF, but the male-female ratio makes me think dating will be hard and I do want to find someone to settle down with at some point...
I did the whole PUA thing for a while in SF. If you want to, going on 3 to 4 dates per week is doable, 2 per week is easy. Everyone is also very sex positive so getting laid regularly isn't hard either.
After a few months of that I wound up liking a girl enough for more than a first date. We were sort of living together within 3 months of meeting.
That last part happens fast in SF because rent is high and sharing rent helps.
Re: London vs San Francisco – back and forth
#60I moved here with my wife from the UK on a H1-B a few years ago now. Three weeks ago we drove (less than 1hr) to Stinson Beach, spent all day hiking the hills, spectacular views of the Bay, the City and the Farallon Islands in the distance. Two weeks ago we drove to Monterey, took a Whale Watching boat ride for a few quid. We spent an hour watching a group of Orca hunt Sea Lion a couple hundred feet away. Last weeken…
Edinburgh here - we've got the hiking, spectacular views (and then some), islands, aquatic beasties, skiing 2 hours away. Even some nice big bridges. You may have a point about the weather though! ;-) [NB Obviously I forgot to mention the history, culture, the festivals, an ancient castle on the plug of an extinct volcano, glorious architecture....] Weather can be a bit grim though.... (and has been particularly mise…
Edinburgh is one of the Great Cities of the world.
I apologise for the BuzzFeed, but the pictures are worth it: http://www.buzzfeed.com/hilarywardle/edinburgh-is-the-best