5 ms·

I've lived here for over 30 years. The city is getting silly. I remember when 280 would never get traffic, now it's clogged up more often than not. And 85, don

I've lived here for over 30 years. The city is getting silly. I remember when 280 would never get traffic, now it's clogged up more often than not. And 85, don't even mention it. I don't see what San Francisco's appeal is, except for the food. In almost every other respect, it's worse than any other major city in the United States, all things considered.

g_delgado14 10y ago
I just got back from the Valley last night. I would move here in and instant if I could afford it. Coming from Canada (Waterloo region), where the winter is unbearably cold and the summers unbearably hot, I could get used to the cool and consistent climate. As and outdoorsy person, I can't think of a better place than the valley area to live in and have such an abundance of things to do in nature. You're also pretty close to nevada and colorado, both of which are also beautiful. As a technologist and entrepreneur, it's pretty obvious that the valley is the place to be, what with the greatest density of talent and tech/high-risk financing in the world.
- RodericDay 10y ago
  I think Vancouver matches San Francisco in terms of "abundance of things to do in nature".
  - superuser2 10y ago
    It also matches San Francisco in terms of "insane housing prices." You can't win.
- acedinlowball 10y ago
  You describe yourself as a "technologist and entrepreneur"? Yeah, you definitely belong here....
pmoriarty 10y ago
I've found food in SF to be pretty mediocre. I would not list food as an attraction for SF at all. For me, the only reasons to live in SF vs many other cities in the US are tech jobs and reasonable weather.
- Impossible 10y ago
  Curious why you'd consider SF food to be mediocre and what US cities you'd consider as good food cities. I can think of quite a few that beat SF but there are so many good options that it's not mediocre simply due to amount of choice.
- jimmywanger 10y ago
  > I've found food in SF to be pretty mediocre. Yes, I agree, if you stay on the beaten path. Reason is, as I alluded to earlier, is that rents are so high that restauranteurs have to hedge their bets and do whatever is more likely to be successful. If you open a restaurant in the Fidi or Soma, it'll probably be a trendy fusion place with an Asian twist (southeast asian, lemongrass, et al. seems to be a trend these days) that charges 12 bucks for appetizers. Venturing out to the Richmond or Sunset, you get great Chinese food, but you have to know where to go. Going to Hunter's Point, you get a couple good soul food restaurants. Go to the Tenderloin, and you get good Vietnamese food. Where did you go eat in the city, and who took you around?
Xcelerate 10y ago
As someone who has lived in the southern U.S. all of my life (except three years in Paris when I was younger), San Francisco has a lot going for it that makes it well worth the price: - Like-minded people. Living in a region where people are genuinely interested in and passionate about the same things that you are is invaluable. There are a few people who live near me that are just as interested in science and technology as I am, but they are vastly outweighed by the people who aren't interested in it. Some of my friends in tech say they eventually get tired of hearing about tech all the time in SF, but as a twenty-something who just finished grad school, it will be a very long time before I get "sick of tech". Plus all of the VCs are in San Francisco, and failure (at starting your own company) doesn't have the same stigma there that it does in the rest of the world. SF always seems to be on the cutting edge. - Beautiful environment. This is subjective, but I love the rolling hills, the bay, and the weather. I love how there are bike lanes all over the place, and how nature is just a couple hours drive away. - The food. No city in the South can compete with the diversity of food in SF other than a few rare restaurants. (One could argue that I should just learn to cook better... which is a valid point.) - The diversity. I like the mix of cultures and the exposure to things that are new. I'm one of those people who constantly craves novelty, and there's not many cities that can provide that.
- santaclaus 10y ago
  > No city in the South can compete with the diversity of food in SF other than a few rare restaurants New Orleans has an amazing food culture! You can walk into dive bars and have some amazing meals in that town, for like 5 bucks...
  - Xcelerate 10y ago
    That's true... I forgot about New Orleans. There are also some other southern cities known for food (Asheville), but they're so small, so once you've hit all the major restaurants, there's nothing else out there.
- deleted 10y ago
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- 10y ago
superuser2 10y ago
>I don't see what San Francisco's appeal is People in tech want to be in the Bay Area because the most intellectually, emotionally, and financially rewarding tech jobs are concentrated here. Although some are also scattered around the country and the world, the job-hopping nature of our industry makes it a really bad idea to put down roots in a one-company town. Places (Seattle, Portland, Denver, etc) which begin to mirror the Bay Area in terms of tech employment opportunities start to look like it in terms of housing and traffic, too. I'd wager that almost no SF tech worker choose it for the city first and job market second. Personally, I'd love to try being rural and remote, but I've yet to hear of a remote job that I'd be similarly interested in and passionate about, much less one that would pay comparably.
- jimmywanger 10y ago
  > People in tech want to be in the Bay Area People tend to confuse San Francisco with the Bay area. Just remember, SF was not a tech hotspot until about 5-6 years ago, all the technology was concentrated in the south bay. > much less one that would pay comparably. Well, when you start paying 40k a year post-tax for rent, a lot more salaries start looking comparable.
deleted 10y ago
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g_delgado14 10y ago

I just got back from the Valley last night. I would move here in and instant if I could afford it. Coming from Canada (Waterloo region), where the winter is unbearably cold and the summers unbearably hot, I could get used to the cool and consistent climate. As and outdoorsy person, I can't think of a better place than the valley area to live in and have such an abundance of things to do in nature. You're also pretty close to nevada and colorado, both of which are also beautiful. As a technologist and entrepreneur, it's pretty obvious that the valley is the place to be, what with the greatest density of talent and tech/high-risk financing in the world.

RodericDay 10y ago
I think Vancouver matches San Francisco in terms of "abundance of things to do in nature".
- superuser2 10y ago
  It also matches San Francisco in terms of "insane housing prices." You can't win.
acedinlowball 10y ago
You describe yourself as a "technologist and entrepreneur"? Yeah, you definitely belong here....

pmoriarty 10y ago

I've found food in SF to be pretty mediocre. I would not list food as an attraction for SF at all. For me, the only reasons to live in SF vs many other cities in the US are tech jobs and reasonable weather.

Impossible 10y ago
Curious why you'd consider SF food to be mediocre and what US cities you'd consider as good food cities. I can think of quite a few that beat SF but there are so many good options that it's not mediocre simply due to amount of choice.
jimmywanger 10y ago
> I've found food in SF to be pretty mediocre. Yes, I agree, if you stay on the beaten path. Reason is, as I alluded to earlier, is that rents are so high that restauranteurs have to hedge their bets and do whatever is more likely to be successful. If you open a restaurant in the Fidi or Soma, it'll probably be a trendy fusion place with an Asian twist (southeast asian, lemongrass, et al. seems to be a trend these days) that charges 12 bucks for appetizers. Venturing out to the Richmond or Sunset, you get great Chinese food, but you have to know where to go. Going to Hunter's Point, you get a couple good soul food restaurants. Go to the Tenderloin, and you get good Vietnamese food. Where did you go eat in the city, and who took you around?

Xcelerate 10y ago

As someone who has lived in the southern U.S. all of my life (except three years in Paris when I was younger), San Francisco has a lot going for it that makes it well worth the price: - Like-minded people. Living in a region where people are genuinely interested in and passionate about the same things that you are is invaluable. There are a few people who live near me that are just as interested in science and technology as I am, but they are vastly outweighed by the people who aren't interested in it. Some of my friends in tech say they eventually get tired of hearing about tech all the time in SF, but as a twenty-something who just finished grad school, it will be a very long time before I get "sick of tech". Plus all of the VCs are in San Francisco, and failure (at starting your own company) doesn't have the same stigma there that it does in the rest of the world. SF always seems to be on the cutting edge. - Beautiful environment. This is subjective, but I love the rolling hills, the bay, and the weather. I love how there are bike lanes all over the place, and how nature is just a couple hours drive away. - The food. No city in the South can compete with the diversity of food in SF other than a few rare restaurants. (One could argue that I should just learn to cook better... which is a valid point.) - The diversity. I like the mix of cultures and the exposure to things that are new. I'm one of those people who constantly craves novelty, and there's not many cities that can provide that.

santaclaus 10y ago
> No city in the South can compete with the diversity of food in SF other than a few rare restaurants New Orleans has an amazing food culture! You can walk into dive bars and have some amazing meals in that town, for like 5 bucks...
- Xcelerate 10y ago
  That's true... I forgot about New Orleans. There are also some other southern cities known for food (Asheville), but they're so small, so once you've hit all the major restaurants, there's nothing else out there.
deleted 10y ago
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10y ago

superuser2 10y ago

>I don't see what San Francisco's appeal is People in tech want to be in the Bay Area because the most intellectually, emotionally, and financially rewarding tech jobs are concentrated here. Although some are also scattered around the country and the world, the job-hopping nature of our industry makes it a really bad idea to put down roots in a one-company town. Places (Seattle, Portland, Denver, etc) which begin to mirror the Bay Area in terms of tech employment opportunities start to look like it in terms of housing and traffic, too. I'd wager that almost no SF tech worker choose it for the city first and job market second. Personally, I'd love to try being rural and remote, but I've yet to hear of a remote job that I'd be similarly interested in and passionate about, much less one that would pay comparably.

jimmywanger 10y ago
> People in tech want to be in the Bay Area People tend to confuse San Francisco with the Bay area. Just remember, SF was not a tech hotspot until about 5-6 years ago, all the technology was concentrated in the south bay. > much less one that would pay comparably. Well, when you start paying 40k a year post-tax for rent, a lot more salaries start looking comparable.

deleted 10y ago

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