8 ms·
Were people really living in the city for the recreation? I always thought most people either lived in the urban core for work, or because they're from the urb
by eli_gottlieb 6y ago
Were people really living in the city for the recreation? I always thought most people either lived in the urban core for work, or because they're from the urban core and used to it.
But then again, I suppose I'm biased by living in Boston, which... kinda hates fun and wants to make sure you go home early.
- worstestes 6y agoDefinitely! I moved to Chicago specifically to work remotely and enjoy the restaurants, art, parks, etc. It may be a generational difference but many of my peers have done the same.
- WrtCdEvrydy 6y agoNYC is open 24 hours a day. Miami closes at around 2AM (generally). It's night and day.
- kradroy 6y agoMiami (FL) doesn't close. When I lived there not long ago, there was a period where I was between jobs where I came home after sunrise every day of the week. If you're trying to stay out past 2am in Miami and not able to, you're not trying... at all. Bars/clubs usually close at 5am, but I believe are only required to close for 1 hour a day, so there are afterhours spots. Source: Native Miamian.
- driverdan 6y ago> NYC is open 24 hours a day. The Vegas strip is open 24h. NYC isn't.
- ckdarby 6y agoVegas is a con. Went there and probably will never return. Smoking, gambling and open liquor is about the extent of Vegas. It gets boring after a weekend there. Obviously if someone is dependent on any of the three it is the best place ever. If you're like me who doesn't smoke, hate the smell, gambling is just $100 for entertainment value and drink beer while eating dinner it isn't the place to be at. This is generally what I hear fellow millennials once they visit.
- driverdan 6y agoI don't disagree but that isn't what was being discussed.
- bcassedy 6y agoI've spent a lot of time in Vegas and while it does get old it takes a lot longer than a weekend. There's clubbing, lots of high end dining, shows galore, Red Rocks for hiking and climbing, each casino on the strip is a spectacle, old Vegas, shooting ranges, etc. Most of those things costs a fair bit of money but are well worth doing.
- eli_gottlieb 6y agoYeah, Boston wants you to be going home at 12AM, when the last trains are leaving their stations, and they force bars/clubs/restaurants/etc to be closed by 2AM, period. It makes me miss the random industrial city in another country I lived in for my MSc. Admittedly, that's one of my favorite cities period, but it had night-owl bus lines, including BRT. You could go out at 20:30, stay out until 04:30, and get home at 5:45.
- fnord123 6y ago> It makes me miss the random industrial city in another country I lived in for my MSc. Why not just say Haifa?
- eli_gottlieb 6y agoBecause most people don't know where that is, and aren't stalking my LinkedIn to see where I got the MSc.
- flyinglizard 6y agoHard to call that "stalking" when you made it so blatantly out there for people to visit.
- eli_gottlieb 6y agoThis is a tech-industry news site. Half of the people here are on real names and/or provide links for networking. Yeah, I make my professional self "out there" for people to get in touch with on here.
- flyinglizard 6y agoIt is the use of the derogatory term “stalking” towards a person who’ve visited the links you put there yourself that I find peculiar, rather than the links.
- rayiner 6y agoDC used to close at 6 pm. It was amazing.
- csomar 6y agoNYC is open 24/7 on paper. In reality, I was surprised to find the nightlife at night very poor. Except few bars/restaurants and McDonald's, there are few people. But maybe I was spoiled from Bangkok, Tokyo and the other Asian cities who are hardcore at staying late.
- harpratap 6y agoTokyo stays up late because of their train schedule. The last trains are mostly around 1AM which is too early for a night out, so most people just end up extending their night outs to 5AM first train back home. Taxis are too expensive.
- mlex 6y agoSan Francisco has great restaurants and food, and I'd argue that "from the urban core and used to it" basically just means "I enjoy having these amenities like nice restaurants to go to".
- eli_gottlieb 6y agoYes, we had such nice restaurants in Brooklyn when I was a kid. They served syringes and cheap pizza. I still love living in the city. Wouldn't move to the burbs if you paid me.
- sbierwagen 6y agoSyringes?
- eli_gottlieb 6y agoYes, needles. There were needles in the parks and on the sidewalks in Brooklyn back in the early '90s when I was a little child. The remark was ironical.
- mensetmanusman 6y agoLots of reports on the food getting much worse over the last decade. Turns out cooks cant afford to live there, so you have to start scraping the bottom or hiring people with no training to just make salads.
- ra7 6y agoLot of young people like to live in cities like SF and NYC especially for a vibrant social/recreational life. SF also attracts outdoorsy people because of its access to nature like beaches, hiking spots and so on.
- ghaff 6y agoIf you really care about the outdoorsy stuff you're better off in Marin or the south end of the bay.
- ra7 6y agoSure, but none of them give you the best of both worlds which is SF's selling point. Personally, I'm not the city type which is why I don't live in SF. But I know quite a few who like the social + outdoors life the city offers.
- jedberg 6y agoAll my evidence is anecdotal of course, but in 20+ years of working in the Bay Area, I've asked maybe 30-40 people who live in SF and commute, why the do so. Most of them were young single people (or young couples) and enjoyed the cultural aspects. They were happy to endure long commutes (often on company shuttles) just so they could enjoy those things on nights and weekends. When I worked in SF, one left the city when they had kids, and one bought a house, but they just enjoyed urban living, being able to walk places, have lots of services nearby, etc. A few were part of a family where their kids were born there and were in school there, or the grandparents were nearby.
- zaroth 6y agoSan Francisco has the lowest percentage of kids of any major U.S. city. 13% under 18 vs 21% in NY and 23% in Chicago. This was particularly eye opening: “For every 100 apartments in the city sold at market rates, the San Francisco school district expects to enroll only one additional student, the report said.” https://www.nytimes.com/2017/01/21/us/san-francisco-children.html https://www.nytimes.com/2017/01/21/us/san-francisco-children...
- DidISayTooMuch 6y agoI have lived here for 10+ years, rarely see kids play out. Every other city I have lived, it's common to see a bunch a kids and teenagers.
- mensetmanusman 6y agoAll of these trends are temporary. Once the current residents die, either new singles move in, or maybe families if the city makes policy choices that are friendly.
- redis_mlc 6y agoThe most important reason that I've heard of is that SF won't let you choose a school close to your neighborhood, so you can end up with kids in multiple schools across town, or in schools you don't like.
- 6y ago
- peterwoerner 6y agoYes, work, network, recreation and to get laid. Then you move to the burbs so your kids can have a yard.
- proverbialbunny 6y agoYou move to the burbs because it's cheaper and kids are expensive.
- twblalock 6y agoA lot of tech workers endure long commutes to other parts of the Bay Area from SF because they wanted to live in SF so badly. I'm sure it's a lot less attractive now because everything is locked down.
- deleted 6y ago[deleted]
- jeffbee 6y agoIt has been said that San Francisco is a retirement community for twenty-somethings. Without Zeitgeist and Boogaloos, what's the point really?
- eldavido 6y ago"College for adults" captures the feel a bit better imo. (Wife's phrase.)
- deleted 6y ago[deleted]
- OminousWeapons 6y agoAll of my young, single, and educated friends who previously lived in low cost of living areas (eg more rural areas or smaller cities) have moved to major cities within the last few years. All of them cited lack of things to do, highly suboptimal dating environments, and / or lack of pre-existing friends nearby as prime motivations for their moves.
- iamstupidsimple 6y agoThey cited suboptimal dating environments so moved to The Valley. What?
- ryanwaggoner 6y agoAre you assuming they’re all heterosexual men?
- OminousWeapons 6y agomajor cities, not California
- dorchadas 6y agoYep. I moved from my rural hometown to a small city after college (still work in my hometown, which is nice as I've got friends there and can stay at my parents any time I need to), but I'm already wanting to move again to somewhere bigger where there's just more to do.
- r0m4n0 6y agoAs a 100% remote employee living in the NYC FiDi (and now not planning on renewing my lease), I'm there most definitely for the recreation
- sjm 6y agoWhy live in FiDi if you're here for recreation though? It seems like a pretty dead area outside of office hours? Thought I admit I haven't spent much time there.
- r0m4n0 6y agoNew building with a view, pool, rooftop, gym etc. Only comparable buildings are on 42nd st (which is another distinct area that I’m not a fan of). Personally I like the energy, lots of good restaurants, close to trains. You can get to Brooklyn in 15 minutes!
- clairegraham 6y agoI moved to a medium-sized city primarily because I prefer being in a medium/large city. I've always worked remotely, so I could have stayed in my small town with a very cheap cost-of-living. Reasons I moved: - restaurants - bars - concerts - larger dating pool - greater LGBTQ acceptance - close proximity to international airport - can walk almost everywhere - I find most american suburbs to be depressing So, the virus has wiped most of those amenities out. Living in the city is a lot less fun now.
- eli_gottlieb 6y agoOk, so what I'm getting from the extended responses to this thread is that I need to get the hell out of Boston, because I've just been doing it wrong for all of my late 20s and into my 30s.
- clairegraham 6y agoIf you don't feel you're getting those things in Boston, I would consider it. I'm in Denver, which is somewhat similar to Boston in size, and Denver definitely is not a 24/7 city like NYC. But I'm OK with that. I grew up on the east coast and I do prefer the culture of the western states more. I am in my mid 30's and moved here about five years ago and I wish I had done it in my 20s. I hope you find a place you can enjoy!
- mynegation 6y agoThere are also people who lived in suburbs or small towns and hated every minute of it. I personally know quite a few like that.
- cletus 6y agoOf course they do. I once met someone who was a lawyer who lived in Manhattan and worked in Princeton, NJ so his daily commute was Subway to Grand Central, Train out to NJ, bus to his work. And look at all the people who live in SF and commute out to the South Bay for work. Personally I'd never suffer that kind of commute and I live in Manhattan precisely to get my commute to walking distance but to each their own.