5 ms·

The last place for you might be the first place for someone else. DC has humid summers, frigid winters, insane traffic, crime and prostitution, and a host of o

by bmelton 15y ago

The last place for you might be the first place for someone else. DC has humid summers, frigid winters, insane traffic, crime and prostitution, and a host of other things that are wrong with it... but it's still a place that many people want to go. There are national monuments, museums, cultural diversity, great food, great music, and it is the political center of the nation (world?). I can't speak for Detroit, as I haven't been there, but that's also why I'm not discounting it. I've found in my life that discounting things superficially has kept me from enjoying life as much as I could have. When I make it an effort to be more open-minded, I find it usually pays off. All that aside, how in the world is "San Fran" outdated? What are its more modern counterparts?

davidw 15y ago
I'm not being superficial, I'm talking about things that count for me. It sounds like a dreadful place, given what I enjoy in terms of climate/geography. You're correct that I would not enjoy DC's climate much either, but being the capitol gives it certain privileges that Detroit does not enjoy in terms of a destination and place to do certain kinds of business. And I don't think you can dispute the fact that Detroit's "brand" is quite tarnished, no matter how much you click the down arrow. > All that aside, how in the world is "San Fran" outdated? What are its more modern counterparts? It makes you sound like someone from far, far out of town. People there call it "the city", which is sort of egotistical in its own way. I would just say "San Francisco".
- vnchr 15y ago
  You think the rest of the world should call your city, "the city"?? I love the Bay Area, but that's just short-sighted and arrogant.
  - jarek 15y ago
    The rest of the world can call it "San Francisco." If you're looking for a short form, SF ("ess eff") is acceptable.
    - bmelton 15y ago
      I think I'll stick with San Fran. If you guys want to be snobby about it, you're more than welcome to.
      - jarek 15y ago
        Out of curiosity, do you also call California "Cali"?
        bmelton 15y ago
        Personally, no. But I'm also not the hipster sort that turns my nose up at people who use terms generally accepted to be in the common vernacular either, or worrying about how "last week" something is. That's just me though.
        davidw 15y ago
        I think a more apt comparison might be "Californy" or "Californ i a".
  - davidw 15y ago
    It's not my city, I'm just explaining what people call it. Indeed, I think that "the city" is a bit self-centered, as I wrote above.
- bmelton 15y ago
  Firstly, I haven't downvoted any of the comments in this thread, including yours. 2) It would seem odd for me to refer to San Fran as 'the city' from outside of the city, since, for me, 'the city' likely refers to either DC or Baltimore, depending on which I'm nearer to at the time. San Fran might identify the person as being from out of town, but generally, that's exactly the type of person you'd expect to be saying something like that. Doesn't make it outdated in my view. If, perhaps, it is not in trend, that doesn't make it unmodern. As for the brand of Detroit, admittedly, there's a lot of bad press about it from the outside. I'd argue that efforts like GrowDetroit are exactly designed to combat. Lastly, the point I was making about DC is that yeah, it's a crappy place on paper, but it has benefits. Detroit might also seem like a crappy place on paper, but might also have its own set of unique benefits and luxuries even. As you mentioned, the low rent is a great advantage for a startup. As I understand it, there are plenty of areas in Detroit that are safe to be in at night. Again, I can't really speak for it, having not been there, I'm just suggesting that perhaps you shouldn't dismiss it out of hand so quickly. Of course, it's your life, and I'm being pushy by suggesting you do other than your natural intention.
jarek 15y ago
"San Fran" is what people who aren't from San Francisco call San Francisco.

by bmelton 15y ago

davidw 15y ago

I'm not being superficial, I'm talking about things that count for me. It sounds like a dreadful place, given what I enjoy in terms of climate/geography. You're correct that I would not enjoy DC's climate much either, but being the capitol gives it certain privileges that Detroit does not enjoy in terms of a destination and place to do certain kinds of business. And I don't think you can dispute the fact that Detroit's "brand" is quite tarnished, no matter how much you click the down arrow. > All that aside, how in the world is "San Fran" outdated? What are its more modern counterparts? It makes you sound like someone from far, far out of town. People there call it "the city", which is sort of egotistical in its own way. I would just say "San Francisco".

vnchr 15y ago
You think the rest of the world should call your city, "the city"?? I love the Bay Area, but that's just short-sighted and arrogant.
- jarek 15y ago
  The rest of the world can call it "San Francisco." If you're looking for a short form, SF ("ess eff") is acceptable.
  - bmelton 15y ago
    I think I'll stick with San Fran. If you guys want to be snobby about it, you're more than welcome to.
    - jarek 15y ago
      Out of curiosity, do you also call California "Cali"?
      - bmelton 15y ago
        Personally, no. But I'm also not the hipster sort that turns my nose up at people who use terms generally accepted to be in the common vernacular either, or worrying about how "last week" something is. That's just me though.
      - davidw 15y ago
        I think a more apt comparison might be "Californy" or "Californ i a".
- davidw 15y ago
  It's not my city, I'm just explaining what people call it. Indeed, I think that "the city" is a bit self-centered, as I wrote above.
bmelton 15y ago
Firstly, I haven't downvoted any of the comments in this thread, including yours. 2) It would seem odd for me to refer to San Fran as 'the city' from outside of the city, since, for me, 'the city' likely refers to either DC or Baltimore, depending on which I'm nearer to at the time. San Fran might identify the person as being from out of town, but generally, that's exactly the type of person you'd expect to be saying something like that. Doesn't make it outdated in my view. If, perhaps, it is not in trend, that doesn't make it unmodern. As for the brand of Detroit, admittedly, there's a lot of bad press about it from the outside. I'd argue that efforts like GrowDetroit are exactly designed to combat. Lastly, the point I was making about DC is that yeah, it's a crappy place on paper, but it has benefits. Detroit might also seem like a crappy place on paper, but might also have its own set of unique benefits and luxuries even. As you mentioned, the low rent is a great advantage for a startup. As I understand it, there are plenty of areas in Detroit that are safe to be in at night. Again, I can't really speak for it, having not been there, I'm just suggesting that perhaps you shouldn't dismiss it out of hand so quickly. Of course, it's your life, and I'm being pushy by suggesting you do other than your natural intention.

jarek 15y ago

"San Fran" is what people who aren't from San Francisco call San Francisco.