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My solution to absurd parking and towing laws in cities like SF and NYC: Leave. Now happily living in a mid-size beach town in Florida, with a reasonable cost o

My solution to absurd parking and towing laws in cities like SF and NYC: Leave. Now happily living in a mid-size beach town in Florida, with a reasonable cost of living, and zero worries my car will be broken into or SOLD BY THE GOVERNMENT, no matter where I park.

ginkgotree 3y ago
I don't own property here and don't plan to. Just an EV. I'm on the "Space Coast," surrounded by SpaceX, Blue Origin, Northrop, et al., engineers and exciting conversations every time I go out. Elon frequents a local dive bar downtown. Lex fridman was here a few weeks back. We have several startup hubs, and there is an enormous population of deep hardware and material science expertise not as prevalent in the SF Bay area. For an aerospace nerd like me (where I transitioned my career to 4 years ago), I'm living the dream and have lunch on the beach, and lease a 2,200 square foot industrial lab where I can do every wild experiment I every dreamed of for less than the cost of a studio apt in Tenderloin. I have my own mill, lathe, industrial 3d printer, etc etc. Back in SF, I had a motorcycle and a soldering iron under my bed. Look, there are pros and cons to SF/NYC/etc and places like Florida. This life here fits me well. If city life is for you, so be it! We're all unique in our life experiences, interests, etc. I just _personally_ don't want another F*&^ing $500 parking ticket because I was changing my motorcycle oil for 20 mins with one tire a hair over into the sidewalk.
fred_is_fred 3y ago
How much is your insurance? Will you be asking for a bailout from all of us during the next hurricane?
- tanseydavid 3y ago
  >> Will you be asking for a bailout from all of us during the next hurricane? The smarmy-ness is just stifling. Do you live in a place that is free from natural disasters?
- ginkgotree 3y ago
  Less than it was in SF.
  - r00fus 3y ago
    I have heard of insurance providers that simply don't pay out in the event of a loss. https://www.wfla.com/8-on-your-side/florida-insurers-close-nearly-200k-ian-claims-without-payment/ https://www.wfla.com/8-on-your-side/florida-insurers-close-n... I hope your insurance is one of the ones that actually insures you.
    - ginkgotree 3y ago
      Don't own land. Don't plan to here.
Apreche 3y ago
My solution. Don't own a car.
- ginkgotree 3y ago
  Nice.
bryanlarsen 3y ago
The biggest difference between SF/NYC and your mid-size town is that SF/NYC has lots of reporting done about it and yours doesn't. You don't know what stupid BS your town does because nobody reports about it. OTOH for SF/NYC they write so many stories that they have to make stuff up to fuel the outrage crowd, like this article did.
- tanseydavid 3y ago
  I lived in SF proper for about 5 years, in the Sunset district, from '92 to '96. My car was broken into 9 times during that period. It was also stolen once. I have also lived in other cities and towns in the Bay Area totaling about 35 years. I have never once had my car broken into in any of the other Bay Area cities. I am not claiming that these things happen only in SF but rather that your risk profile goes up significantly when in San Francisco. Nobody needs to make up stories, there are too many real stories to remember them all.
sonicanatidae 3y ago
The amount of trust you place in the FL. government is astounding to me. I'm not faulting you, I'm just perplexed, but it's your life and I hope you enjoy it. Good luck!
- ginkgotree 3y ago
  Oh, I sure don't trust the government here, nor do I trust the government back in SF, or any place for that matter. It's simply a free market, and the cost / value function of my life at this point strongly favors this environment
  - sonicanatidae 3y ago
    The outright, blatant bigotry turns me off, but at the same time, it's not my life. Kudos on a good move. They are always a bit of a mystery until you're settled. At least mine were.. lol
yowzadave 3y ago
As a New Yorker, I endorse this statement! If you’re the kind of person who is devoted to a car-based lifestyle, there are other cities that will suit you better, and it will make it easier for those of us still in the city to bend it toward a more pedestrian- and cyclist-friendly culture. Let New York be good at what it’s good at. God knows there are plenty of other cities in the US that are more car-centric.
- ginkgotree 3y ago
  here here

ginkgotree 3y ago

I don't own property here and don't plan to. Just an EV. I'm on the "Space Coast," surrounded by SpaceX, Blue Origin, Northrop, et al., engineers and exciting conversations every time I go out. Elon frequents a local dive bar downtown. Lex fridman was here a few weeks back. We have several startup hubs, and there is an enormous population of deep hardware and material science expertise not as prevalent in the SF Bay area. For an aerospace nerd like me (where I transitioned my career to 4 years ago), I'm living the dream and have lunch on the beach, and lease a 2,200 square foot industrial lab where I can do every wild experiment I every dreamed of for less than the cost of a studio apt in Tenderloin. I have my own mill, lathe, industrial 3d printer, etc etc. Back in SF, I had a motorcycle and a soldering iron under my bed. Look, there are pros and cons to SF/NYC/etc and places like Florida. This life here fits me well. If city life is for you, so be it! We're all unique in our life experiences, interests, etc. I just _personally_ don't want another F*&^ing $500 parking ticket because I was changing my motorcycle oil for 20 mins with one tire a hair over into the sidewalk.

fred_is_fred 3y ago

How much is your insurance? Will you be asking for a bailout from all of us during the next hurricane?

tanseydavid 3y ago
>> Will you be asking for a bailout from all of us during the next hurricane? The smarmy-ness is just stifling. Do you live in a place that is free from natural disasters?
ginkgotree 3y ago
Less than it was in SF.
- r00fus 3y ago
  I have heard of insurance providers that simply don't pay out in the event of a loss. https://www.wfla.com/8-on-your-side/florida-insurers-close-nearly-200k-ian-claims-without-payment/ https://www.wfla.com/8-on-your-side/florida-insurers-close-n... I hope your insurance is one of the ones that actually insures you.
  - ginkgotree 3y ago
    Don't own land. Don't plan to here.

Apreche 3y ago

My solution. Don't own a car.

ginkgotree 3y ago
Nice.

bryanlarsen 3y ago

The biggest difference between SF/NYC and your mid-size town is that SF/NYC has lots of reporting done about it and yours doesn't. You don't know what stupid BS your town does because nobody reports about it. OTOH for SF/NYC they write so many stories that they have to make stuff up to fuel the outrage crowd, like this article did.

tanseydavid 3y ago
I lived in SF proper for about 5 years, in the Sunset district, from '92 to '96. My car was broken into 9 times during that period. It was also stolen once. I have also lived in other cities and towns in the Bay Area totaling about 35 years. I have never once had my car broken into in any of the other Bay Area cities. I am not claiming that these things happen only in SF but rather that your risk profile goes up significantly when in San Francisco. Nobody needs to make up stories, there are too many real stories to remember them all.

sonicanatidae 3y ago

The amount of trust you place in the FL. government is astounding to me. I'm not faulting you, I'm just perplexed, but it's your life and I hope you enjoy it. Good luck!

ginkgotree 3y ago
Oh, I sure don't trust the government here, nor do I trust the government back in SF, or any place for that matter. It's simply a free market, and the cost / value function of my life at this point strongly favors this environment
- sonicanatidae 3y ago
  The outright, blatant bigotry turns me off, but at the same time, it's not my life. Kudos on a good move. They are always a bit of a mystery until you're settled. At least mine were.. lol

yowzadave 3y ago

As a New Yorker, I endorse this statement! If you’re the kind of person who is devoted to a car-based lifestyle, there are other cities that will suit you better, and it will make it easier for those of us still in the city to bend it toward a more pedestrian- and cyclist-friendly culture. Let New York be good at what it’s good at. God knows there are plenty of other cities in the US that are more car-centric.

ginkgotree 3y ago
here here