The social scene in Downtown Berkeley is strong for nerds. I was a big fan of the twice-a-week board game meets, where I met some brilliant people. The science

The social scene in Downtown Berkeley is strong for nerds. I was a big fan of the twice-a-week board game meets, where I met some brilliant people. The science fiction writing circle was also a favorite. Point being, there are a lot of surprising opportunities to spread out and network in Berkeley. (I'm sure the same is true in SF, of course.)