San Francisco or L.A.? (Los Angeles, San Jose: transplants, home, college)

[silense99]

I'd like to have a trip two one of these cities over fall break. Which do you think beats the other and why?

I'm also looking into possibly moving to one of these two cities for college.

[Carolina_Belle92]

San Francisco any day.

Los Angeles is much too dirty, spread out, and chaotic for my taste. The people aren't friendly (they're egotistical and quite rude), the drivers remind me of Boston, and it's just not a friendly place.

San Francisco, on the other hand, is compact and easily navigated, the culture is incredible, and it has such a unique flair and character that it makes for a great vacation.

I'm thinking about SF for college myself! I'm looking into the conservatory there. I went to visit the place and also L.A. on the same trip (family) and was astounded by how vibrant and fun SF was.

[krudmonk]

San Francisco is good if you want to be insulted by transplants when you tell people you're from somewhere else. Then you can watch them all miss the irony.

[aguamarina4u]

Just had my 25 yr old niece come up from the beach cities of LA to spend a couple of weeks with me in the South Bay (Nor Cal). She has lived in LA all her life and after spending time in Nor Cal the girl want's to move up here!

The beauty of Nor Cal surpasses So Cal! We went shopping in San Francisco, toured Alcatraz, toured The Winchester House, Roaring Camp Railroads (beach steam train to Santa Cruz through California's gorgeous coastal redwood forest), Monterey Bay Aquarium, Coyote Lake, Anderson Lake and Gilroy outlet shopping. Along with a wide range of diverse restaurants that I have not even mentioned.

Here are a few of her comments:

* Friendlier people
* Less traffic (did not drive during commuting times)
* Air is more fresh and cleaner
* Loved the public transportation (we rode the Bart into the City)
* People are not narcistic as compared to the majority in LA
* Enjoyed the rural tranquility of South Bay
* Seeing many STARS in the sky which is unheard of in LA

[Sassberto]

I LOVE San Francisco but am not as impressed with the bay area in general - it's kind of a typical suburban sprawl with more trees. I am in the Tech biz so SF is the big leagues for my career.

That said I think I would probably choose LA over SF because LA really has it all - mountains, beaches, suburbs, big city. I wouldn't want to live in San Jose for any reason and I don't have a million for a ranch home on the peninsula.

[NewToCA]

If you like a New York or Chicago metro environment I would recommend San Francisco. It is dense, vertical and has a lot of substantial architecture an variety in their areas, with a lot of small local shopping districts and corner markets.

If you like a beach type of atmosphere with the traditional surfing type of environment then I would select Los Angeles. Places like Venice have a strip along the beach with a lot of activities, and the weather is generally 20-15 degrees warmer than San Francisco.

Both are great, but very different from each other

[Desertho]

SF is always a great place to visit. But at the end of the day, what makes it good for visiting, i.e., it's compact size, makes it boring real fast. As people already said, SoCal is just a more energetic frenetic place that offers whatever SF does and then some in a nice sunny package. When it comes to culture, SF does not hold a candle to LA. I'm simply dumbstruck when people say otherwise. SF is a predomninantly homogenuous place that has three kinds of people: tourists, rich white people, and the homeless. Its museums hold no collections of note. L.A.'s the Getty (both museums), the LACMA, Norton Simon, and the Huntington are destinations onto themselves. Trust me, you will have more stories to tell about your visit to L.A.

[moonsavvy]

It really depends on what you're looking for. Both cities are extremely different.

[LancasterNative]

I've been to both places and I'd have to say overall, San Fran definitely wins for style, charm and character.

L.A. is just simply huge!

Of course you'll find plenty to do in either place, and I found the people pretty friendly in both places. (I actually met more locals in SF—including one gal who hailed originally from my own hometown in Ohio!)

In San Fran, alot if the touristy things are closer together and more easily accessible via public transit.

Hope this helps

[VillageLife]

San Francisco more compact,easier to navigate.Los Angeles is too spread out. You need to come a couple of times to L.A. otherwise you will get real stressed out.