San Francisco versus Los Angeles areas: pros and cons? (San Diego: apartments, to rent)

[ChrisC99]

Originally Posted by sharpmama

If you live in the eastern San Gabriel valley. Both of my sons have done it. Drive 38 miles to Huntington Beach for an AM surf session (with a wetsuit). Go home, have a lunch break, grab your snow gear, and head to Mt High (in Wrightwood), 49 miles, or if there's been a good, recent snowfall, a good base, and you're not a raw beginner, just head up to Mt Baldy, only 18 miles and w/o much freeway traffic if you take local streets. You should enjoy the pines and other trees we have there, too. (Yep, there's also lots of trees, though some areas have been hit hard by bark beetles and wildfires.)

Much as I prefer the Bay Area, neither sport is as accessible There as it is from the LA basin/SG Valley. Yes, we have bigger mountains (the San Gabriel & San Bernardino ranges) than the coast range's gentle contours. The Sierras are wonderful, but not very enjoyable for a one day ski/board trip.

That's actually the main reason I would lean toward SoCal; I'm a huge outdoors nut, and while it IS possible to drive up to the Sierras or even the Mendocino ranges to find some snow to romp in from the Bay Area...it's an all day trip just to get there, whereas from the coast around LA, it's maybe an hour drive at most and you're in the snow! Heck, you can even see snow from the beach there! My only thought was that maybe because it's drier the mountains don't get as much snow there, but it sounds like it stays on the mountaintops for a good bit of the year, so maybe it's similar to the Sierras around Tahoe after all

And if I'm not mistaken, there's really NO place around the Bay Area that makes surfing very pleasant ANY time of year - it's just too darn cold!

You raise a good point, no nice coastal forests like there are around San Francisco...but it's only a short drive to the mountains where you've got pine forests a-plenty!

Originally Posted by sharpmama

Living in the SG valley for 20+ years, I'd say an average summer day would be 85 to 88. On AVERAGE. We have a fair share of 90+ days, maybe 10 triple digit days. But we also have a good amount of 75-85 degree days.

It's usually tolerable, though I miss my 65-75 summers in the Bay Area, where we never had A/C or even a fan, and didn't miss it.

Right - that would be the main thing I'd miss too; I do love the year-round cool weather! But doesn't the coast around Santa Monica, Malibu, and Santa Barbara have a PRETTY similar climate to the Bay Area actually, if a few degrees warmer...and even though it warms up pretty quickly just a few miles inland?

[Ihatespoiledbrattypeople]

SF Pro's: Not one but 2 NFL teams(since Oakland is part of the SF Metropolitan area) while L.A. obviously has zero because people there don't care, because they are comfortable and content with having to settle for USC and UCLA, sorry but USC and UCLA don't count, I don't get why they are viewed as Pro teams there when in reality they are not. SF Con's: No Major theme park such as Disneyland, Knott's, Six-Flags, although there is one Theme Park in the Bay Area but forgot the name of it, but it is probably not big since the media does not talk about it, otherwise I would know the name of it. L.A. Con's: More Crime, More Street Gangs there.

[Gentoo]

Originally Posted by Ihatespoiledbrattypeople

SF Pro's: Not one but 2 NFL teams(since Oakland is part of the SF Metropolitan area) while L.A. obviously has zero because people there don't care, because they are comfortable and content with having to settle for USC and UCLA, sorry but USC and UCLA don't count, I don't get why they are viewed as Pro teams there when in reality they are not. SF Con's: No Major theme park such as Disneyland, Knott's, Six-Flags, although there is one Theme Park in the Bay Area but forgot the name of it, but it is probably not big since the media does not talk about it, otherwise I would know the name of it. L.A. Con's: More Crime, More Street Gangs there.

There are two theme parks in the Bay Area. For starters, Six Flags is a company not a park. They own theme parks one of which happens to be in the Bay Area, Discovery Kingdom. So yes the Bay Area does have a Six Flags park.

The other park is Great America which happens to be owned by the same company that owns Knott's Berry Farm. Incidentally, Great America has almost all the same rides that Magic Mountain (the Six Flags park you were thinking of) has and in most cases, had them first. Free Fall for example is the edge at Great America if they still have it. Great America had it first.

[roadwarrior101]

Originally Posted by Fleet

Los Angeles is San Francisco with weather done right.

San Francisco is Los Angeles with air quality done right

[rah]

Originally Posted by Gentoo

There are two theme parks in the Bay Area. For starters, Six Flags is a company not a park. They own theme parks one of which happens to be in the Bay Area, Discovery Kingdom. So yes the Bay Area does have a Six Flags park.

The other park is Great America which happens to be owned by the same company that owns Knott's Berry Farm. Incidentally, Great America has almost all the same rides that Magic Mountain (the Six Flags park you were thinking of) has and in most cases, had them first. Free Fall for example is the edge at Great America if they still have it. Great America had it first.

There's also the Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk and Gilroy Gardens. Both much smaller than Six Flags or Great America, and on outer fringes of the Bay...but they're there. The Boardwalk is cool of course, though i've never actually been to Gilroy Gardens and can't say if it's that good.

Also LOL at that guy thinking any theme parks here are small just because "the media doesn't talk about them". Since when did the media ever really talk about any theme parks besides local ones in the first place (Disneyland/world excepted)?

[krudmonk]

rep yo parx, foolz

[rah]

Originally Posted by krudmonk

rep yo parx, foolz

Theme Park 4 lyfe! North side rollercoaster mob ain't no punks.

[Fleet]

Originally Posted by roadwarrior101

San Francisco is Los Angeles with air quality done right

I went for a bike ride a few days ago in that "terrible" smog. See photos... oh, wait- what "smog?"

Photos: Aug. 31, 2011

[Fleet]

Originally Posted by ZhugeLiang

No, it's not. I've lived in Northridge. It's just plain miserable down there.

Lol. How so?

[Gentoo]

Originally Posted by rah

There's also the Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk and Gilroy Gardens. Both much smaller than Six Flags or Great America, and on outer fringes of the Bay...but they're there. The Boardwalk is cool of course, though i've never actually been to Gilroy Gardens and can't say if it's that good.

Also LOL at that guy thinking any theme parks here are small just because "the media doesn't talk about them". Since when did the media ever really talk about any theme parks besides local ones in the first place (Disneyland/world excepted)?

Good points rah. There are many smaller places around the Bay Area that just don't seem to exist in SoCal much. Children's Fairyland comes to mind. A very small place but great if you have children and can't get to one of the bigger major parks and you live locally. The Little Farm in Tilden Park is another not to mention the park itself. It's the little local charms like these that make an area special, not so much the big corporate places. But the Bay Area has those too for those who want it. Choices are the key.