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Old 01-11-2013, 01:06 AM
 
Location: Go West young man...
409 posts, read 953,284 times
Reputation: 325

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Lived years in SF and have visited Manhattan several times. You are correct about the stereotypes of NYC as my family and I have had an absolutely wonderful time...every time. I think you would find SF somewhat provincial in terms of things to do culturally (but there is a well supported symphony, opera company and theatres and a host of museums). However, SF is a beautiful city and not to take away anything from NYC but the vistas just do not compare. Breathtaking views from many vantage points (Pacific Heights, top of Twin Peaks, across the street from the UCSF Med Center along the clinic buildings and library, on and on). The City is compact and walkable with neighborhood grocers, bakeries, cafes and distinct neighborhoods (so like NYC) and hands down has the most European feel of any American City. Dining options abound and the sheer collection of lovely Victorian homes is a treat.

Downside is the homeless that call SF home...some parts smell of urine but hey that's city life.

Some people complain about the cold weather which is true (but Californians particularly along the coast are spoiled when it comes to weather...no snow or frost for that matter and no sweltering summers). Surprisingly the bay side of the city enjoys some sunshine during the summer and September and October are the best times to experience sunny warmer weather.

Best thing is just to come out and spend a few days.
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Old 01-11-2013, 12:27 PM
 
Location: SW MO
23,593 posts, read 37,328,288 times
Reputation: 29336
Quote:
Originally Posted by Entangled View Post
Always hated that toll/bridge trap. We have Ezpass now (too bad it's not universal) so no need for cash, one problem solved.

Bulingame seems like it would be very close to what we're looking for. 20-30 minutes is perfect. We're so used to traveling for 1, 1.5 hours everywhere that this would be a breeze. What are rents like there?
Never did trust anyplace you had to pay to get into and/or out of. Love New York to visit (my family's post-European home) but wouldn't want to live there.

Burlingame is lovely and very close to "The Cty" and the amenities you seek. From there it's an easy North to the redwoods, South to the Monterey Bay area and Big Sur, East to Sacramento, the Sierra, Lake Tahoe, et al, and just a skip away from the Pacific Ocean to the West.

Don't let my current location fool you. Born and bred (mostly-military family) in SoCal, lived in the Central Valley for a time (hated it), finished up with close to 20 years in Sacramento/NorCal.
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Old 01-11-2013, 02:11 PM
 
Location: Under the Redwoods
3,751 posts, read 7,636,649 times
Reputation: 6115
Quote:
Originally Posted by u225615 View Post
Some people complain about the cold weather which is true (but Californians particularly along the coast are spoiled when it comes to weather...no snow or frost for that matter and no sweltering summers).
There is snow and frost on the coast in Northern California. More frost than snow, but it does happen on occasion.
Summers on the coast down south can get pretty hot, ocean breeze keeps things tolerable.
I lived in Long Beach and it would get very hot.
The thing to remember about California is there are many, many microclimates.
Eureka is always foggy or overcast and average temp year round is 64 degrees. Drive 10 minutes East and the sun is shining and it's 80 degrees.
Just about any location you pick in California, if you are not liking the weather, it's not far to go to take a break from it.
I think pretty much anywhere south of SF in the peninsula has 'even tempered' weather. If any part of the weather is considered extreme, it would be the rain. Lots and lots of rain.
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Old 01-17-2013, 06:46 PM
 
20 posts, read 87,860 times
Reputation: 46
Quote:
Originally Posted by .highnlite View Post
San Francisco, and the better parts of the Peninsula and of course Marin County are Knightsbridge, and Chelsea. Los Angeles is Tottenham.
WOW. I can't tell if this is a poorly developed fictional character or some kind of satirical commentary on superficiality.

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Old 01-17-2013, 07:13 PM
 
20 posts, read 87,860 times
Reputation: 46
Quote:
Originally Posted by Entangled View Post
We are more laid back, and really love the aesthetics and the social culture of Paris. The main obstacle in our desire to move is that we still really enjoy the cultural side of New York, the theatre, museums, live music and good food. I've only traveled to San Diego and spent only one day in LA. I loved the nature, the landscape, the laid back lifestyle and the weather of SD, but the city was a bit of snoozefest in terms of culture, great for people who love outdoors though. Is there a city on the West Coast that would fit our lifestyle and criteria? I've never been to SF, but have this strange feeling that it would come close to what we are looking for in a city, not sure about LA, the common stereotypes about superficiality, glitz and materialism have influenced me, not going to lie. We're planning to travel to CA in the spring of this year and I would really appreciate some suggestions of some cities we can visit in addition to SF. Thanks!
I think you should take a second look at LA. Traffic is an issue, but that's what its like when you're in an area that has "lots of culture" like you're looking for. If you try to find less traffic, there will be less "culture". LA has tons of museums, theatre, live music and great food. There are many, many suburbs around LA that will fit what you're looking for in terms of a neighborhood. Depending what you're looking for, you can find it here. Its expensive to live here and it seems like you have a really nice set up with rent control. I wish that existed here. For $2000 a month you can rent a nice home in a nice area (suburb) "around" LA, which means you might be 30 or 40 miles from downtown LA. You can rent a condo for cheaper than that. If you're looking more for apartment living, ironically the nicer apartments in the nicer areas are going to be expensive and the rent will go up every single year like clockwork. Check online and price it, probably would be around $2500 I'm guessing, possibly up to $3k depending on the hoity-toity-ness of the city, the size of the apartment and the amenities you're looking for. Cost of living is an issue here, depending on what you do for a living, but maybe that won't be an issue for you.

In LA there are endless things to do and places to go that will be much more reminiscent to you of NY. Yes, you have to drive because its spread out, and not cramped and crowded here. Not like NYC at least! You can drive to the beach, to the mountains in an hour or less, or drive down to SD or over to Las Vegas in a couple hours. I'm a SoCal native so admittedly not up on exactly what SF has to offer in terms of culture. Its cold, cramped and crowded there, but its VERY fun to visit. If you live in LA it would be very easy to go spend a few days in SF and drive back. I've done that before.

If you get bored of LA stuff, go check out the OC. When you get bored of the OC, check out SD. If you can afford it, I think you would be really happy here. Good luck!!!
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Old 01-17-2013, 07:37 PM
 
Location: San Luis Obispo and Santa Barbara Counties
6,390 posts, read 9,633,622 times
Reputation: 2622
Quote:
Originally Posted by ChIoe View Post
WOW. I can't tell if this is a poorly developed fictional character or some kind of satirical commentary on superficiality.

I am sure your post had a point, tell us, are you familiar with the characteristics of the communities I mentioned?

Another name for Los Angeles is Mordor. Not really a place for civilized folk, elves or hobbits.
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Old 01-24-2013, 06:12 PM
 
Location: Millbrae
1 posts, read 736 times
Reputation: 10
Hi Entangled,
Just saw this post and wanted to offer you my two cents worth. I'm a Realtor in CA, specializing in the Peninsula and Bay Area. Sounds like you like the sound of San Francisco due to the ease of the arts and theater, restaurants, scenery etc. San Francisco is a great place to live but we also have some fabulous areas in the suburbs only minutes from the train stations and a short 15 mile drive to San Francisco. MOD CUT

Last edited by NewToCA; 01-25-2013 at 09:56 PM.. Reason: don't advertise in your posting, please read the site Terms of Service
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Old 01-25-2013, 03:26 PM
 
Location: SoCal
6,418 posts, read 11,550,110 times
Reputation: 7093
Anyone who tries to describe LA using one or two words is totally making it up. LA is far too large and diverse to be generalized like that.

In particular, Pasadena (just outside the city of LA itself) might suit your desires. And while it, itself, doesn't necessarily have as much culture as New York you'd be close enough to enjoy whatever southern California has to offer, as long as you don't mind the drive.
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Old 01-26-2013, 01:32 AM
 
Location: SoCal & Mid-TN
2,325 posts, read 2,637,793 times
Reputation: 2869
Quote:
Originally Posted by oddstray View Post
Anyone who tries to describe LA using one or two words is totally making it up. LA is far too large and diverse to be generalized like that.

In particular, Pasadena (just outside the city of LA itself) might suit your desires. And while it, itself, doesn't necessarily have as much culture as New York you'd be close enough to enjoy whatever southern California has to offer, as long as you don't mind the drive.
This is true. There are a lot of really nice towns/neighborhoods in LA County (there are quite a few incorporated cities within LA county with their own governments, schools, etc). Pasadena is lovely. I prefer the foothill communities like Pasadena, Sierra Madre, etc. but that's just me. Also some great neighborhoods like Los Feliz. I've lived in LA for almost 20 years and there's a lot of LA County I've never seen because I have no need to go there. Some of the cities in the county I still have to look at a map to find. Just because it's big and spread out doesn't mean you have to drive all of it. People generally go to and from work and do most of their shopping, etc, in their neighborhood just like anywhere else. Yes, you'll probably have to leave your neighborhood to do things like museums, concerts, etc, etc, but that's not an everyday event - and even then it rarely means crossing the entire city (one exception would be living in a foothill community and going to the beach). Still, it's perfectly doable with a car (though if one was a frequent beach goer I wouldn't recommend living in the eastern part of the county).

As for natural beauty - SoCal has it. You can literally go to the beach, the desert, and the mountains in one day (it'd be a busy day but you could do it).
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