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Old 04-21-2010, 11:31 PM
 
Location: Beaverton
639 posts, read 1,599,159 times
Reputation: 402

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And check this out:
What do you like about Eugene?

go to Eugene.
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Old 04-22-2010, 02:29 AM
 
Location: Southwest Washington
2,316 posts, read 7,821,552 times
Reputation: 1747
Quote:
Originally Posted by aroseinrain View Post
I still don't get why you don't want Eugene? It's probably the last Hippie stronghold outside of Berkeley.


YouTube - Hippies dancing in Eugene

YouTube - Oregon Country Fair 2009

YouTube - A bit of the Eugene's celebration parade 2008
Ahhh, that first video brings back memories of Concerts in the Park in Grants Pass when I was growing up. We always had quite a few of those guys/gals dancing around in the front. It was awesome.
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Old 04-23-2010, 01:38 PM
 
Location: Philadelphia, PA (Wanting to move) --Burlington, VT, Asheville, NC, Boulder, CO?
129 posts, read 404,314 times
Reputation: 35
Default Adding San Francisco to the mix!

Help! I need advice fast... I just heard news that I might be offered a full-time position as a live-in youth counselor in San Francisco... Big decisions make me really nervous, and I have never lived in a large city before... I literally just moved to Philadelphia with my partner (we are living with her father and renting out the upstairs of his house), and am overwhelmed here... I have not been sure whether or not I have wanted to stay here, which is why I have been applied to other jobs around the country.

The main thing that is important to me is that I live in a place where I can live out my values and interests. With out providing a huge list of what's important to me, to sum it all up, it's trees and parks... healthy living. I care about quality of life, and I want to live somewhere with intelligent, educated people who are creative and environment-friendly where people recycle, exercise, and create.

I am interested in building a life for myself, and I want to have fun while I'm young... what matters to me is kayaking and camping. I would also love to hike and maybe raft!

I guess it would be worth mentioning that I expect food to be affordable (I enjoy organic food), there to be an abundance of alanon meetings, parks & trees, and reasonably priced opportunities for recreational interests such as the ones stated above, including concerts and other outdoor activities such as flea markets and farmer's markets.

I am frugal... I am also a minimalist. I live a rich inner life, but try to make things as simple as possible on the outside. I have heard SF can be pretty expensive. It would be awesome if someone can give me a breakdown of just general prices of organic staples (ie, milk, eggs, spinach) and average prices for kayaking and public transportation.

It would be worth mentioning that I do have a car, but depending on whether or not I can handle the environment and am absolutely sure I am staying, I will decide whether or not to keep or sell it. As long as a reasonably priced organic grocery store and inexpensive/fee-based gym is nearby, and given that I have chosen to stay and live in SF, I will likely sell the car. It is a 99 Honda Civic EX; I imagine it would sell, as it's efficient on gas and low on carbon dioxide.

To say the least, this is a HUGE decision for me, and I want to learn all I can (with OUT being overwhelmed) about San Francisco.

I am wondering if you can tell me what you know about San Francisco, your personal experience, and whether or not you think I would like it? I would like to know all the pros and cons, and if you have experience with Philadelphia, or even Burlington, Vermont, how San Francisco is similar and different to these two locations.

Please be brief and do not overwhelm me with too much info or a bunch of details. I am a big-picture person, and would just like the general gyst. Your feedback will be very valuable in helping me to decide whether SF is right for me!

Thanks, much!
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Old 04-23-2010, 03:24 PM
 
Location: Just outside of Portland
4,828 posts, read 7,454,667 times
Reputation: 5117
Hey.....Lookie Here!

http://www.city-data.com/forum/san-francisco/
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Old 04-23-2010, 03:50 PM
 
Location: Philadelphia, PA (Wanting to move) --Burlington, VT, Asheville, NC, Boulder, CO?
129 posts, read 404,314 times
Reputation: 35
Phil-

Thank you for your post on Oregon. Please see my latest post. I just heard news that I may be offered a live-in job position out in San Francisco...

With that being said, Phil... try to shift your focus to SF/Portland/Burlington, VT, and Philadelphia. Those are the locations I am familiar with. As you may already know, I am in Philly now... I have been here for about a week, and just moved from Burlington, VT after 3.5 years of living there and loving it! I left because my girlfriend begged me to come to home with her, and because I wanted to experience a city.

Unfortunately my experience has not been too great, and I am not impressed. I honestly think I was a lot happier in VT, and have actually considered moving back there. But... I received news of a new job prospect for me in SF!

With that being said... just read the latest post of mine Let me know what you think. SF/Portland/Burlington, VT, and Philadelphia comparison!

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Old 04-23-2010, 03:55 PM
 
Location: Philadelphia, PA (Wanting to move) --Burlington, VT, Asheville, NC, Boulder, CO?
129 posts, read 404,314 times
Reputation: 35
Anyone-

If I wanted to go visit Portland, or even SF, or any other place, do you know of a site that will allow me to meet other young individuals like myself that would be willing to room me for the week that I'd be visiting, and possibly show me around the city?

-Em.
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Old 04-23-2010, 04:31 PM
 
Location: Portland, Oregon
2,515 posts, read 5,024,755 times
Reputation: 2924
Google "couch surfing".
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Old 04-23-2010, 05:08 PM
 
Location: Portland, OR
1,657 posts, read 4,484,001 times
Reputation: 907
Quote:
Originally Posted by Not2bforgot10 View Post
Anyone-

If I wanted to go visit Portland, or even SF, or any other place, do you know of a site that will allow me to meet other young individuals like myself that would be willing to room me for the week that I'd be visiting,...
Room Exchange Network....
You would be, in effect a temp lodger, but may have to share Kitchen clean up duties like a room-mate. Mostly cheaper than a motel. But I doubt person offering lodging room would be in your age group.
The Room Exchange Network Home

BTW: do Google map the SF bay area. Solid city from SF city peninsula all around the large Bay area. Lots and Lots of people, homes, lifestyles. Take it as a given that the cost of living in the small area of the city of SF is going to be expensive (price - demand curve and all that.) On your Google map, look in the area you will be working, and make note on how far would you have to drive to do any Kayaking, or get to wilderness area for just a few hours of hiking in wooded area? It might be an all day excursion from your home base to forest and back again.

Portland is much smaller than either Philly or SF Bay metro area. Portland offers much lower crime rates than Philly or SF Bay area.

Phil

Last edited by philwithbeard; 04-23-2010 at 05:12 PM.. Reason: clarify thought.
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Old 04-23-2010, 07:28 PM
 
Location: Beaverton
639 posts, read 1,599,159 times
Reputation: 402
I live in the SF bay area. IF YOU ARE A DOCTOR OR A LAWYER you can afford the lifestyle that you are looking for here. The amenities you mention are abundant in neighborhoods with home values over $2mil average. In the "affordable" parts of the bay (notice affordable is in quotes. My husband and I were making $110k per year and still lived like dogs) you will absolutely NOT find anyone with a conscience strong enough to even goad them into breaking down their cardboard box so that it will fit into the recycling bin - never mind the fact that it's less than a foot from the dumpster it's always empty and there's ALWAYS a big empty box on top of the trash (and recyclables) in the dumpster.



And outdoorsy fun? Good Luck! The only exercise people get here is walking to McDonald's - and that's only because it's so expensive that their car was repossessed - or they got so many DUI's that the DMV took their license away (again)

So, basically, yeah - if you make more than $200k annually, the SF bay sounds perfect.
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Old 04-24-2010, 11:43 AM
 
Location: Sacramento CA
1,342 posts, read 2,067,140 times
Reputation: 295
Quote:
Originally Posted by aroseinrain View Post
It's impossible to explain. Perhaps you would make friends, I don't know. I'm just saying that most of the people I know already have the same friends they've had since grade school (as I have) and while you may become a novelty to the group as a temporary distraction it's unlikely that you would get to be a part of the group itself. After the novelty wears off, it's over and the group remains together, but nobody calls you anymore.

It's more likely that you will make fast friends with other transplants such as yourself, but the problem with that is that many transplants are transient. After a while the weather gets to them and they leave for sunnier lands.

I'm just saying that this (as a home-grown Oregonian) had been my lifelong experience. I have my two friends and we make one link in a chain of friends. Everybody I grew up with is still hanging around with the same two or three friends they've known since they were 9 years old. We've had random nice people as temporary friends throughout the years but the novelty wears off eventually and we move on.

Good luck.

And I thought Tampa FL was like this too with fast friended transplants to make friends with, but it turns out Portland could be the same or similar in this regard, so to me, no point moving all that way just to get similar results to the city closest to me. I'll just stay put. Also I did notice in Portland I did meet a fast friend or 2 there too in my month stay which made me think wow... its pretty easy to fit in here. I actually met a punk rock guy there with aspergers syndrome. Those 2 things I had in common with him so I messaged him on myspace and met him with his roommate and had a few beers a few times with him.
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