San Diego vs. San Francisco vs Los Angeles Comparison (San Jose: schools, to live in)

[krudmonk]

You can take pride in the fact that Europeans have heard of your place of residence. That doesn't really affect me. Nor does it affect any other city. I don't see Minneapolis or Seattle as being less now that I know a select group of people don't know they exist. Relying on reputation leads to stagnation anyway.

[beone]

Originally Posted by krudmonk

You can take pride in the fact that Europeans have heard of your place of residence. That doesn't really affect me. Nor does it affect any other city. I don't see Minneapolis or Seattle as being less now that I know a select group of people don't know they exist. Relying on reputation leads to stagnation anyway.

I did have pride when I lived in Minneapolis and Seattle as well. I had some of the greatest friends and most fun I've ever had in Minneapolis and I had the greatest period of personal growth, by far, when I lived in Seattle. Both are great cities, and living in both gave me great experiences and a lot of joy. I will never regret living in either place, and I still consider both to be homes of mine.

It wasn't reputation that made me fall in love with San Francisco. It was many many things. Yes, there are downsides to San Francisco. Believe me, sometimes I proclaim I hate this city and I'm leaving, but then I'm back in love with it. I guess I have a passion love/hate with SF that I never had any where else I've lived.

Just to be fair, here are some things that drive me nuts about this city:

1. The weather. While I'll take the San Francisco, any time of year, over Minneapolis, I sure do miss the great Seattle summers. It seems to be always windy here, especially in the Financial District. It never seems to be sunny and warm for a continous period of time. But, there are those 70 degree days in January that compensate for the bad summer weather. While my friends in the midwest are suffering through -6 degree weather, I can be sitting on my deck in shorts and a t-shirt.

2. All the stupid people who aren't aware that they aren't the only person in the world. Like slow walkers walking down the middle of the sidewalk so no one can get by. Those dummies who stand on the left side of the escalator coming up from BART or MUNI, when they can see everyone in front of them either walking up or standing to the right. But, I especially hate all the downsy people who are so out of control on BART on MUNI, in terms of not moving away from the doors when people are trying to get on and off.

3. The homeless, of course.

4. Seeing people just through trash on the streets, when there's a bin 5 feet away.

5. The scum that hangs out in the eastern edge of Golden Gate Park.

6. The excessive use of drugs and alcohol.

So, it's not all roses here, but the benefits far outweigh these little annoyances.

While I do think there are greater and lesser cities, the only thing that matters is that you are happy and love where you live. I am happy and I love where I live. As much as I still love Minneapolis and Seattle, I would not be happy living in either place right now.

Who knows...in a couple years I may move some where else. I like to experience life and live in many different places. As long as I am single, the sky is the limit.....but it will be very hard to leave if I do.

[tyler_wilson]

I've spent very little time in SF so I can't comment on that - in fact I'm going there next week for only the 2nd time - but living in Orange County, midway between LA and SD, I thought I'd chime in: First of all, LA is nowhere near as rude and snobby as people make it out to be. In fact I find it even friendlier than SD. When I was single I spent a lot of time in West Hollywood (*THE* best place for a single man, the women are beautiful, plentiful, and astonishingly friendly) and still love to visit up there for a weekend now and then. Also, OC might be worth looking into, though the cost of living is crazy, higher than even SF. However you've got easy access to both LA and SD, and quite honestly we hate to leave our beautiful community to go to either of those places. And the myth of OC snobiness is largely a myth, in fact in my community it's become something of an inside joke that people think we're all snobs when in fact it's a very genuine, close-knit, family-oriented community. And OC is "America's Most Republican County" fitting in nicely with your conservative values.

One thing, Danking: Do you have to mar your otherwise insightful commentary with those puerile 'hella's? One of the best things -- certainly the best drawing card for San Francisco over the likes of LA or SD -- is that the average citizen is generally sophisticated/ educated enough to refrain from banalities.

No offense to anyone from SF but the people I have met from there do tend to have this academia-type snobbism. That's one thing you'll never deal with here in OC. It's full of educated successful people who still look, act, and talk like surfers with no needless "intellectual" pretense.

[beone]

Originally Posted by tyler_wilson

I've spent very little time in SF so I can't comment on that - in fact I'm going there next week for only the 2nd time - but living in Orange County, midway between LA and SD, I thought I'd chime in: First of all, LA is nowhere near as rude and snobby as people make it out to be. In fact I find it even friendlier than SD. When I was single I spent a lot of time in West Hollywood (*THE* best place for a single man, the women are beautiful, plentiful, and astonishingly friendly) and still love to visit up there for a weekend now and then. Also, OC might be worth looking into, though the cost of living is crazy, higher than even SF. However you've got easy access to both LA and SD, and quite honestly we hate to leave our beautiful community to go to either of those places. And the myth of OC snobiness is largely a myth, in fact in my community it's become something of an inside joke that people think we're all snobs when in fact it's a very genuine, close-knit, family-oriented community. And OC is "America's Most Republican County" fitting in nicely with your conservative values. No offense to anyone from SF but the people I have met from there do tend to have this academia-type snobbism. That's one thing you'll never deal with here in OC. It's full of educated successful people who still look, act, and talk like surfers with no needless "intellectual" pretense.

I love the O.C. - beautiful and perfect weather.

[KerrTown]

Originally Posted by tyler_wilson

And OC is "America's Most Republican County" fitting in nicely with your conservative values.

I thought the "Most Republican County" was in Texas. What kind of conservatism is practiced there? Social or Fiscal?

[brandosgirl]

I lived in l.a. for 4 years and then moved back to the bay area. If i had to choose i'd pick l.a. San Francisco is so depressing to me i live in south san francisco and i wake up to fog evey single and just want to go back to bed. And as far as beaches and surfing no comparison!!! San diego and l.a. take the cake on that!!! I would never go lay out on the sand in san francisco beach!!! For god sake it's near the zoo. If your looking at money though thats a different story. I had a job in l.a. that if i were working in sf i would have at least started out at $17 at least. It was in marketing and you know what i got paid 7.25 an hour that was straight up b.s. I made that when i was a bagger 16 yrs old working at cala foods. On the upside i had a 2 bedroom apt in sherman oaks that was only 925 a month. The thing is i worked less than 15 mins from my home and and it took 45min to get to work every day on the 405. When i moved back home i gotta job at nordstroms while i went back to school and they started me out at 16 an hour it's weird how that works. I say come and say her for at least 2 week before you decide. It really is different than so cal!!! You need to fall in love with the city or it just wont work!!! Good luck!!! BTW san jose = escondido!!!!

[krudmonk]

Originally Posted by brandosgirl

BTW san jose = escondido!!!!

It's always good to compare the nation's richest city (by median income) with it's 970,000 people and 175 square miles of land and major pro sports teams and high tech giants...to a small town of 140,000 people and 36 square miles in northern San Diego County. Why should anyone believe anything else you just wrote?

[brandosgirl]

Look im just saying as a young person THEY BOTH SUCK!!! Not everyone gives a hoot about the sports teams!!! And why would they??? And as far as those 970,000 people do you know how many go into the city for any kind of fun!! San jose is just plain boring!!! I dont care how rich or how many people it has it's BORING!!!! So you dont need to belive me cuz if you believe san jose is all that then honey go for it!!! I wouldnt want to wake you up out of that dillusion

[beone]

Originally Posted by brandosgirl

Look im just saying as a young person THEY BOTH SUCK!!! Not everyone gives a hoot about the sports teams!!! And why would they??? And as far as those 970,000 people do you know how many go into the city for any kind of fun!! San jose is just plain boring!!! I dont care how rich or how many people it has it's BORING!!!! So you dont need to belive me cuz if you believe san jose is all that then honey go for it!!! I wouldnt want to wake you up out of that dillusion

Amen! San Jose is very boring. Everyone comes up to the city for excitement. Put it this way, I'd rather leave the bay area all together and move to several other U.S. cities than move to San Jose. There is absolutely no point paying the high premium you pay to live in The Ho. San Francisco, now that's a different story.

And, despite the fact that The Ho is bigger than SF, SF is the bay areas premiere city, without challenge.

[krudmonk]

Wow, it's like we're the new L.A. We surpass Frisco in population and they take out their anger on us. That's so world-class of you. You can keep being the west coast's little NYC sample platter, and we'll all go on with our lives.