Already tired of San Francisco (Oakland, Lakewood: apartment, how much, house)

[andyadhi01]

SF bay area is a good place to visit but a pretty bad place to live. If you don't have a good job here there is absolutely no reason to put up with the miserable living environment here. No amount of scenery can make up for the insane cost of housing, poor infrastructure/traffic, ugly housing, high crime and on and on.

[rkwalton]

Originally Posted by pmac6270

Some of you posters just don't get it. San Francisco is compared to those cities because the real estate is so expensive. With a budget of 3,000 per month for a 1 bedroom I'll take London's fog over San Francisco any day of the week. A married couple that I know just got a 625 square foot junior 1bedroom near Delores Park for 2700. On the other end I know a bike messenger on my block that pays 650 for a rent stabilized 2br. He's been here for 15 years and is never leaving. I've lived in the south and the northeast. Millions of people have chosen the brutal winters and summers of Chicago, Boston, NYC, Philly, D.C., Nashville to name a few. Yes Nashville dips into the teens at times. They are called seasons.
The tradeoff is that you get to live a vibrant city of your choice. And honestly, what does SF have in 2012 that many other cities do not have. The way things are going SF will look more like Carmel and less like the funky SF I thought I knew from vacation visits. If you have to pay 3,000 a month for a for a 1br the city should have a few perks. OP is totally right, you pay that much just so you can get in a car and go hiking, or to wine country. That doesn't make sense.

I really hate to break it to you, but this is cyclical. During tech booms and real estate and rent goes up. I was in school in San Francisco during the tech boom of the late 90s. The bottom fell out and, while folks learned from the last crash, I'm not confident they've learned that much. I know people at start-ups who are spending way too much. It will level out again.

Plus, I just moved back from NYC, in Queens or Brooklyn, rents are doable. It still leaves you with a longer commute into Manhattan. Unless you work in Dumbo, you've still got to get into the city.

The bottom line is this, if you don't like it just like I did with NYC, help us all out and go.

[alexxiz]

Originally Posted by menlo88

What's so good about SF again? I've been living in the City for about a year and it sucks! I hate it and want out but I don't know if I can move?

World class prices for a non-World Class city. The people are standoffish, unattractive, sloppy, weird, nerdy or awkward, the homeless, the filth and the delusion that this city is world-class always makes me chuckle. I feel so ripped off when I'm writing my rent check for $3,000 at the first of the month for the privilege of living in this small dump. Whenever I'm in NYC or LA or London I feel so alive. This place seems so cold. Whenever I mention this it's "well the weather is great (looking forward to another AWESOME chilly summer!) and we have great access to hiking." BIG WHOOP. Hiking. Exciting!

But do I even have a choice? Being in the tech industry, it seems that there are less opportunities once you leave this area and there is no way in hell i'm moving down closer to work in suburban office park hell in the Valley. Especially at my young age and with my interests. Oh God, why did I have to be into computers why did I have to be into computers...

The only plus is with the money I make I can afford to high tail it out of here in the next 10 years or so, but 10 years..Ugh.

You nailed it. Thank you. But NYC has lots of software jobs I mean... 10, or 2 years aren't worth spending on a place you hate.

[alexxiz]

Originally Posted by pmac6270

In my 2 years here I never had the inclination to go hiking or to Tahoe. My advice if you can stomach it will be to stay, make your dough and when you are in your early thirties move wherever you want.

May be you should try... :X Tahoe is worth spending the life time by.

[pmac6270]

04kL4nD, k.West. I am moving just look at my posts. I'll move back to Fort Greene Brooklyn in a completely renovated 850 square feet brownstone with new appliances and yard access. Cost, 2650 per month. And by the way San Francisco is not that crowded. Large sections of the Mission, Haight, Western Addition, SOMA are desolate all times of the day and night. Half of the condos in SOMA are vacant. Union square is only crowded in the daytime. I don't go to North Beach much because it's 2 buses and 40 minutes away from lower Haight. The same goes for the Marina. Face it, the only thing genuinely World Class about San Francisco is the real estate.
World Class Art-no
World Class Music-usually only at festivals and large concert venues like the Fillmore. You are just not going to randomly pop into a club and see the Stones playing
World Class Food-SF is innovative in many aspects, but SF restaurants are not aesthetically pleasing. bare wood tables, brick walls, Edison light bulbs. And staff that are not easy on the eye.
World Class Scenery-yes
World Class Sports-I'll say yes, but the loss of the 49ers will look really bad for San Francisco
World Class Finance-yes, Considering the FED has a bank here
I could go on but world class cities don't have to defend themselves to naysayers.

[yowps3]

If it makes you feel better, San Jose is designed similarly to LA..

[Mach50]

The tech industry is everywhere bro, as someone who worked in Silicon Valley and now Denver...I make exactly the same and live with 1/2 the COL.

I actually loved San Francisco, but Denver is pretty awesome too.

[Bayarea4]

Originally Posted by menlo88

What's so good about SF again? I've been living in the City for about a year and it sucks! I hate it and want out but I don't know if I can move?

<snipping long rant>

The only plus is with the money I make I can afford to high tail it out of here in the next 10 years or so, but 10 years..Ugh.

What I like about San Francisco is that there is a neighborhood for just about everybody. If you want to live in a trendy soulless modern high-rise near downtown, you are going to pay through the nose and not get a lot of value for your money. Yes, the rents have always been higher than average here. On the other hand you say you are "stuck" here for the next 10 years. That means you have lots of time to explore many of San Francisco's unique and varied outer districts. Each has its own personality and even its own climate. Who knows, you might discover a neighborhood that is more affordable and that appeals to you more than where you're living now.

For example, Noe Valley and Glen Park have sunny summer weather, a village feel and almost no fog. Maybe those neighborhoods are not your cup of tea, but you get the picture. Or you might even be happy in one of S. F.'s surrounding cities where you'll find better weather and even cheaper rents. However if you expect San Francisco to be exactly like New York (or even Brooklyn), you are going to be disappointed and would be better off going back there. San Francisco is a more provincial city, yes, but it has a lot to offer if you are willing to look beyond its perceived shortcomings compared to this or that bigger city.

[alexxiz]

Originally Posted by Mach50

The tech industry is everywhere bro, as someone who worked in Silicon Valley and now Denver...I make exactly the same and live with 1/2 the COL.

I actually loved San Francisco, but Denver is pretty awesome too.

Yeah Denver area got software jobs... but are there any forests within several hours drive? I think it's mostly open land... otherwise I'd consider working there.

[NYCtoSF]

I feel like I shouldn't have come to this site today. Really irritated right now because I waited 20 mins for the Light rail that never showed up and this thread will only further serve as a downer.