Impressions of a Chicago transplant (middle-class, 2013, apartments)

[chi_town_transplant]

1. Weather. It is just awesome. Even the bad days are great. No humidity, no cold. Just a slight chill once in a while, and only need a light jacket. Some fog. Some wind. SF Natives have no appreciation for the marvelous weather.
2. Transportation. Friendly commuters, less rage. Logistics is weird, sore spot for many SF natives. Being CA, it is the best there is but really SF I expect better. See next point for reason.
3. On any subject in the world, there is an expert on it right in the Bay Area. I am shocked at the no. of non-hubris smart people.
4. Larry Ellison = Donald Trump with Brains. Only in SF.
5. Tolerant. Even Larry Ellison, America's World Cup is tolerated.
6. Soma=Dorm Room for Tech Geeks working 60-80 hr/week. Also easy to herd them into one area, so VC's, and startups can easily capture them. It is the Tech Tenderloin.
7. Live and Let LIve philosophy.
8. Have warned that there is a hell, the anti-SF, LA.
9. Intense work, but very chill. A chill New York. Fire non-performers with a smile.
10. Homeless dumping by other states. No it is obvious, some of the people have mental issues, or drug issues or both. Homeless in wheelchairs.
11. Corruption, minimal if any, mostly just politicians trying to gain consensus amongst a very unusual group.
12. Recycling is a religion here, no religions. What can and cannot be composted varies from home to home.
13. Incongruent logic exists here. Environmentalists who bring hand towels to work to save energy, and drive to work.
14. Growing economy, wealthy city, do not know what to do with the wealth.
15. For people familiar with Chicago, Fishermans Wharf=Navy Pier + Suburban strip mall + tourist fleecing center.
16. Strong East Asian influence. Trader Joes has toasted seaweed snacks. Thai restaurants serve Asian spicy not American spicy, i.e. Asian Spicy=Texas Fire=American Scream/Cry/Sweat/Gasp/Endorphin rush.

Anyone else have any observations?

[wooliemonster]

Trader Joe's has toasted seaweed snacks here, as well. As does H-E-B. They're delicious.

[peninsular]

Not necessarily Asian influence, but the Walgreen's next to my office has sushi.

[NYC809]

Yes - this town completely lacks guts and a middle-class.

People just stare or run when somebody is getting harassed/killed. It's the West Coast mentality where you don't get involved but talk about it.

This just happened on Friday night - the hub of our retail space in the city. SF is gutless. I can't imagine this type of crime happening in Chicago where decent people live and are willing to get in the middle of it and stand up for one another. Nor this type of crime occurring in Times Square. People just sit here and watch. You'll get use to it.

68-Year-Old Man Crushed To Death On Nob Hill: SFist

[rca215]

In my one month in SF I've seen two situations in which strangers intervened to help out someone else who was in danger (i.e. almost hit by a reckless driver).

I also moved here from Chicago and lived in New York for seven years before that. They've all got their pros and cons. What I like about SF, so far, is:

- Weather
- Natural beauty
- Abundance of good Asian food
- Laid back culture
- Abundance of small/medium-sized, local grocery stores
- Healthy biotech industry
- My commute to Marin

What I don't like:

- Relatively lower commercial density, at least off of major commercial strips
- Relative lack of bars with great food (probably just need to get more familiar with the city)
- Thin walls/ceilings in apartments
- TV stations that start with K rather than W. I just can't get used to it!
- Lines/waits. People in the Bay Area have seemingly endless patience to stand in line!
- Wimpy pedestrians (i.e. limited jay-walking)

[bigdumbgod]

Originally Posted by rca215

- Wimpy pedestrians (i.e. limited jay-walking)

There may be a reason for that:

Cyclist Who Killed Pedestrian In SF Crosswalk Sentenced | News Fix | KQED Public Media for Northern CA


Hardly a slap on the wrist for killing a guy in a crosswalk with a bike...and making light of it soon after!

To say nothing of the legions of drivers staring at their devices.

[sav858]

Originally Posted by NYC809

Yes - this town completely lacks guts and a middle-class.

People just stare or run when somebody is getting harassed/killed. It's the West Coast mentality where you don't get involved but talk about it.

This just happened on Friday night - the hub of our retail space in the city. SF is gutless. I can't imagine this type of crime happening in Chicago where decent people live and are willing to get in the middle of it and stand up for one another. Nor this type of crime occurring in Times Square. People just sit here and watch. You'll get use to it.

68-Year-Old Man Crushed To Death On Nob Hill: SFist

What are you talking about? What crime? This story sounds like a complete accident and it appears the driver and victim knew each other. You picked a pretty dumb story that doesn't illustrate your even dumber point. LOL.

If you wanted to try to prove your point you probably should have posted a story like this:

"A pregnant Brooklyn woman suffering a fatal seizure in a coffee shop in the shadow of FDNY Headquarters was ignored by two callous city medics who continued to buy their breakfast, eyewitnesses told The Post."

EMT duo on break let pregnant mom die | New York Post

or maybe this:

"PHILADELPHIA (AP) — Police have arrested a man suspected of brutally attacking a dozing subway passenger with a hammer while other riders did nothing to stop the assault, the city's police commissioner said Wednesday."

Police charge man in Philly subway hammer attack - USATODAY.com

[04kL4nD]

Oh yes, NYC ALWAYS rescues those in need. Just ask Kitty Genovese of Queens how well that worked out for her...

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kitty_Genovese

[mstnghu2]

Originally Posted by NYC809

Yes - this town completely lacks guts and a middle-class.

People just stare or run when somebody is getting harassed/killed. It's the West Coast mentality where you don't get involved but talk about it.

This just happened on Friday night - the hub of our retail space in the city. SF is gutless. I can't imagine this type of crime happening in Chicago where decent people live and are willing to get in the middle of it and stand up for one another. Nor this type of crime occurring in Times Square. People just sit here and watch. You'll get use to it.

68-Year-Old Man Crushed To Death On Nob Hill: SFist

Ummmm yeah.

As somebody who was born and raised here in the Bay Area, I can say with complete conviction that I and any of my close friends (who also grew up here) have no problem getting involved in situations that involve danger to others and would risk our lives to protect or help people. Get off your NYC high-horse/ignorant assumption self about what people around here are like. The Bay Area is very diverse and has every type of person here, just like any other high population area. We're not all tree-hugging/passive/sissy people. Get over yourself.

[HockeyMac18]

Originally Posted by NYC809

Yes - this town completely lacks guts and a middle-class.

People just stare or run when somebody is getting harassed/killed. It's the West Coast mentality where you don't get involved but talk about it.

This just happened on Friday night - the hub of our retail space in the city. SF is gutless. I can't imagine this type of crime happening in Chicago where decent people live and are willing to get in the middle of it and stand up for one another. Nor this type of crime occurring in Times Square. People just sit here and watch. You'll get use to it.

68-Year-Old Man Crushed To Death On Nob Hill: SFist

I'm not quite sure your point is with that article...it sounds pretty horrible accident, but not sure what someone who was near could have done to avoid it from happening...perhaps you linked the wrong page? Otherwise, I'm not following your point.

And to your larger point...not so sure about that. I think there are plenty of people here with morals and conviction that would step in on certain situations. To that point, there are certainly those that would run away (or would call the police). If you're saying there is a statistically meaningful difference in the tendencies for people to step in to help a stranger in the population of SF vs the population of NY or Chicago...I don't buy it at all.

One major reason is that most people in SF aren't from here. Same goes for NY (and probably Chicago). And people are still people no matter where they are. I do think it's possible that people these days are less likely to step in on a confrontation than there used to be (don't have the data for that), but that is more a national/possibly generational (?) trend...and to say people in NY are "stronger" (or whatever) is plain malarkey.

Edit: I see others before me addressed my points (and better). Certainly adds more to the "you're full of it" argument.