Why I love living in SF (San Francisco, Oakland: rent, condos, houses)

[capoeira]

Originally Posted by CorporateCowboy

Incidentally, ‘downtown’ is the main commercial/business area of any major city - of course it will be the most expensive (and I don’t know how anyone who works or lives here can avoid it, or tourists).

I avoid it like the plague! I live about four miles from Powell St station and the last time I went there voluntarily was in December 2008. I cannot stand the horribly overcrowded downtown SF area. My secret to enjoying SF is "always avoid the downtown tourist areas".

[CorporateCowboy]

Originally Posted by capoeira

I avoid it like the plague! I live about four miles from Powell St station and the last time I went there voluntarily was in December 2008. I cannot stand the horribly overcrowded downtown SF area. My secret to enjoying SF is "always avoid the downtown tourist areas".

Do you understand most people work in the financial district/downtown? It’s the business and commercial heart of the city, as any downtown is - law firms, Fortune 500 companies, banks, corporate headquarters, etc. How have you avoided it since 2008 - haha? Why are you even living in a city if you ‘can’t stand’ crowds, tourism, the City’s downtown or corporate life?

[john3232]

For me the best aspect of SF is the mild weather.

[Ruth4Truth]

Originally Posted by CorporateCowboy

Do you understand most people work in the financial district/downtown? It’s the business and commercial heart of the city, as any downtown is - law firms, Fortune 500 companies, banks, corporate headquarters, etc. How have you avoided it since 2008 - haha? Why are you even living in a city if you ‘can’t stand’ crowds, tourism, the City’s downtown or corporate life?

People who live out in the far-flung residential neighborhoods have no reason to go downtown, though. Think: the whole west side of town, and southwest side, for one thing. It's a long haul on transit to get downtown, from much of the city. Those neighborhoods out there don't get tourists, with the exceptions of GG Park and the Presidio and bridge.

[CorporateCowboy]

Originally Posted by Ruth4Truth

People who live out in the far-flung residential neighborhoods have no reason to go downtown, though. Think: the whole west side of town, and southwest side, for one thing. It's a long haul on transit to get downtown, from much of the city.

My point was - it is not ‘easy to avoid’ tourists as the poster suggested; in fact, it’s downright impossible for the quarter million of us who work in the financial district/downtown. Additionally, why would someone live in SF if they hate crowds, tourism, a city’s downtown, and corporate life? Haha - it doesn’t make a whole lot of sense! Usually people who live here do so because they thrive on the ‘pulse’ of the City (or city life in general), wish to live in luxury-class residential buildings conveniently located (lifestyle) and/or work downtown.

[FC76-81]

Originally Posted by john3232

For me the best aspect of SF is the mild weather.

I've lived in four different places inside San Francisco throughout my lifetime. And all of them would get very cold year round. Didn't matter if it was summer, spring, fall, or winter. For the most part on average, it's very cold when the sun goes down. There are those rare occasions where the weather is very nice. But the vast majority of the time, it's colder than a witches t!ty on Halloween night.

Mark Twain supposedly claimed:

"The coldest winter I ever saw was the summer I spent in San Francisco."

And that couldn't be more true about the cold weather in San Francisco. That cold damp fog blowing in right off the Pacific is harsh.

[Ruth4Truth]

Originally Posted by CorporateCowboy

My point was - it is not ‘easy to avoid’ tourists as the poster suggested; in fact, it’s downright impossible for the quarter million of us who work in the financial district/downtown. Additionally, why would someone live in SF if they hate crowds, tourism, a city’s downtown, and corporate life? Haha - it doesn’t make a whole lot of sense! Usually people who live here do so because they thrive on the ‘pulse’ of the City (or city life in general), wish to live in luxury-class residential buildings conveniently located (lifestyle) and/or work downtown.

You're imagining everyone thinks like you, though. There's a large variety of people, cultures, and motives for living in SF. Many people aren't oriented toward downtown. I had a relative who moved to the Richmond after raising a family in Berkeley. His employment was in Marin, so the Richmond was a much better location for the commute, and culturally was a good fit.

That's just one example, but multiply that by hundreds or thousands of residents. The Chinese restaurant owners out in the Avenues, the Sunset, etc. The UCSF employees, hospital employees, Academy of Sciences employees, the people working in the Presidio, park groundskeepers all over town, and the list goes on. Think beyond your narrow experience. It's a big world out there, with all kinds of people in it, not just "pulse of the city" and "corporate life" people. The downtown crowd is a small part of the City, and a lot of them commute from the East Bay, anyway.

Thousands of SF residents don't come across tourists in their everyday life. Life in SF, as is true anywhere, is multi-faceted, diverse.

[aslowdodge]

Originally Posted by Ruth4Truth

You're imagining everyone thinks like you, though. There's a large variety of people, cultures, and motives for living in SF. Many people aren't oriented toward downtown. I had a relative who moved to the Richmond after raising a family in Berkeley. His employment was in Marin, so the Richmond was a much better location for the commute, and culturally was a good fit.

That's just one example, but multiply that by hundreds or thousands of residents. The Chinese restaurant owners out in the Avenues, the Sunset, etc. The UCSF employees, hospital employees, Academy of Sciences employees, the people working in the Presidio, park groundskeepers all over town, and the list goes on. Think beyond your narrow experience. It's a big world out there, with all kinds of people in it, not just "pulse of the city" and "corporate life" people. The downtown crowd is a small part of the City, and a lot of them commute from the East Bay, anyway.

Thousands of SF residents don't come across tourists in their everyday life. Life in SF, as is true anywhere, is multi-faceted.

Spot on. My relatives out in the avenues virtually never go to downtown. They have everything they need close by.

[CorporateCowboy]

Originally Posted by Ruth4Truth

You're imagining everyone thinks like you, though. There's a large variety of people, cultures, and motives for living in SF. Many people aren't oriented toward downtown.


Thousands of SF residents don't come across tourists in.

A quarter of a million people working in the finance district is a lot (that does not include residential) - it’s not just me, lmao. And it’s assumed people who live in the City love the pulse of city life, the luxury-class residences, convenience to work, etc. Obviously, it’s possible for people to stick to their far-flung neighborhoods, but I’m speaking to the majority (for any city, not just SF); it’s certainly less common for anyone who hates ‘crowds’ to choose to live in a large city (actually, it seems a rather stupid choice). My point still was (and is) it is not ‘easy’ to avoid tourists in SF (and is ludicrous to think it is). If someone is a hermit (or actively avoids the entire downtown area) sure, I guess - lol. Btw, your ‘thousands of residents’ isn’t much when you compare it to the well over half a million, on a very conservative estimate, who do (not just me) - lol. It re-establishes my original point.

[Ruth4Truth]

Originally Posted by CorporateCowboy

A quarter of a million people working in the finance district is a lot (that does not include residential) - it’s not just me, lmao. And it’s assumed people who live in the City love the pulse of city life, the luxury-class residences, convenience to work, etc. Obviously, it’s possible for people to stick to their far-flung neighborhoods, but I’m speaking to the majority (for any city, not just SF); it’s certainly less common for anyone who hates ‘crowds’ to choose to live in a large city (actually, it seems a rather stupid choice). My point still was (and is) it is not ‘easy’ to avoid tourists in SF (and is ludicrous to think it is). If someone is a hermit (or actively avoids the entire downtown area) sure, I guess - lol. Btw, your ‘thousands of residents’ isn’t much when you compare it to the well over half a million who do (not just me) - lol.

That's an erroneous assumption, is what I'm saying. It doesn't apply across the board, to every resident. There's much more to the city than downtown. I already gave examples of the many different types of employment and employment locations, not to mention the people who actually commute out of the city to work.

People who grew up in the city would find it to be their natural environment. For them, it's not a "stupid choice" to remain where they grew up, in a place they love. And life on the west side of the city, and in some central areas of the city, has far sparser crowds, and a slower pace of life than downtown. It's a different city out there, in that regard. Some people choose those neighborhoods for those reasons, and live a daily life well outside the tourist track. It's a fact of life for many people in SF; a reality, not a "ludicrous" idea. A reality they've chosen. They avoid tourists effortlessly. That's how easy it is, lol.