Why I love living in SF (San Francisco, Richmond: top neighborhoods, price, move)

[CorporateCowboy]

Originally Posted by Ruth4Truth

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.

Oh come on, Ruth - lol, of course it doesn’t apply across the board; that’s what ‘speaking to the majority’ means. But there are a quarter of a million people who work downtown (not including those who live in/near the area), and so when a poster claims it is ‘easy to avoid tourists’, I felt it necessary to point out that’s an absolutely false statement for the majority of us.

[FC76-81]

These are the streets I've resided on during my lifespan living in San Francisco. Heather Ave, Joost Ave, 19th Ave (Sunset) and Toyon Lane. And I've experiences a little bit of everything in each of these four different locations in San Francisco.

Here's a nice video covering many of the sites, the sounds, the smells of San Francisco.


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ld6qYJe4pRs

[john3232]

One of Turk streets finest.

[kineki]

Originally Posted by FC76-81

These are the streets I've resided on during my lifespan living in San Francisco. Heather Ave, Joost Ave, 19th Ave (Sunset) and Toyon Lane. And I've experiences a little bit of everything in each of these four different locations in San Francisco.

Don't feel bad. You need money and lots of it, to afford the boat and water views, and the "luxury" condos that start at 2 or 3 million but can go up to 15 million or more for penthouses. The rest of us just decide it is not worth it and go somewhere else.

[kineki]

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?

It's not the tourtists, a lot of us are priced out from affording downtown or what surrounds it.

[Ruth4Truth]

Originally Posted by CorporateCowboy

Oh come on, Ruth - lol, of course it doesn’t apply across the board; that’s what ‘speaking to the majority’ means. But there are a quarter of a million people who work downtown (not including those who live in/near the area), and so when a poster claims it is ‘easy to avoid tourists’, I felt it necessary to point out that’s an absolutely false statement for the majority of us.

OK, but that's not what you were saying in your first several posts. You were making blanket statements that weren't tempered by any acknowledgement of the diverse nature of life and work in the city, and made some odd judgmental statements about another poster's choice to live in SF, as well, so I honestly thought you were relatively new to the city, and had no experience outside of your particular bubble: the downtown corporate scene.

I was trying to introduce you to the broader experience, that's all. There are so many aspects to the city, so many faces, moods. I love the ambience out in the farther-flung neighborhoods, the city's many niche environments. I don't know if you're from the Bay Area, or from outside NorCal, or if you are from the Bay, but never had an opportunity to get a close-up and diverse view of life in the city before moving there. There was no qualifier in your original statements, about your beliefs applying to a "majority" of city residents. So I'm glad we cleared that up.

I'm glad you're enjoying your experience. Hopefully, you can appreciate other people's choice to maintain a toehold on SF living, even if they inhabit different niches from your own. It's a beautiful, scenic, historical city; who would blame anyone, from choosing to live there? Isn't that what your thread is all about?

[kineki]

Originally Posted by Ruth4Truth

OK, but that's not what you were saying in your first several posts. You were making blanket statements that weren't tempered by any acknowledgement of the diverse nature of life and work in the city, and made some odd judgmental statements about another poster's choice to live in SF, as well, so I honestly thought you were relatively new to the city, and had no experience outside of your particular bubble: the downtown corporate scene.

I was trying to introduce you to the broader experience, that's all. There are so many aspects to the city, so many faces, moods. I love the ambience out in the farther-flung neighborhoods, the city's many niche environments. I don't know if you're from the Bay Area, or from outside NorCal, or if you are from the Bay, but never had an opportunity to get a close-up and diverse view of life in the city before moving there. There was no qualifier in your original statements, about your beliefs applying to a "majority" of city residents. So I'm glad we cleared that up.

I'm glad you're enjoying your experience. Hopefully, you can appreciate other people's choice to maintain a toehold on SF living, even if they inhabit different niches from your own. It's a beautiful, scenic, historical city; who would blame anyone, from choosing to live there?

I think he did say most of the people who work in downtown or near it can't avoid tourists and that it isn't easy to avoid them. How do you avoid going to the city parks too or any outdoor concert? I worried about scraping rent together, not about whether I ran into a tourist or not. Tourists are everywhere and you really do have to stay away from just about everything and all the parks and events too, to not see tourists.

I think I missed some posts at the start of this thread but why is it so bad to see tourists anyway?

[FC76-81]

Originally Posted by john3232

One of Turk streets finest.

Well at least he's got his pants on.

[FC76-81]

Originally Posted by kineki

Don't feel bad. You need money and lots of it, to afford the boat and water views, and the "luxury" condos that start at 2 or 3 million but can go up to 15 million or more for penthouses. The rest of us just decide it is not worth it and go somewhere else.

Like that leaning Millennium Tower? Imagine living like on the 50th floor and you're putting a few golf balls around and you notice they all curve to the left. Turns out the building is actually leaning. This is the actual story as to how a tenant found out the building was leaning.

https://www.businessinsider.com/mill...meline-2018-10

Yeah, I don't feel bad at all. Just wait until the next big quake hits and most of what they've built over the past, say 10 - 15 years will come crashing down. New extension on the Oakland side of the Bay Bridge is rusting out and it's not even ten years old yet.

Or how about the new transit center, shut down because of structural failures.

https://www.npr.org/2018/09/26/65174...r-cracked-beam

I guess not too many people are still falling for the Lailani Estates land scam anymore. This was the scam in Hawaii where they build absolutely beautiful houses on land that is actually in and around volcanic lava flows. The volcano blows out hot lava that destroys everything in it's path, 15 to 20 years pass and the areas have fully rejuvenated to where they can build and sell them again to someone new, and in 5 - 10 more years and it blows out and destroys everything all over again.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Leilani_Estates,_Hawaii

So they started building garbage in San Francisco and selling it for millions. Just lasting long enough for the next big quake. I don't feel bad at all that I don't buy property in San Francisco.

[CorporateCowboy]

Originally Posted by Ruth4Truth

OK, but that's not what you were saying in your first several posts. You were making blanket statements that weren't tempered by any acknowledgement of the diverse nature of life and work in the city, and made some odd judgmental statements about another poster's choice to live in SF, as well, so I honestly thought you were relatively new to the city, and had no experience outside of your particular bubble: the downtown corporate scene.

I was trying to introduce you to the broader experience, that's all. There are so many aspects to the city, so many faces, moods. I love the ambience out in the farther-flung neighborhoods, the city's many niche environments. I don't know if you're from the Bay Area, or from outside NorCal, or if you are from the Bay, but never had an opportunity to get a close-up and diverse view of life in the city before moving there. There was no qualifier in your original statements, about your beliefs applying to a "majority" of city residents. So I'm glad we cleared that up.

I'm glad you're enjoying your experience. Hopefully, you can appreciate other people's choice to maintain a toehold on SF living, even if they inhabit different niches from your own. It's a beautiful, scenic, historical city; who would blame anyone, from choosing to live there? Isn't that what your thread is all about?

Wrong. My first post to the matter was #159 in which I directly quoted/responded to a poster who made two very inaccurate statements; and part of my thread about loving SF, naturally, is defending it against blatantly incorrect statements. My posts never related to ‘diversity’ or what the motivations of everyone living in SF (or this thread) are - I specifically stated, for the quarter million of us who work (or live in/near downtown) - it is impossible to avoid tourists. Oddly enough, instead of addressing that, you personally defend the obvious inaccuracy and make it about diversity (and imply I’m not sensitive to it) instead. Rubbish. A quarter of a million people working downtown is not a small niche of mine - lol (and that does not include the people living in/near the entire downtown area). The real niche, is the posters like yourself (and the person I originally quoted) who attempt (or manage) to avoid tourists or who ‘hate crowds’ but still find themselves living in a large city which is known for its tourism.

It’s no secret I’ve been living here for 15 years (minus almost two years in NYC) - or that I grew up in the Bay Area (outside of SF). I’m well aware of how the world works (as well as public forums and tourism - lol). That said, I enjoy hearing others’ positive aspects of living here (and, of course, they aren’t the same as mine); but we all know some people have other (immature) motivations as well (as evidenced by all the photos depicting homeless people, etc.) It’s alright, though - I get it.