Why Doesn't SF Smile? (San Jose, Oakland: real estate, lease, limousine)

[EclecticEars]

Originally Posted by DaveGl

So what. It's Texas. Not Texass. I'm glad to be back in Houston.

For me:

General SF Bay Area > Houston > Texas in general > San Francisco

The Bay Area, away from SF, can be a very redeeming place to live. My feelings toward SF have become less "hard" over the course of a year, but I'm still not enthralled with "the city." Beautiful settings, interesting neighborhoods and not as dirty as people make it out to be, but much of the populace is surly and snobby (which applies to the whole SFBA to an extent, and that would likely be an ultimate reason for me to leave the area if I ever became tired of that element). SF thinks very, very highly of itself and likes to put itself on a pedestal with NYC, London, Paris, and Tokyo, when in fact L.A. is the California city that can complete with those alphas.

I think I'd really enjoy living in Houston, also. Different from the Bay Area, to be sure, but with many of the same multicultural attributes and a surprisingly urban (to people who don't know Houston) Inner Loop. Houston summers can suck, but then I also grew up back in the South. I think I'd like Austin and Ft. Worth, too, and have liked my visits. As a whole, however, I would still pick California over Texas, but I don't get all the hate Californians have toward Texas and vice versa. (I'll concede that San Antonio hasn't impressed me, however, yet my jury is still out on San Diego.)

I will also add in comparing the two states (and I'll just plug Texas in with the South for the sake of this argument) that Texas/Southern women are far superior to California women. Sorry, Californians, they just are. I've met some nice California 20-somethings, but most'a them are just very self-absorbed. Too bad the Southern chicks tend to get married at age 21-28--it's that Bible Belt peer pressure.

But back to the Bay: Did you get to check out Oakland? Alameda? Towns on the peninsula such as Half Moon Bay, San Mateo, Redwood City and Palo Alto? How about wineries in Napa, Sonoma or Livermore? Did you venture over to Sausalito, Tiburon and Stinson Beach? I'm just curious, even though I'm sure you realize that the Bay Area is much more than "the city."

[ambient]

What makes people think that it's an intelligent idea to stereotype the emotions of millions of individuals who happen to live in the same city?

[dalparadise]

What is this city competition and what are the rules? I had no idea LA was doing so well in this game.

[eureka1]

The OP was here on a one-day day trip, not even overnight. His/her observations should be given the weight they are due.

[Jink]

I'd love to go back to SF, though I feel I'd only be happy there with my girlfriend. If I were alone in SF, I'd be beyond depressed. I don't know what it is, but there's some eerie feeling I get when I'm there. I like it a lot, it's just... hmm.. can't put my finger on it. Anyways, with that said, I'll be there in about a month or so to visit the girlfriend. Can't wait. The people we've encountered there have been mostly nice. There have only been a few exceptions. Can't complain too much.

I'm from good ole Austin, TX, by the way!

[DMenscha]

The reason they don't smile in SF is because they don't live in Calaveras County.

[rkwalton]

I think you're right in some ways. I grew up in L.A. but moved to San Francisco for law school in the mid-90s. I felt then it was a pretty friendly place BUT that could have just been me being warm and not realizing the real deal here. Well, years later after living abroad, living in NYC and just traveling a lot, I do feel that San Franciscans aren't the warmest bunch. I don't think they're unfriendly per se. It's more that they're insular and a bit awkward with strangers. Just for history, I moved back here for a couple of months in 2009, then left for NYC and moved back almost a year ago in 2011.

I noticed that when I came back. I'd go to networking or social events, and I have no issues going solo to these sorts of things as the point is you'll meet new people. That's worked for me in other spots, so why not? I went to a few events and people pretty much talk to people they know exclusively. I mean at a networking event the host will usually introduce you to a few people. Since I'm fine with talking to new people that works, but for purely social events it's odd. I was out with a girlfriend last night and she's from here and she noticed the same thing. It's not San Francisco bashing per se but I do think San Franciscans simply aren't the warmest bunch. I'll give New Yorkers this, at an event that's set up to meet new people folks will talk and you can come away with new friends and connections. I know this is true because I moved to NYC not knowing a soul and came away with not only friends but a business. Here it's been much harder to get back into things and I lived here before. There are some interesting dynamics here. However, other things make it worth it for me to live here again. The social skills of a lot of the people here isn't really one of them though.

[jupiler]

Originally Posted by guy1

I noticed I got stressed out right away when I drove into the city. The traffic was very intense, and finding affordable parking was not happening! I found relatively inexpensive parking, but it was a 15 minute walk from my destination.

And then I had a bunch of homeless and deranged people and panhandlers yelling at me, or someone else.

I was thinking 'man, what a pain!'

I'm sorry you had bad start. The negative energy simply proliferated downstream. It's a bit of a self-fulfilling prophecy.

I've visited SF about 5 times. Each time as I enter the city, I feel a sense of liberation from the diversity, laid back pace, and friendly people I come across (mostly strangers). I think because I have a positive attitude here, it helps me enjoy all that it has to offer.

[ccm123]

SF is a big city and has big city manners and behavior, or the lack of them. Typical of most other big cities globally.

[tstieber]

I've noticed that the people in the City are generally much more 'flat' than they were, say, in the 90s. I think part of it is the current work culture, which is fairly intense, as well as the cost of living pushing out the quirky element of the population (which I may not belong to myself but greatly appreciate). It's like everyone's a zombie. I also think technology is so pervasive here that people spend more time on their iPhones than they do talking to people. EVeryone's in their own little private sphere, and there are so many tech companies that it attracts boring, nerdy people who think they're really cool but sadly aren't. I am starting to see a thawing out of those trend though (for example, people aren't posting photos of their burritos on Facebook, or even using Facebook as often as a few years ago), so hopefully, that'll improve again. Another factor, IMHO, is that Gen Y is much more self-absorbed, annoying, and boring, than Gen X. The new crop of young adults often seems extrarordinarily uninteresting, and who could blame them as a product of the 90s and 2000s, which were culturally stagnant decades.

Those may be harsh words towards large segments of the population, but my point is that demographics are shifting as the population ages, and I think SF is, much like NYC, replacing it's unique culture with standardized, bland culture, and this translates to less friendliness.