10 things I won't miss about SV (Berkeley, Campbell: middle-class, crime, mortgage)

[treedonkey]

I'll be moving away from the Silicon Valley, to another state, in just a few months. This has been a fine place to live for the past decade or so, and there are many things I will miss, but here are the top ten things I won't miss about the area:
1) Unaffordable Housing - Even with the housing glut, I still can't get into a an average family home for under $600k, bare minimum. A bay area salary has never made the mortgage worth it.
2) Drivers - I like to do 55-60 in the 55 zone on the Guadalupe Fwy, but most other drivers seem to want me dead for it.
3) Lack of Personal Space - I am often feeling my personal space invaded, especially in lines at the store and such in my predominantly Asian and Indian neighborhood. Nothing against those nationalities, really, but I think those cultures tend to have a different sense of personal space than I do.
4) Body Odor - usually from curry and other exotic spices (again, sorry if that sounds racist)
5) The weather - I do appreciate sunshine and warmth and all, but I'm ready for some variety, not to mention some rain.
6) Google Shirts - Okay, I get it, you have a really good job. What else you got?
7) Rampant Materialism - Santana Row - need I say more?
8) Tech talk - I have to hear it all day, at work, fine, but can we find something else to talk about when we're not at work. Try sports or the weather, like the rest of the country.
9) Earthquakes - they are kind of exciting, but I can do without them.
10) Beamers, Lexi, and Audis everywhere - maybe this is the same as #2 and #7 above though.

[hsw]

LOL....

Have lived/worked in Manhattan, SF and LA...and visited many major US/EU business cities over the yrs.....they're each mockable in different ways...amusing how many "natives" of large cities tend to be provincial and ill-informed re: other cities/other suburban corridors in own urban region, despite claiming to be sophisticated....

E.g., even within SF region, many mockable diffces and vast cultural changes seen amongst City of SF (even its more affluent, conservative PacHts area vs SOMA); SF Peninsula (Woodside/Atherton/PA crowd vs the many slums along 101); EastBay (esp all the high-crime cities along Bay vs Berkeley socialists vs 24/680 corridor's aspirational middle-class); and deep in SV, which quickly becomes very similar to OC as one heads much South of Stanford....and many of the diffces are socio-economic....

Can draw many similar, amusing parallels if one dissects any vast, sprawling, dynamic urban region like NYC/LA/Chic, etc....

[Katimae]

Originally Posted by treedonkey

I'll be moving away from the Silicon Valley, to another state, in just a few months. This has been a fine place to live for the past decade or so, and there are many things I will miss, but here are the top ten things I won't miss about the area:
1) Unaffordable Housing - Even with the housing glut, I still can't get into a an average family home for under $600k, bare minimum. A bay area salary has never made the mortgage worth it.
2) Drivers - I like to do 55-60 in the 55 zone on the Guadalupe Fwy, but most other drivers seem to want me dead for it.
3) Lack of Personal Space - I am often feeling my personal space invaded, especially in lines at the store and such in my predominantly Asian and Indian neighborhood. Nothing against those nationalities, really, but I think those cultures tend to have a different sense of personal space than I do.
4) Body Odor - usually from curry and other exotic spices (again, sorry if that sounds racist)
5) The weather - I do appreciate sunshine and warmth and all, but I'm ready for some variety, not to mention some rain.
6) Google Shirts - Okay, I get it, you have a really good job. What else you got?
7) Rampant Materialism - Santana Row - need I say more?
8) Tech talk - I have to hear it all day, at work, fine, but can we find something else to talk about when we're not at work. Try sports or the weather, like the rest of the country.
9) Earthquakes - they are kind of exciting, but I can do without them.
10) Beamers, Lexi, and Audis everywhere - maybe this is the same as #2 and #7 above though.

Amen! These are all the things I complain about daily out here, I'll add my own to that:

1. Crappy Public Transportation- Seriously, I am stuck standing in the train every day but they all say they don't have enough ridership to clean or maintain them.
2. "I'm not too worried about it" mentality- Honestly, if I hear this phrase again I'll scream
3. Everything opening late and closing early and nobody ever being on time... UUUGGHHH!!!!
4. The beggars- seriously, the homeless, the shelters, the environmentalists and everyone else asking for money on every street corner and in every parking lot and in front of the stores gets exhausting.
5. The Body Odor from people who just never wear deodorant.
6. The freezing cold nights and mornings- Who thought we'd need heat in July?
7. Half the population doesn't speak a word of English- I just hate getting stuck behind people who can't figure out what the clerk is saying to complete their transaction.
8. The "entitled" attitude- people out here think 7 figure salaries, huge homes and luxury cars are their birthright.
9. The drivers- I think they are trying to run over all the pedestrians... cross walk? stop sign? red light? They aren't too worried about it.
10. The way EVERYTHING takes forever out here. Doctor appointment- Minimum 3 hours. Grocery store visit- at least an hour. Dinner out- about 3 hours. Between the traffic, the slow people, the people who don't speak English, people showing up late, and pathetic service your time is just sucked away.

I'm working on getting out... slowly but surely I'll do it. Good luck to you in your new home. I hope it's all you need and are wishing for!

[ew3074]

I think I am fine with #2,#6 and #10
#2: I am a speeder
#6: Google is like what people wanna work at
#10: I like luxury cars, and I don't see a problem people driving a fancy car

Anyways, good luck moving to another state...That helps the traffic here

[CivicEx2000]

earthquakes? come on you cant complain about those! its not even like they happen often, and i'd take the occasional earthquake over the hurricanes, tornados, and floods that happen each year in other parts of the country.

[treedonkey]

Originally Posted by CivicEx2000

earthquakes? come on you cant complain about those! its not even like they happen often, and i'd take the occasional earthquake over the hurricanes, tornados, and floods that happen each year in other parts of the country.

I'm not complaining about earthquakes - but why would I miss having them? I don't want to experience those other disasters either though, which is why I'm not moving to tornado country.

[mrzod]

Originally Posted by treedonkey

I'm not complaining about earthquakes - but why would I miss having them? I don't want to experience those other disasters either though, which is why I'm not moving to tornado country.

Haha, nice one

[krudmonk]

If all earthquakes were like that one in Alum Rock some months back, I'd probably miss them. That was a good one.

[sonarrat]

I was in the middle of rehearsing with a choir in Campbell at the time of that Alum Rock quake. You can imagine the screaming was pretty rich and full.

[AA702]

I grew up in SV, and I really loved my childhood there when it was very affordable, jobs were abundant and the school system was very good. I still visit from time to time because I have friends and family there, but it is not the same place I remember it as. I moved 5 years ago because it was already hard then, and I wanted to own a home and live in a tax friendly state. The city I live in now isn't perfect, but its has put me in a more comfortable place in my pocketbook. The difference between the Haves and Have nots in SV is very wide and its very hard for the regular joe to get ahead.