Los Angeles vs. San Francisco vs. San Diego (homicide, populations, cons)
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LA has the largest Seaport on the Western Hemisphere and handles most trade for the country.
It also has the Busiest Airport on the West Coast due to Passengers, and Luggage.
It is also the "Entertainment Capital of the World'. It has Hollywood which is one reason why i would choose LA over the two other cities because Hollywood is where most of the Teens and Children and some Adults are influenced on what to where and most movies are shot there.
I don't see these things being particularly relevant to most individuals' daily lives. Also, I find some of these things negative.
It also has alot of Tourist spots like Disneyland, universal Studios, Hollywood, The Observatory, Santa monica Pier, Malibu, Rodeo Dr, and LA Live.
How often do people honestly go to these places? Also, these attractions are pretty accessible from San Diego. San Diego = all the LA attractions without ever having to live in LA.
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Los Angeles is also placed in the best location, great driving distances to SF, SD, and LV.
SF, LA, and SD all have great destinations for trips. I mean, San Diegans can literally take the trolley to a different country. Downtown is 25mins from a different country. SF has a whole different metro (Sacramento), plus beautiful mountains and coasts.
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LA is also important because this is where the first automobiles were started in America.
Any updates or changes in opinion? I think SF has gotten a lot more expensive and even more tech dominated since 2009. LA keeps getting more crowded and more expensive, now even more of a hipster and Youtuber / social media "influencer" mecca than it was in 2009, and a lot more homeless and related issues. Not sure about SD.
Overall, San Francisco. Best architecture and natural setting, lots of sites and activities, and a good mass transit system. CONS: high cost of living and coldest of the 3. Los Angeles is good for culture, entertainment, and excitement, but is sprawling and has bad freeway traffic. However the METRO system is expanding, and you already don't need a car for areas like Downtown and Hollywood. San Diego is the most livable out of the 3, since it has a lower cost of living than the other two. It's also more family friendly, while the other 2 are more for the single, urban, cosmopolitan lifestyle. San Diego is also more "American" and conservative, while the other two are more liberal and feel like you're in another country (LA is like Asia or Latin America, while SF is like a mix of Asia and Europe).
Love how American and liberal are contradictory terms in your mind.
I did DTLA this last time I was there (like about a week ago) and it was hopping. Stopped in The Last Bookstore, a rooftop bar, and a restaurant, and walked around the area. Actually really liked it. One of my friends (though I think she may be stretching it) even went so far as to say that DTLA outperforms downtown Chicago in terms of nightlife. IDK about that, but DTLA was pretty cool. Definitely would check it out again sometime.
I think downtown LA might be Chicago in the caliber of nightlife. Ie: A few places where the rich and famous party, where regular folk stand in a line all night and don't get in. I donno about Downtown Chicago. In the actual loop area it seemed really dead at night. Like all the businesses close, and it empties out. But the immediate surrounding neighborhoods are hopping.
LA is just hard for outsiders to "get" because there are so many smaller nodes of nightlife, that serve each area. Santa Monica, Venice, Culver City, Silver Lake, Downtown, WeHo, K-Town. Nightlife is just all over the place.
LA native. Been to all three many times. I prefer SF hands down over LA/SD but I would personally pick NYC above any city in the country.
SF has the best air quality and surrounding eco-system in the country. I love the beauty of the North Beach, Nob Hill, Presidio and Marin County(Sausalito), I love the hipness of Haight Ashbury.....SF is unique in a way that it has urban feeling(Financial District, Union Square....) without the expense of sacrificing natural beauty.
Lived near/in all three cities. Northern Californian and Bay Area almost since birth and very connected to SF since the mid-sixties, LA in the ‘80s and SD since the ‘90s and so have seen each city evolve over the decades.
SF used to be a damn near perfect, my proud city I was connected to for decades. A magical city. It yet still holds a part of that magic merely by its beautiful setting and delightfully dense yet mostly low-rise infrastructure. It is now however a bit of a pretty (disheveled) shell of its former self. So much of its formerly approachable sidewalks and neighborhoods throughout the city are now fouled by an entrenched, filthy, criminal and violent homeless population. SF has the highest property crime in the nation now because of it. As in nearly the entire West Coast and certainly this state, homeless people are absolutely free from any threat of prosecution or consequences to their illegal acts and thus barge, steal, shoot up and sheet in our communities as one would expect them to. The middle class is gone and what you’ve got left is more than a few hanger-oners in rent controlled units and a selfish, über rich tech crowd that would never deign themselves to actually connect with the heart of the city. SF will continue to get even worse because of the entrenched policies and leaders in that city who will never actually confront its critical issues head on.
LA used to be the worst city, I moved to Hollywood in 1979, damn near its cultural and political nadir, smog, ****ty streets, the Hollywood sign falling down etc. Now it’s a freaking great city, its grave but unlike SF nonviolent homeless population notwithstanding. It’s one of my favorite cities to visit- as long as I rarely if ever get in a car and hopefully never drive. DTLA is awesome, a little scruffy to be sure but the bars and restaurants are off the hook! The museums are amazing, The Broad, The Getty’s, LACMA, The Huntington, The Geffen(s), The Hammer, Hauser & Wirth etc. the music and theater venues... Walking through dt to the Toy District and then the Arts District is like being in a vibrant foreign country. So many amazing neighborhoods to explore. We always take the train and then transit or walk and maybe a ride share or two to get all over the the city. Yeah, the subway and the busses and always leave amazed, ready for our next visit and adventure. I don’t know about living there, cuz I would most certainly have to drive and then I would absolutely hate it. I’ve had projects in the city and driving to it, through it and desperately away from it could not be more stressful.
San Diego, well now, there is a beautiful, beachy and fun enough city. There is no way I would ever be able to achieve the perfection I have here in any other city that I would actually wish to reside in for less that a few million dollars.
A beautiful historic house on a wild canyon in a ridiculously cool neighborhood chalk full of friendly folks, great pubs and restaurants a couple minutes walk out my door, walking distance to downtown and several other vibrant core neighborhoods. In 15-45 minutes I can be swimming with the sharks in La Jolla, surfing the waves, clamoring the rocks in the desert or camping in the mountains. A fun and completely approachable vibrant downtown, best ballpark, great theater (no other city pushes forward to Broadway more plays) museums and restaurants and the safest big city in the country- ain’t nothing bad gonna happen to me here. My car is parked and growing cobwebs and yet I am moving and having a blast all over the city on E-Bikes, E-Scooters, walking, transit and cheap (rarely going any distance) ride share.
If its not quite enough, we just go to LA. SF, well I just prefer to remember how amazing it used to be.
My favorite for the longest was San Francisco but after moving to LA, it's now my favorite. It's so hard to really see and fully understand what this city is about and has to offer unless you've lived here for a few years. I love that it's not a traditional city. It's quite unique imo and probably the most misunderstood city of them all.
Any updates or changes in opinion? I think SF has gotten a lot more expensive and even more tech dominated since 2009. LA keeps getting more crowded and more expensive, now even more of a hipster and Youtuber / social media "influencer" mecca than it was in 2009, and a lot more homeless and related issues. Not sure about SD.
San Francisco has dropped dramatically while Los Angeles has risen dramatically.
Whatever "cool" factor San Francisco had has completely evaporated. Remember Jefferson Airplane and Grateful Dead? Name a recent band that came out of San Francisco. L.A. is still the same L.A. of Jim Morrison, The Byrds, Guns and Roses, etc.
Los Angeles "getting crowded" is just having people in public spaces that were vacant a decade ago.
San Diego takes one step forward and one step back (expands metro rail while losing out on NFL, MLS).
Last edited by Losfrisco; 08-24-2019 at 10:49 AM..
I've read a LOT, lately, about the homeless problems in LA, and saw for myself, the devastating homeless problem in SF. I haven't been to San Diego, but it's never held appeal for me. Honestly, California in general, is not a state I would choose to live in...ever. The weather I would love, but beyond that...way too many issues.
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