How does San Francisco compare with Seattle? (Oakland, Fremont: neighborhood, contractor)

[jman650]

Originally Posted by bigdumbgod

While Santana Row is indeed obnoxious, it is not in downtown SJ.

And that right there is just one more example of why I have that a$$clown on "ignore." His misinformation is not only limited to SF, but now apparently he's an expert on the entire Bay Area! Congratulations SJ, andy is your problem now too!

I do find it somewhat amusing though, when he makes geographical errors in his attempts to bash a place. I'm waiting for the East Coast to wind up in his crosshairs so we can hear about how ugly the Washington Monument is in Philly.

[jman650]

Originally Posted by tstieber

Obnoxious, yes, pretentious, yes, but they have loads of restaurants with big outdoor patios, so the Friday night atmostphere to walk around and sit outside is one thing SF doesn't have.

I agree in part b/c SJ will have many more of those Friday nights to enjoy in warmer weather. But during a normal year there are still quite a few to be enjoyed that way in North Beach and along the Embarcadero.

[durf]

San Jose: downtown + Santana Row + Willow Glen= kills San Francisco.

[jade408]

Originally Posted by durf

San Jose: downtown + Santana Row + Willow Glen= kills San Francisco.

That's a joke. Sorry, I do not agree. (Although Willow Glen is one of the only SF neighborhoods I would live in.) That doesn't best Rockridge + Uptown + Grand Lake in Oakland.

Generally, San Jose lacks authenticity. And that's the reason people bash it here on city-data, and all over the bay area. Santana Row (and Dowtown SJ to an extent) exhibit that completely. For example, since Santana Row is a private development, those restaurants would be hard-pressed to change their format or make modifications to the patios. That vibe could be recreated in any plot of land with a reasonable feeder area of well-off to affluent residents. There is nothing that says "San Jose" about any of those areas (save Willow Glen). People are attracted to SF because much of the neighborhood vibe is organic, not fabricated. And you can't create "natural" overnight. I'd like to visit Santana Row 10 years from now and see what vibe remains.

[Gentoo]

Originally Posted by jade408

That's a joke. Sorry, I do not agree. (Although Willow Glen is one of the only SF neighborhoods I would live in.) That doesn't best Rockridge + Uptown + Grand Lake in Oakland.

Generally, San Jose lacks authenticity. And that's the reason people bash it here on city-data, and all over the bay area. Santana Row (and Dowtown SJ to an extent) exhibit that completely. For example, since Santana Row is a private development, those restaurants would be hard-pressed to change their format or make modifications to the patios. That vibe could be recreated in any plot of land with a reasonable feeder area of well-off to affluent residents. There is nothing that says "San Jose" about any of those areas (save Willow Glen). People are attracted to SF because much of the neighborhood vibe is organic, not fabricated. And you can't create "natural" overnight. I'd like to visit Santana Row 10 years from now and see what vibe remains.

I agree with this completely! San Jose has the least amount of character of any city I've been to save maybe certain places in San Diego and Riverside Counties.

[rainierman]

joke:
SF = L.A. with fog
SEA = L.A. with rain

SF is WAY more fun than Seattle and will economically recover quicker and sooner than Seattle. It's always been that way. But Seattle is currently more stable and more affordable than SF at this time. California's economy is more innovative/dynamic and therefore affects the country more directly while Washington and Oregon bunny-rope along and used to be the last few states in the nation to boom after the 1980's recession.

I'm a native Yawker who went to college in Seattle, lived 4 years in SoMa/South Beach with no car, sold my condo in 10 days back in the heyday, bought homes in WA & OR. I have a much better quality of yuppie-life in the PacNW, but I really miss those crazy days & nights living in SF. My bed had so many 'friends' on it, I wanted to burn it before I moved. I STILL keep in touch with two girls from that time, one a former stripper now an attorney, another in project mgt. Seattle is more mello, sort of hand-in-pocket small-townie 'how r ya' but just as friendly and considerate. SF is simply a VERY active and cohesive community where chatting with strangers is part of the experience. I'd stay start in SF, move to Seattle to upgrade your living standard.

[durf]

jade408, Willow Glen in SF? I didn't know there's one in SF. Downtown SJ is authentic as it gets! The best downtown around. However, with that said, SF totals Seattle. Seattle is like SF back in 1973.

[04kL4nD]

Stop mentioning downtown San Jose in this thread. It's a freaking joke compared to either city and nobody asked anything about it in the first place

[Gentoo]

Originally Posted by 04kL4nD

Stop mentioning downtown San Jose in this thread. It's a freaking joke compared to either city and nobody asked anything about it in the first place

Thank you!

[Woof]

Ellis Ave, Tenderloin. Maybe mid-90s. If you dialed 911, it would take 20-30 minutes just to talk to the operator, and then it might take a coupla hours for the cops to show up. Thugs from Oakland would roam the hallways at night, trying to pry open the mailboxes, and would knock on doors waiting with upraised bottles for you to open it. Seattle was never that bad! But even so, it was more fun to walk around and see the sights, talk to strangers etc than Seattle.