Life as a San Francisco Resident (Orange: real estate, apartment, new house)

[InternationalOrange]

I’m moving to SF this spring, and feel like I’m prepared for the economic reality of living there. I will be staying with a friend in the Castro until I find an apartment. When I first visited SF on vacation several years ago, I loved the city, but admit I was also seeing it through a tourist’s eyes. I know SF living isn’t going to be cable cars and sourdough bread. I will be working full-time and dealing with some of the same things (traffic, public transit, noise) I dealt with while living for 15 years in downtown Boston. I am looking forward to not having snow! I know most everything in life has its pros and cons. Curious to hear some of the goods/bads you’ve experienced as residents of SF – things that a tourist wouldn’t necessarily experience. Thanks.

[AngusHsu]

Pro:

The city with all the vistas of the hills never gets old and I feel very comfortable in my skin here. Neighborhoods are so different that you will bound to find some area you like.

Con: The daily grind experience and sentiment still occurs. Tourists may not know that some neighborhoods are super clean and run the gamut to super dirty.

[legal_eagle]

You'll miss warm weather, especially in the summer. The logistical grind of getting anything done will be annoying but you'll resign yourself to it. You'll enjoy the ease of getting great food cheaply. You'll start to look down on any place outside of our 49 square miles.

[SunDevil1212]

You might not have the same problem coming from Boston, but I moved from the desert of Arizona and I can say every now and then the endless 60-something degree days get old. In my last year here, I believe there were precisely 3 days total that I did not put a jacket on at some point during the day. One of those was just this last weekend, on Saturday. Don't get me wrong, the weather has more positives than negatives, but if you like your sunny, warm summer days - true summer days, where you can leave the house in a t-shirt, shorts and sandals and not worry about getting cold once the sun goes down - don't expect many of them here.

But overall, I love living here. The only other thing that kinda sucks is the realization that real estate is so damn expensive that unless I hit the lottery I'll never be able to buy a house here. That hangs over a lot of people's heads - at least the younger folks that are trying to figure out the next stage of their lives.

[Isebiel]

Surprise Pros:
People are very friendly.

Walking around the city is wonderful. Lovely views all the time, perfect walking weather, very pedestrian-friendly city.

Tons of fun stuff happening all the time. I have never been so busy in my life.

There are, in fact, noticeable seasons. Even though the temperature doesn't change all that much, the sunlight, plants, and animals all go through seasonal changes. I thought it was going to be the same all the time, with maybe a little variation in fog/rain, but no, it's more interesting than that.

Surprise Cons:
I had a lot of trouble at first with shopping to set up a new household. It's not that I can't get stuff, it's that most stores are little specialty places (which is nice... but...) I can't easily determine who stocks what. I had to travel all the heck over the place to get what would normally be accomplished with one trip to a mall or a big box chain.

Dressing right for the weather is really fiddly. In the midwest, everything is either EXTREME (outside) or artificially controlled room temperature. So outside you dress for the extreme and deal with it, and inside you are fine. Here it's always riiiiiiiiight around comfortable, both indoors and out, but maybe not exactly. A breeze picks up and I'm too cold. Or the sun comes out and I walk the hills for a while, and I'm too hot. Or I travel a few miles in any direction, and the weather will swing 10 degrees. Same thing as time passes during the day. I spend a lot of time a little too warm or too cool.

Other than walking (or biking, I suppose) it can take an unexpectedly long time to get anywhere. Do not believe the google maps predictions or transit schedules.

Originally Posted by legal_eagle

You'll start to look down on any place outside of our 49 square miles.

Is this a pro or a con?

[mayorhaggar]

You can't prepare for living in SF, you just kinda have to do it and you'll pick it up as you go along.

[bmw335xi]

Originally Posted by InternationalOrange

I’m moving to SF this spring, and feel like I’m prepared for the economic reality of living there. I will be staying with a friend in the Castro until I find an apartment. When I first visited SF on vacation several years ago, I loved the city, but admit I was also seeing it through a tourist’s eyes. I know SF living isn’t going to be cable cars and sourdough bread. I will be working full-time and dealing with some of the same things (traffic, public transit, noise) I dealt with while living for 15 years in downtown Boston. I am looking forward to not having snow! I know most everything in life has its pros and cons. Curious to hear some of the goods/bads you’ve experienced as residents of SF – things that a tourist wouldn’t necessarily experience. Thanks.

I actually liked San Francisco MORE after I moved here. I loved it as a tourist, but really loved it as a resident. There's so many hidden gems around the city, you wouldn't know about as a tourist. I also find for a large city, the people are very friendly and educated. It's nice talking to people who've actually been overseas or aren't afraid to try exotic foods.

[SunDevil1212]

Originally Posted by bmw335xi

I actually liked San Francisco MORE after I moved here. I loved it as a tourist, but really loved it as a resident. There's so many hidden gems around the city, you wouldn't know about as a tourist. I also find for a large city, the people are very friendly and educated. It's nice talking to people who've actually been overseas or aren't afraid to try exotic foods.

Totally agree - there's so many awesome neighborhoods off the tourist-path that are fun to explore. And your comment about the "hidden gems" is spot on. You'll find great little mini-parks, public staircases, alleyways, murals, and areas where you can escape the city. The other day I was hiking along the trails on Mt Sutro - it was like being lost in the forest (okay maybe that's a bit of an exaggeration, but you get my point...). I didn't come across anyone else for at least 20 minutes, and this was on a Sunday with great weather. And that's right in the heart of the city. I've also been in parts of Golden Gate Park, the Presidio, Lands End, and wondered where the hell all the people are.

I love that you can explore and hunt out your own private little spots to relax and get some peace of mind. It's like being a little kid again.

[tcave360]

Anymore interesting perspectives on life in the Golden City and the rest of the Bay Area?

[wooliemonster]

Sometimes I wonder if I am the only person on this board to start a relocation thread, actually follow through with the relocation, and continue to post.