Chicagoans who relocated to SF: (San Francisco, Marina: transferring to, neighborhoods, private school)

[breathee]

Have hit a Chicago wall and seriously considering transferring to San Fran this summer.
At the same time, afraid of losing my affordable place in the Loop and the urban feeling.

Questions:
1. Do you miss Chicago? Do you love SF? How long were you in each city?
2. Seems like everyone has a car in SF? How long are the average wait times for public transportation? Is it just buses and trolleys? How long does it take to get around the city?
3. Is there an equivalent of the Loop, River North, and Lincoln Park respectively? What is there to do in SF besides go to art events? What do YOU do on weekends vs. what you used to on weekends in Chicago? I know there is nothing to do in Chicago, besides what I've been doing the last three years...I just need something more fun. Is SF more fun?
4. Is it predominantly artists and techies? No experience with/don't know what techies are like, but afraid I will miss seeing yuppies everywhere. No, not even being sarcastic.
5. How diverse are the people you encounter in your daily, then weekend life?
6. What is the student culture like?

Thank you!

EDIT: Would it be feasible to bike around the city? How often does it rain?

[MikeNigh]

Unless you have a particular affinity for San Fran (west coast vs east coast?) I think Philly would be a better match in your case considering you don't care about the tech scene, cost is a factor, and you want to keep the urban feel. Philly has yuppie neighborhoods, college neighborhoods, mixes of both, and is far more bikeable than San Fran. Biking is a major mode of transportation in philly actually. Otherwise very diverse.

[breathee]

@MikeNigh Don't have a particular affinity, other than it's different from Chicago, but no chance I am leaving Chicago for Philly.

[pch1013]

Not everyone has a car in SF, but it's not like Manhattan either. It's perfectly feasible to get around SF without one. Many people do rely on bikes -- there are flat routes connecting most parts of the city, you just have to learn where they are.

Most years it rains about 1 day out of every 3 from November to March. It occasionally rains in October and April, but almost never between May and September.

San Franciscans fancy themselves an outdoorsy bunch, so on weekends many people head out of town to bike, hike, camp, wine-taste, etc. For those who remain, there are lots of festivals & other events to occupy them, at least in the summer months. The foodie and "drinkie" scene (for lack of a better word -- artisanal cocktails etc) is very strong and keeps a lot of people busy.

And if you hang out in the Marina or Cow Hollow, you'll see yuppies to your heart's content.

[NorCal Dude]

Born chicago raised around glen ellyn and wheaton.

Moved to Ca when I was 13 in 1996.

I miss the food and the types of people the most.

I don't like sf or the bay all that, much. It's more of a 'make do' type of area for me.

Most people have a car in the bay. Even sf. You dont need one and many dont have one. But public trans is less effecient in sf and the bay, so having one makes getting around more easy.

The equivalent of the neighborhoods you have listed are basically the equivalent of downtown sf and the neighborhoods to the north east of downtown.

What do I do? Boink the wife, take care of the kids, run errands, go to a ball game, take the fa m to a movie, etc.

Sf has all the stuff as any other city. With more tolerable weather than chi.
Chicago is way more fun, in my opinion.

The population is a mix of chinese, aging*yuppies, tech bros, scenesters, trustafarians, and homeless/the insane.

Not really more diverse than chicago, and only slightly less segregated. People do tend to tolerate each other a bit more tho.

Student culture is not big. Usf is a private school and sfsu is a commuter school.

But there seen to be a lot of college aged people in sf. Not as much as chicago but it is there.

It is a biking city, but dangerous. Way more hit and runs in sf.

[rca215]

Originally Posted by breathee

Have hit a Chicago wall and seriously considering transferring to San Fran this summer.
At the same time, afraid of losing my affordable place in the Loop and the urban feeling.

Questions:
1. Do you miss Chicago? Do you love SF? How long were you in each city?
2. Seems like everyone has a car in SF? How long are the average wait times for public transportation? Is it just buses and trolleys? How long does it take to get around the city?
3. Is there an equivalent of the Loop, River North, and Lincoln Park respectively? What is there to do in SF besides go to art events? What do YOU do on weekends vs. what you used to on weekends in Chicago? I know there is nothing to do in Chicago, besides what I've been doing the last three years...I just need something more fun. Is SF more fun?
4. Is it predominantly artists and techies? No experience with/don't know what techies are like, but afraid I will miss seeing yuppies everywhere. No, not even being sarcastic.
5. How diverse are the people you encounter in your daily, then weekend life?
6. What is the student culture like?

Thank you!

EDIT: Would it be feasible to bike around the city? How often does it rain?

Lived in Chicago for 4 years and moved here about a year ago.

1. I miss some aspects of Chicago, but mostly just the people and places that I really liked. There are tons of both in SF so it's just about the very specific places. I also miss the abundance of affordable taxis, the overall lower cost of living, and the L (but I don't live near BART or the non-bus Muni).

2. It seems to me that fewer people in SF have a car as compared to Chicago, but I knew almost no one without one in Chicago. Street parking is much worse here in my experience. In terms of public transit, the buses are pretty similar to in Chicago. I don't take the trains here enough to know how wait times are, but the network is far less extensive than it is in Chicago. It can take a while to get around the city, but it is so much more compact than Chicago that I don't really notice it. Despite the hills, I think walking and biking are both better here. Nice weather helps.

3. The financial district is similar-ish to the Loop, but much smaller. But it's also closer to other cool areas than the Loop is, in my opinion. SOMA might be River North-like, but not as developed. Lincoln Park is pretty similar to large swathes of San Francisco in terms of dense, beautiful residential streets with abundant pockets of upscale commercial but without the college/frat culture of LP (except the Marina and nearby areas). San Francisco has basically all of the same things to do as Chicago, and most large cities in general, but maybe less of it overall due to relative size. Plenty of restaurants, bars, art, museums, parks, beaches, festivals/events, sports, etc. The one biggest difference is the greater variety of outdoor options here, both due to the beautiful landscape and less severe weather. Hiking and stuff like that is the biggest difference in my non-work life between the two locations. But I can't say whether SF is more fun because I don't know what you consider fun.

4. No shortage of yuppies.

5. Far fewer black people but far more Asian people in San Francisco, at least where I spend most of my time. Otherwise, I think they're generally equally diverse.

6. No clue.

The biking infrastructure and lower level of driver craziness seem better in San Francisco. I thought Chicago was generally too dangerous to bike in, but I bike here. The hills can be a challenge, but you learn flatter routes in many cases.

Almost no rain for as long as I've lived here, but there's a crazy drought right now. In general, it seems rain is more seasonal, so long stretches without rain are common.

In my opinion, the biggest difference between Chicago and San Francisco is the natural environment. Hills, water on three sides, and an extremely temperate climate give the place an incredibly different feel (that I really, really like). That is in part due to how the city developed physically, which I think gives it a slightly less urban feel.