Moving from LA to San Francisco (cultural differences between NorCal and SoCal?) (earthquake, living in)

[pch1013]

Originally Posted by BayAreaHillbilly

There are plenty of breast implants up here. Plenty of other plastic / cosmetic surgery, plenty of other types of fakery.

SoCal: boob implants.
NorCal: tattoos and piercings.

Vanity is expensive, no matter where you go.

[davdaven]

Originally Posted by pch1013

SoCal: boob implants.
NorCal: tattoos and piercings.

Sad but true. Probably the #2 reason for me to consider moving back to So Cal. (Number 1 is the cold summer nights up here. I've learned to accept them, but that doesn't mean I like them!)

And to you SFers who deny that SFers hate LA, all I have to say is that you need to get out more. The hatred goes way beyond the Giants/Dodgers thing. Some of the hatred might be misinterpreted smugness, but not all of it.

[04kL4nD]

I'd like to call BS on the SF/LA being a one sided rivalry. Whenever I'm down in LA, someone invariably has to make a smug/rude comment about SF either A) having lousy/foggy weather, B) having tons of crazy people, bums, and homeless, C) being insanely crowded, dirty, and overpriced. I happen to enjoy VISITING LA, so I try not to get caught up in that petty BS, but the idea that people in LA have nothing but love for SF is a lie. "How can we hate you when we forget you exist" is such a tired, predictable way of trying to get underneath someone's skin.

[GreenGirl]

I do think most of the LA haters are transplants. Not all of them, sure, but the people I've met who have a serious "I hate LA" issue moved to the Bay Area from somewhere else. It's like they're trying for local cred or something.

I would also like to reiterate the fact that we do not say "the" before highway numbers. Yeah, don't do that. For one thing, if you want to blend, it's a huge tell. It's as big a giveaway as using "Frisco" or calling a cable car a "trolly," neither of which are as annoying as the 101, or the 580. Yes, maybe because I'm starting to hear it bleed into traffic reports, that "the" is more annoying than "Frisco." While I do not have any negative feelings toward LA, the Bay Area is not LA, and that "the" is definitely an LA thing.

[EclecticEars]

I've lived very near San Francisco--San Mateo County, easy access to SF via BART--and Los Angeles--it's a straight shot to L.A. from central/south OC.

I like both the Bay Area and Orange County, but for different reasons. For instance, I am more politically liberatarian/conservative (think Rand Paul-ish), like 83 degrees and sunny in January, enjoy the nearby desert, and actually don't mind driving. So I like those things about Orange County. But I also like very fresh and cheap food on seemingly every block for 50 miles, the luxury of taking BART or Caltrain into SF (or BART on to Oakland), urban neighborhoods that are easier to get to know, and relatively unaltered coastline as close-by as Stinson Beach and Half Moon Bay. So I like those things about the SF Bay Area.

People wise...
-- Things just about "balance out," meaning you will find easy going people, neurotic people, easy-to-work-with people, PITA people, PETA people, gun nuts, etc. etc. in both areas.
-- Believe it or not, I have actually seen more attitude copped in public in San Mateo County (and SF, Silicon Valley, Oakland) than I have in Orange County (and nearby LA, Long Beach, north SD County). Maybe just my experience. I've also heard more horns blown in the Bay Area, and have had more horns blown at me there, than in OC. While my style of driving is very "OC," horns were blown at me in instances when I wasn't driving "OC" at all (seriously).
-- There are more people in the Bay Area who identify as "liberal," sure, and I personally don't mind, but some people who identify as "liberal" will either shun or tear apart (in a passive-aggressive way) any person who they even sense as having any conservative political ideals. By contrast, you really only find that in ares like WeHo, Westwood and Santa Monica in L.A. County, while the rest of the region is pretty "purple," meaning politically balanced. I definitely know these from experience! I'd like to point out that just in L.A. County, the aforementioned left leaning areas, in addition to Beverly Hills and Hollywood, are just within a few short miles of Porter Ranch (part of City of L.A.) and Santa Clarita, which are definitely right-leaning.
-- However, behind the scenes, both Bay Areans and SoCal'ers can be politically incorrect and off-color, much like about any place else in this country.
-- You'll find about an equal number of outgoing, how's-your-day-going types in both areas, as well as people who will just let the door slam in your face.
-- Customer service does tend to be somewhat better in the Bay altogether than in SoCal altogether.
-- The professional environment in the Bay Area is a little more, well..."professional" in demeanor. Not necessarily uptight--unless you work in financial services, some tech, or, to my surprise, non-profits, which can be pretty competitive for funds in the Bay--but more of just "let's get this and this done and beat that deadline." SoCal'ers can be very professional too in this regard (such as my current employer), but many employers in SoCal are not likely to even contact you after you've interviewed, or even after you've accepted an offer to interview, which I find especially rude.
-- People are more likely to give you a quick greeting in a park or on a trail in the Bay than in OC/SoCal, but I think only marginally.
-- San Francisco, Marin, and wealthier parts of San Mateo County up north have some real concentrations of just annoying, obnoxious, snobby, surly people. However, so do parts of south OC (namely Irvine and Newport), westside LA/Santa Monica, and La Jolla/Solana down south. But in both regions, you can also meet many immigrants just trying to "hack" their way in this country, many natives with the whole "I'm an blah-blah generation Californian" bent, plain ol' blue collar types, and other just non-materialistic people who don't run in snob circles.
-- Materialism in the Bay Area: where you went to college, where you shop for groceries, what causes you donate do, how actively you're trying to seek "enlightenment." Materialism in SoCal, especially OC: Mercedes, Audi, BMW, Chevy Tahoe, Porsche, trophy wives, more house in Coto de Caza than you can afford. However, SF does have a higher rate of people who undergo plastic surgery for some reason than LA or OC last I checked.
-- I actually found it more challenging to meet people in general in the Bay Area. A little more reserved culture, although not on par with, say, New England or Europe by any means. Not a bad thing, but I guess maybe Bay folks, at least native Bay folks, actually want to see that you have some commitment to the area before they really warm up, although they can still be polite and pleasant in passing. By contrast, SoCal'ers always want to "get together" but can be quite fleeting, certainly more fleeting than up north.
-- SoCal DOES beat the Bay Area in the women category. If you can navigate the stuck up women in some areas, you can also find those that aren't. By contrast, I always felt like Bay Area women wanted to prove how "strong," "independent," and "liberal" they are, which gets tiresome quick, but again, a generalization. But you can pick out a few liberal women without axes to grind that you can have intelligent conversations with, something I've found lacking in SoCal. Lastly, at least in SoCal, the stuck up women are actually looking for men to support their habits; I don't really like that anymore than the whole "strong, independent, blah blah" mantra, but at least some princess can be pretty satisfied as long as she's showered with gifts.

Lastly, I enjoy checking out the towns surrounding the cities as much as I enjoy, if not more than, going to the cities themselves. I mean, there is always live music, a great restaurant, a wonderful park, or something along those lines to take in in places like Livermore (wine country of its own), Walnut Creek, Redwood City, San Carlos, San Mateo, Los Gatos, Healdsburg, Alameda, etc. Down here, I spent this weekend in Laguna Beach, Balboa Island, and Temecula, and found those places cool in their own ways, and the latter two really had patriotic themes going all weekend. And then you have Pasadena, Orange, Costa Mesa, downtown Riverside. etc. to check out.

Just my $.02.

[silverkris]

Originally Posted by GreenGirl

I do think most of the LA haters are transplants. Not all of them, sure, but the people I've met who have a serious "I hate LA" issue moved to the Bay Area from somewhere else. It's like they're trying for local cred or something.

I would also like to reiterate the fact that we do not say "the" before highway numbers. Yeah, don't do that. For one thing, if you want to blend, it's a huge tell. It's as big a giveaway as using "Frisco" or calling a cable car a "trolly," neither of which are as annoying as the 101, or the 580. Yes, maybe because I'm starting to hear it bleed into traffic reports, that "the" is more annoying than "Frisco." While I do not have any negative feelings toward LA, the Bay Area is not LA, and that "the" is definitely an LA thing.

We also don't refer to California as "Cali", despite the popularity of T-shirts with the script Cal (from the University of California, Berkeley script) into "Cali". That's more of a transplant or non-California term, I think.

[Ruth4Truth]

Originally Posted by davdaven

Sad but true. Probably the #2 reason for me to consider moving back to So Cal. (Number 1 is the cold summer nights up here. I've learned to accept them, but that doesn't mean I like them!)

Cold summer nights are good. The foggy nights and mornings keep the mid-day temps livable. Otherwise it would be in the 90's and 100's all summer.

Have you been here for winter yet? I've heard SoCal transplants complaining about the cold winters. It's not southern Cal, people, it's northern. If you want southern weather, stay south. We norCal people enjoy the more defined seasons. We enjoy the rare snowfall every few years. If you can't appreciate it, stay in the Southwest. Look at it this way; at least it's not constant rain or overcast, like Seattle. And people are friendly. And the boobs are real.

[sav858]

Originally Posted by Ruth4Truth

Cold summer nights are good. The foggy nights and mornings keep the mid-day temps livable. Otherwise it would be in the 90's and 100's all summer.

Not necessarily. Summer nightime temps in coastal San Diego were generally in the mid-60's to low 70's and daytime temps usually stayed below 80, aka PERFECT. I think the warmer water temps keep it warmer at night.

Have you been here for winter yet? I've heard SoCal transplants complaining about the cold winters. It's not southern Cal, people, it's northern. If you want southern weather, stay south. We norCal people enjoy the more defined seasons. We enjoy the rare snowfall every few years. If you can't appreciate it, stay in the Southwest. Look at it this way; at least it's not constant rain or overcast, like Seattle. And people are friendly. And the boobs are real.

Don't you live in New Mexico or something? Also what "rare snowfall every few years"? Like on the mountain peaks?

[04kL4nD]

The biggest difference in winters I've noticed between NorCal/SoCal on the coast is rainfall, although the last two years with the drought it's been pretty negligible. Neither location is 'cold' to me in the winter. Try a midwest or northeast winter. You'll see.

[Ruth4Truth]

Originally Posted by sav858

Not necessarily. Summer nightime temps in coastal San Diego were generally in the mid-60's to low 70's and daytime temps usually stayed below 80, aka PERFECT. I think the warmer water temps keep it warmer at night.

Don't you live in New Mexico or something? Also what "rare snowfall every few years"? Like on the mountain peaks?

I didn't know San Diego had ideal temps. I've only heard that LA (aside from the coastal area) is in the 70's IN WINTER (I find that scary), and 80's and 90's in summer.

About every 5 years there's a light snowfall in the Bay Area in winter. My cousin has a gorgeous photo from the last snowfall a few years ago, showing Mt. Diablo covered in snow. Maybe not with global warming, it's not as predictable, but it used to be like clockwork: every 5 years, it would get into the low 30's during the day around Christmastime, and there would be a light snowfall or two. Speaking of in town, in Berkeley.