If you can afford it, the SF Bay Area is the greatest place in the world (Los Angeles: tax, living)

[Bluesmama]

For a long time I had San Francisco as my #1 choice to live if I could have afforded it, but I changed my mind a long time ago.

Beautiful city with a lot going on, but it's too crowded, too expensive (even to visit, let alone live), and climatewise is too cold for my taste.

[likealady]

Originally Posted by 18Montclair

Should the need arise, I will.

Likealady said he/she preferred Tokyo because one could be in beautiful countryside faster than driving from SF to SJ...which is a stupid point since the Marin Headlands is just across the Golden Gate Bridge.

That sort of "opinion" is nonsensical and needs to be set straight.

Are you done yet?

Ok buddy, show me where I can visit a traditional japanese hot spring resort in the Marin Headlands. Forgive me for preferring lush green mountains to brown ones. Now will you stop it already?

[andyadhi01]

Originally Posted by bmw335xi

These are ugly old houses, see people here get so caught up with living in the Bay Area that they don't realize what else is out there. Just look at homes in Houston for $450k and see what kind of gorgeous large homes you can buy. Plus Houston (just one example) is a million times better than Brentwood or any city in the East Bay. These homes in Houston would cost $150k! Houston is just one example too. The Bay Area is a rip off.

You can't compare a modern dynamic city like Houston with much of the third-world like condition in bay area. To be fair, the Houston inner loop or nicer parts of Houston are not exactly cheap!

[mysticaltyger]

Originally Posted by SOON2BNSURPRISE

My brother is gay. I don't hate my brother. I have friends at work that are gay, I don't hate them. I have been to parties with gay and strait people. Never had an issue there. Here is what I don't think is cool: Gay pride parades. Why in the world does anyone think it is OK to walk around with hardly any clothes on or none at all? Have some respect for your body. Now, my brother goes to gay pride parades all across the nation. He has fun. Good for him. DO you think that we could organize a strait pride festival in San Francisco? How do you think that would go over? Would we be welcomed? Would people accept us for doing that? I think it is important for people to understand how amazing it is to be strait. Everyone wants diversity, why not include those that are straight? Let us have a parade.

The point of gay "pride" came about because the majority of gays were (and still are to a lesser degree) made to feel ashamed of who they are (both in very blatant and subtle ways). Pride was a reaction to the intense shaming many gays experience. Is it an overreaction? Yes, I think so. I'm gay and I'm not into gay pride parades either. I don't think being gay is anything to be proud of OR ashamed of....but I do understand that humans have a way of going from one extreme to the other. When a group is shamed....they go the opposite extreme with pride. Neither extreme is healthy....but please try to understand the context in which gay pride parades came about.

Heterosexuality was never shamed in the first place, so there's no need for "straight pride". Since heterosexual people are the vast majority, almost no one is making them feel ashamed for who they are. Hence, no straight pride parades. It's a different story when you're the odd man out.

I'd say the hetero equivalent of straight pride is Mardi Gras....not exactly the same, but close enough.

[mysticaltyger]

Originally Posted by 04kL4nD

I, personally, don't think a surplus of billionaires is a good thing. I don't hate the rich or anything, but I don't want to be surrounded by them and priced out of a middle-class lifestyle. I'm sure there are millions who live here that agree with me.

^^Yes, I absolutely agree with all of this. Too many super rich people in one place makes life difficult for the poor and middle class, and even the upper middle class.

[mysticaltyger]

Originally Posted by bmw335xi

One of my good friends spends half the year in SF and half the year in Tokyo. Tokyo is cheaper than SF housing wise. Just check out rent prices, Tokyo is much cheaper.

Tokyo may be, but I'm betting London is not.

[LuvSouthOC]

Originally Posted by mysticaltyger

Good list. I'd add that the Bay Area also has one other kind of prejudice. It's the sort of "all conservatives are whacko, dumb, uneducated rednecks" type of mentality and anyone who doesn't agree with me gets quickly relegated to that group. It's not as open minded or live and let live as Bay Areans say it is.

No, it is much worse than this. Very mainstream moderates such as myself are also considered "whacko, dumb, uneducated rednecks", which, franklym and at the risk of providing hideous self-accolades, is simply not true.

[mysticaltyger]

Originally Posted by LuvSouthOC

No, it is much worse than this. Very mainstream moderates such as myself are also considered "whacko, dumb, uneducated rednecks", which, franklym and at the risk of providing hideous self-accolades, is simply not true.

Yes, agreed.

I guess I glossed over that part. I don't think a lot of Bay Area people even know what moderate means by American standards. "Moderate" here is actually still pretty far to the left compared to the rest of America (and I don't just mean the South). But of course, these types thumb their noses up at "fly over territory". It's all the same to them.

[18Montclair]

Originally Posted by likealady

Ok buddy, show me where I can visit a traditional japanese hot spring resort in the Marin Headlands. Forgive me for preferring lush green mountains to brown ones. Now will you stop it already?

Oh please. Stuff your hot springs. The Napa Valley has hot springs, mud baths, day spas, not to mention vineyards and world class cuisine.

And dont blather on about green vs brown because we live in a mediterranean climate that Tokyo would KILL for.

But like I said, to each his own, its just that you dont seem to very aware.

[18Montclair]

Originally Posted by mysticaltyger

The point of gay "pride" came about because the majority of gays were (and still are to a lesser degree) made to feel ashamed of who they are (both in very blatant and subtle ways). Pride was a reaction to the intense shaming many gays experience. Is it an overreaction? Yes, I think so. I'm gay and I'm not into gay pride parades either. I don't think being gay is anything to be proud of OR ashamed of....but I do understand that humans have a way of going from one extreme to the other. When a group is shamed....they go the opposite extreme with pride. Neither extreme is healthy....but please try to understand the context in which gay pride parades came about.

Heterosexuality was never shamed in the first place, so there's no need for "straight pride". Since heterosexual people are the vast majority, almost no one is making them feel ashamed for who they are. Hence, no straight pride parades. It's a different story when you're the odd man out.

I'd say the hetero equivalent of straight pride is Mardi Gras....not exactly the same, but close enough.

Pride has devolved into an excuse for people to walk around naked and act shameless.

Just because we're gay doesnt mean we need to have a day where its okay to be a manwhore. It makes us look like we have no values.

And why would anyone take their kids to SF pride? No thx.

Oakland pride is much more PG. I actually took my kids and we enjoyed it.