Is S.F. Really Worth The Cost? C'mon -- Really? (San Francisco: big house, school district)

[clongirl]

I think The City is definitely worth it...if you are young, single and are perfectly fine with renting. For me, once I "settled" down with more than one kid, the City became a bit more stressful- try walking 2 blocks to your apt. with 6 bags of groceries on one arm and a sleeping toddler in the other after driving around for 20 minutes looking for a place to park! San Fran will always be my real home (I lived there for most of my life) but it's more enjoyable now that I can just visit when I feel like it. Who knows, once the kids grow up and move out maybe I'll move back!

[KRISTINsf]

Yeah it's worth it until you get bored of the scenery. You'll soon be finding yourself visiting the same restaurant, in the same neighborhood, day-after-day. Thank God I will be moving back to the REAL CITY--New York City!

[Cali4life80]

Originally Posted by KRISTINsf

Yeah it's worth it until you get bored of the scenery. You'll soon be finding yourself visiting the same restaurant, in the same neighborhood, day-after-day. Thank God I will be moving back to the REAL CITY--New York City!

Really? The same restaurant day-after-day? There are tons of restaurants in S.F. i don't see how or why you would keep going to the same restaurants. I've never been to New York city, but i'm sure its fabulous. I'm determined to see NY before I die

[MaggieZ]

You can get bored and go to the same restaurant in any city, that's a choice you make. I think eating out/ going out all the time gets boring no matter where you are, but that's probably just me.
San Francisco has lots of neighborhoods and great scenery and friendly people.
I get a positive vibe from San Francisco and can't wait to get back there. No matter what happens in the US and the world, I feel at home there more than anywhere. It's probably that every person is different and feels at home someplace else.
It doesn't make any city bad or worse. NYC has it's charms too but the people are more in a rat race and don't have time for anything. So if you like a more laid back style, then NYC is not the place to go live.

[18Montclair]

Originally Posted by KRISTINsf

Yeah it's worth it until you get bored of the scenery. You'll soon be finding yourself visiting the same restaurant, in the same neighborhood, day-after-day. Thank God I will be moving back to the REAL CITY--New York City!

I moved here from Manhattan-dont miss it a bit.

[middle-of-nowhere]

I'm not sure if it's just me, but it seems to be much easier to find an apartment in a good (safe, transport convenient, restaurants/shops) in NYC than in SF. Granted, the top neighborhoods in NYC like Greenwich Village have ridiculously high rents for ridiculously small spaces. But when you go to places like the Upper East/West Side, you can actually find decent Studios and 1-BR's for $1400-1700. Same goes with desirable areas of Brooklyn (Brooklyn Heights, Park Slope) and Queens (Astoria). How come it seems so difficult to find deals like these in the Mission District, Pacific Heights, Soma, etc.? It does seem that given certain parameters, SF might actually be more expensive.

[MaggieZ]

But the weather is better in SF, you don't get the high humidity in summer and the slush(snow) in winter. It's up to the individual if it's worth it to live anywhere. We all have to make that choice for ourselves. I can't wait to get back to San Francisco(4 more weeks). I like New York City to visit but not to live.

[Taboo2]

Originally Posted by mr2007

When I pressed him further on the topic, he said that regardless of the money, you can’t place a value on quality of life. But San Diego is a very laid back, sunny, almost tropical type of city -- almost like being on vacation everyday. I can see wanting to get back to San Diego and that lifestyle. San Francisco is very different and has a very different feel. Would my friend’s “quality of life” logic apply to those who favor living in S.F.?

It could be because some of us find SF way better than SD. I don't like tropical and I don't like the sun being a redhead with freckles which rules out LA and San Diego. I don't like humidity so that rules out TX, DC, Hawaii, Florida and even NYC and Chicago where it gets hella humid in the summer. I really am not fond of Living knee deep in snow although I don't mind a week or 2 of snow a year so that rules out Salt Lake City, Denver, Boise, and most of the plains, Chicago WISC MICH NY BOSTON PHILLY.

My quality of life is not the same as yours. This is why some people will stretch to live in SF and it's surrounding areas.

[golgo13]

Hey all...

As a returning Bay Area native, I think it's worth living if you don't plan on trying to buy a place. If you have the salary or the family that settled here 30+ years ago then go for it.

I'm returning for the jump in salary, but I don't intend on staying. 2-3 years then I plan on moving to someplace with a more realistic housing market. Austin sounds nice.

Just my $.02

[jimj]

I would love to move back "home" but unfortunately the administration for many years has allowed the city to turn into a cesspool where every bum can do whatever they wish and are payed to do so and every "alternative" lifestyle has had so much say that mainstream people have become the minority and scorned or just fled. The city has become a magnate for illegals and immoralality (I'm no prude buy a long shot and they shock me!) is celebrated daily.
On my last visit it killed me to walk down the street smelling urine and seeing disgusting piles of god knows what in the doorways and I'm not even talking about the bums yet.
You can't get near an atm or fast food place without someone trying to nail you for money and feeling threatened if you don't give it up. I used to work at the Chevron building and loved looking down on Market st and loved walking around to different eateries but the city is not what it once was. Even if I moved back to CA I don't think I'd even bother to vist there anymore.