Top 10 things you love about San Francisco? (San Diego, Newark: apartment, rent)

[andyadhi01]

I have been accused of being overly negative about San Francisco on this forum. So, here are the top 10 things I really like about San Francisco.

1. The beauty of the city is stunning and no other city in the US comes even close IMHO. The city has so many great views that you will never get bored with it even if you live for a lifetime. This place is photographers paradise.

2. High density. walkable, urban environment. Ability to bike commute.

3. Great restaurants/cafe in all price ranges. Most bars have very good selection of beers.

4. Many awesome park and public places. San Francisco has better parks than every other city I have been to. Golden gate park is pretty amazing!

5. Proximity to ocean, hills, mountains and surrounded by many beautiful spots within short driving distance. There is literally and endless number of things to do here if you like outdoor activities.

6. Very useful public transit system that is affordable and useful. Love the "nextmuni".

7. Great farmers markets, local produce markets, corner stores etc.

8. Very little traffic problems on city streets compared to most other cities if you know your way around! Efficient layout of one-way streets and well-timed signals. The drivers are also very friendly and courteous here (compared to Texas)

9. Fast and efficient service people in restaurants and shops

10. People watching is fun here because the city has all sorts of interesting people (both in good and bad ways)

[Archan]

A couple more that I like:

Fort Point under the Golden Gate

Watching the handgliders at Fort Funston

Sailing in the Bay is some of the best in the world

[expect]

bravo pizza on geneva.
and cosign no. 1 on your list. before i read somewhere that the city was the "most picturesque" in the country i was already convinced of this fact. its almost like no matter where in the city you're at, there is a great view or scene to take a picture at. and it doesnt stop there, the views from the islands, sausalito, berkley etc are all spectacular.
the proximity to the bay area (no. 5 on the list) is another great reason, and it works the other way around as well. i lived in SF and moved to the east bay, and still living within 25-30 min to my favorite city is the best part of where i moved. halfmoon bay, pacifica, marin, napa/sonoma counties, east bay hills, the east and south bay are all accessible.

[BayAreaHillbilly]

At the more maritime edge of the Mediterranean climate type - similar to parts of Portugal, NW Spain and the Azores.

[jman650]

Originally Posted by andyadhi01

I have been accused of being overly negative about San Francisco on this forum.

NOOOOO! YOU?? No way! How could that be?

Originally Posted by andyadhi01

So, here are the top 10 things I really like about San Francisco.

Okay I don't like to be one to fixate on the negative, but this is just too bizarre to not address. Did you just suddenly get put on some new meds that brought back your other personality or something? Or is this just some ploy of yours that you can throw in the face of the next person that accuses you "of being overly negative about San Francisco on this forum?" Because this is quite a contradictory tune to what you've been constantly singing here very recently. I'm calling BS.

From Jan 18 regarding parks:

Originally Posted by andyadhi01

4. Many awesome park and public places. San Francisco has better parks than every other city I have been to. Golden gate park is pretty amazing!

Jan 9:

Originally Posted by andyadhi01

8. Filthy..except all parks to be a heap of dog poo and street to smell of pee.

Soooo you like dog crap then?



Jan 18 regarding public transit:

Originally Posted by andyadhi01

6. Very useful public transit system that is affordable and useful. Love the "nextmuni".

Jan 9:

Originally Posted by andyadhi01

6. Slow, filthy and high crime public transit.

Some common misconceptions:

2. The city is modern: The city's infrastructure and transportation system is very outdated with no hope for improvement.

Jan 11:

Originally Posted by andyadhi01

I am sure you regularly read about the constant news about stabbings, beatings in Muni. Name me another city in US which has more violent crimes in public transit than San Francisco?

Jan 12:

Originally Posted by andyadhi01

Get rid of your car if you move to SF and expect to deal with very slow public transit. You are better off biking/walking if you live in SF.

If you think I am exaggerating you are wrong.

Once the excitement of moving goes away, your California dream can vanish faster than you can say dream!

Hmmm....okay, so which andy are we supposed to actually listen to here?



Jan 18 regarding service in restaurants:

Originally Posted by andyadhi01

9. Fast and efficient service people in restaurants and shops

Jan 9:

Originally Posted by andyadhi01

5. Lousy service people with loads of attitude.

Cuckoo! Cuckoo!



Jan 18 regarding watching the "interesting people" here:

Originally Posted by andyadhi01

10. People watching is fun here because the city has all sorts of interesting people (both in good and bad ways)

Really?? Didn't sound like you thought so in a ton of other posts from your recent past:

Originally Posted by andyadhi01

The city is completely dead at 9 PM! There is no traffic on the streets, not a single pedestrian anywhere once it gets dark (except the loonies and homeless).

So if you care at all about a secure financial future DO NOT move here unless you make at least 80K or are a trust-fund bay with big daddy paying your bills. The city of SF is full of both types-

10. Tonnes of aggressive and violent homeless people, street thugs that will harrass you all the time. And tonnes of people telling you how good they are compared to everyone because they live here.

The fact is except few wealthy areas, the city is full of poor/lower middle class people with barely any money left for discretionary spending after paying rent.

Oh yeah, I can totally see how much you enjoy watching all the "interesting people (BOTH IN GOOD and bad ways)." I guess your idea of enjoyment in this regard is to look down on everyone around you so that you can feel better about yourself.

And I can't help but question the intentions of someone who makes a list like this today, when just days ago you were consistently making statements such as these:

Originally Posted by andyadhi01

San Francisco is in a beautiful natural setting and thats pretty much where many of the pros end.

Please get real. SF is a city only for rich people. PERIOD.

Of course, if you want to become homeless or earn a living illegally (like drug-dealing/stealing) just pack up move to SF!-

Do yourself a favor a don't move here if you are looking for average US quality of life. This is place is going backward in time.

Nor can I help but notice some other complete contradictions of yours that jumped out at me:

Originally Posted by andyadhi01

5. This is the big surprise! San Francisco is very affordable if you forget about rent. I moved here from Texas and I noticed other than the apartment rent and cost of processed food in grocery store everything costs same or less in San Francisco. My higher salary in SF compensates for the rent. You just have to know where to shop and be more open to living like the local immigrant population.

Originally Posted by andyadhi01

Few things are cheaper here: alcohol, fresh produce/fruit (much better quality too) and cheap but tasty restaurant food options. But everything else, even usual day to day household stuff, groceries (particularly processed food/frozen food) cost almost twice that of Dallas. Am I going to the wrong stores? It almost looks like eating out at the small restaurants and cafes are actually cheaper than eating at home!

Originally Posted by andyadhi01

1. Cost of everything and really mean everything not just housing. Food, gas, parking, laundry, household items, entertainment, clothes whatever you can think of is way more expensive than rest of the country or even other bay area suburbs.

Looks to me like your version of the "reality" here depends on whatever mood you're in on a particular day, or on whether or not your doctor has given you a refill on your meds.

Now don't get me wrong; I applaud this new balance you are displaying here of positives to go along with ALL the negatives you have been fixating on. But this is a pretty sharp turn around in a very short amount of time, and I wonder how you expect anyone to take anything you say seriously here. If you've calmed down and turned a new leaf that will allow you to actually accept some positivity from your new home to balance out ALL the negativity, then more power to you. But I find this sudden 180 from you quite strange. Its nice to see, but odd. Regardless though, its good to see you actually can see SOME positives exist here now.

[Yvetta]

Oh My Gosh ( in my best valley girl voice) where do I start?

I love the fantastic architecture.

The Palace of Fine Arts.

The Golden Gate Bridge is Breathtaking.

The thousands of restaurants.

Fisherman's Wharf.

SHOPPING. omg!

The weather. We enjoy ALL four seasons.

The topography. The hills, the Marina, Lombard street ( the most crooked street in the world)

The diverse neighborhoods: Nob Hill, Japantown, Mission District, Pacific Heights, Filmore, Diamond Heights, China town, Russian Hill, SOMA, Haight-Ashbury, The Sunset..

Salaries that are above average.

San Fran is just a world class city.
No wonder Tony Bennett left his heart here. Anyone would.

[jman650]

Some of the things I love about SF:

1. The food. There is such a high concentration of so many different types of good food I never can keep up. And the likelihood of a random spot turning out to be among the best of its category that I've tried is extremely high from my experience. If I ever end up moving away it will be really tough to let so many of my favorite spots go.

2. The views. There are some amazing vista points with strikingly beautiful views like Twin Peaks, Mt. Davidson, Potrero Hill, Treasure Island, Coit Tower, etc.

3. Diverse presence of various cultures, most particularly Asian cultures. I love SF's Chinatown and have yet see one that I think compares. I also love Japantown and Little Saigon, tiny as they are. I think its great how we're exposed to so many different cultures in SF (and even more so throughout the Bay), and the access we have to the various cuisines. Its cool that so many cultures are represented here in the forms of things like the Irish Cultural Center, the Basque Cultural Center (SSF), the Philippine Cultural Organization, Carnivale, the Chinese New Year Parade, Bastille Day in our little tiny French Quarter, etc. I know much of this can be found elsewhere too, but I love that we have such a great variety right here.

4. Its dexterity. The economy of SF seems to endure no matter what, even in times like these. Cruising around SF you'd never know we were in a recession until you ventured out of the City to places like Newark and such. No matter how overpriced and expensive things may be here, businesses still thrive and do surprisingly well.

5. Its character. As tiny as it is, SF has quite an impact and it has its own quirky personality that forces people to either love it, hate it, or both. I love that it manages to have enclaves and scenes for so many different types of people within such a compact space.

6. Its history. A lot has gone down in the 160 or so years that SF has been a city and even before that. From the Ohlone Natives to Mission Dolores to being a Spanish military outpost, to all types of other major occurrences that have happened here like the Gold Rush, the 1906 quake, the Panama Pacific Int'l Expo, the shipbuilding during WWII, the Hippie Movement, gay rights, etc. etc. SF has a very interesting story.

7. The Niners and Giants, and all the other teams that either began or came through San Francisco. I love that we inherited New York's most beloved team from back in the day and continued on one of the most historic rivalries in baseball with the Dodgers. I'm proud to have them as my team. Not to mention that they have one of the nicest stadiums in the MLB. And I love that SF was the launching point for both the Niners and the Raiders at Kezar Stadium, as well as the Sharks at the Cow Palace. And lets not forget the Warriors when we first got 'em from Philly. Its pretty cool that so many pro teams have at one point or another played in such a small (landwise) city.

But most importantly here, I love all the history at Candlestick. So many amazing moments have taken place there: The Catch; The Catch II; more Monday Night Football games than any other stadium in the league; countless NFL records being set/broken; the '89 World Series and the interruption of it by the '89 quake; the stretch of wins and huge playoff games from '88-'90 when the the Giants won the Pennant in between the Niners winning two Superbowls; the home of the winningest team in pro football for both the 80's and the 90's, etc. I'm really going to hate it when such an antiquated yet historic venue will finally host its last game.

8. All the different neighborhood festivals throughout the City year round. There is always something cool going on if you tune in and pay attention. I love going to as many of these things as I can whenever I can, like the North Beach Festival, the Sakura (Cherry Blossom) Festival at J-Town, the Chocolate Festival at Ghiradelli Square, the Hawaiian Festival in The Presidio, etc.

9. Excellent shopping. Pretty much anything I want can be found here, aside from outlet shopping. And there are a lot of cool, unique places that are around the City.

10. Proximity to the rest of the Bay Area. SF is pretty centralized and not too far from everything else the Bay has to offer. It makes everything else well within reach, and I love that fact.

[ubringliten]

Originally Posted by jman650

Some of the things I love about SF:

1. The food. There is such a high concentration of so many different types of good food I never can keep up. And the likelihood of a random spot turning out to be among the best of its category that I've tried is extremely high from my experience. If I ever end up moving away it will be really tough to let so many of my favorite spots go.

2. The views. There are some amazing vista points with strikingly beautiful views like Twin Peaks, Mt. Davidson, Potrero Hill, Treasure Island, Coit Tower, etc.

3. Diverse presence of various cultures, most particularly Asian cultures. I love SF's Chinatown and have yet see one that I think compares. I also love Japantown and Little Saigon, tiny as they are. I think its great how we're exposed to so many different cultures in SF (and even more so throughout the Bay), and the access we have to the various cuisines. Its cool that so many cultures are represented here in the forms of things like the Irish Cultural Center, the Basque Cultural Center (SSF), the Philippine Cultural Organization, Carnivale, the Chinese New Year Parade, Bastille Day in our little tiny French Quarter, etc. I know much of this can be found elsewhere too, but I love that we have such a great variety right here.

4. Its dexterity. The economy of SF seems to endure no matter what, even in times like these. Cruising around SF you'd never know we were in a recession until you ventured out of the City to places like Newark and such. No matter how overpriced and expensive things may be here, businesses still thrive and do surprisingly well.

5. Its character. As tiny as it is, SF has quite an impact and it has its own quirky personality that forces people to either love it, hate it, or both. I love that it manages to have enclaves and scenes for so many different types of people within such a compact space.

6. Its history. A lot has gone down in the 160 or so years that SF has been a city and even before that. From the Ohlone Natives to Mission Dolores to being a Spanish military outpost, to all types of other major occurrences that have happened here like the Gold Rush, the 1906 quake, the Panama Pacific Int'l Expo, the shipbuilding during WWII, the Hippie Movement, gay rights, etc. etc. SF has a very interesting story.

7. The Niners and Giants, and all the other teams that either began or came through San Francisco. I love that we inherited New York's most beloved team from back in the day and continued on one of the most historic rivalries in baseball with the Dodgers. I'm proud to have them as my team. Not to mention that they have one of the nicest stadiums in the MLB. And I love that SF was the launching point for both the Niners and the Raiders at Kezar Stadium, as well as the Sharks at the Cow Palace. And lets not forget the Warriors when we first got 'em from Philly. Its pretty cool that so many pro teams have at one point or another played in such a small (landwise) city.

But most importantly here, I love all the history at Candlestick. So many amazing moments have taken place there: The Catch; The Catch II; more Monday Night Football games than any other stadium in the league; countless NFL records being set/broken; the '89 World Series and the interruption of it by the '89 quake; the stretch of wins and huge playoff games from '88-'90 when the the Giants won the Pennant in between the Niners winning two Superbowls; the home of the winningest team in pro football for both the 80's and the 90's, etc. I'm really going to hate it when such an antiquated yet historic venue will finally host its last game.

8. All the different neighborhood festivals throughout the City year round. There is always something cool going on if you tune in and pay attention. I love going to as many of these things as I can whenever I can, like the North Beach Festival, the Sakura (Cherry Blossom) Festival at J-Town, the Chocolate Festival at Ghiradelli Square, the Hawaiian Festival in The Presidio, etc.

9. Excellent shopping. Pretty much anything I want can be found here, aside from outlet shopping. And there are a lot of cool, unique places that are around the City.

10. Proximity to the rest of the Bay Area. SF is pretty centralized and not too far from everything else the Bay has to offer. It makes everything else well within reach, and I love that fact.

Excellent post! I can't rep you. I am from San Diego and was wondering how much is grocery shopping compared to other parts of California. SD is a little more than LA from my experience. We love cooking at home on the weekdays.

Thanks!