I think I hate San Francisco.

At our last place we had a guy we called "Crazy Raggae Mon." Maybe he was your guy's black brother from another mother.

Originally Posted by iammatt

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At our last place we had a guy we called "Crazy Raggae Mon." Maybe he was your guy's black brother from another mother.
I used to see a woman around town, not necessarily homeless but clearly off her rocker, who was always dressed in what looked like a victorian wedding dress, with a veil and white pancake makeup smeared across her face. We called her The White Lady and used to joke that she was an Omen of Death. She looked East Asian, which just added to the effect (white being symbolic of death in many Asian cultures).

Originally Posted by djblisk

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Girls in SF are busted and 5s think they are 10s. But they are more cultured, educated, and have personalities. They also hate on southern california girls b/c they are busted. Look to the east bay or south bay for prettier chicks.
True, true. Only I would say they act like 9s or 10s but inside they know they are not. Hence, when you bring up your travels to Eastern Europe or any other part of the world with beautiful women their egos deflate before your very eyes. However, if you have an asian fetish and are white you will love it here. They are generally more educated but if talking about sustainable living, politically correct topics and the like is what you seek, be my guest. They dress horribly and always act out of whack when they see a man lap them in terms of fashion. Basically, from my vantage point the women are the last reason why anyone would want to live here. I just came back from a short vacation in LA and I can tell Senor Downstairs is very very dissapointed with the change. No, I do not go for blondes or the stripper or actress look; simply put there are tons of beautiful women in LA. That said, my friends down there run in art school and gallery circles so perhaps my perception was skewed.

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Originally Posted by imatlas

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My friends in Oakland keep trying to sell me on it, especially the Lake Merritt area and Rockridge. Alameda is very nice, but you'd be more car dependant.
The towns north of Berkeley (Albany, El Cerito) offer good value, and decent BART access. The towns south of Oakland (Fremont, Wayward, etc) are pretty crappy all around.

I lived in Rockridge for two years and it was one of the better living experiences I had in the bay area. I lived two blocks from BART, off of College, so while BART sucks, it was a straight shot into the city. There were a dozen really good restaurants (some of which are now closed) within walking distance of my house, Oliveto, Zachary's pizza, Citron, A Cote, Garabaldis, Soi 4, Market Hall, etc. I basically had everything I needed right there; it was like a lovely walkable town within a big city. I would have liked to have bought a house there, but my wife wanted to live in Marin, so we moved.

Originally Posted by coolpapaboze

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I lived in Rockridge for two years and it was one of the better living experiences I had in the bay area. I lived two blocks from BART, off of College, so while BART sucks, it was a straight shot into the city. There were a dozen really good restaurants (some of which are now closed) within walking distance of my house, Oliveto, Zachary's pizza, Citron, A Cote, Garabaldis, Soi 4, Market Hall, etc. I basically had everything I needed right there; it was like a lovely walkable town within a big city. I would have liked to have bought a house there, but my wife wanted to live in Marin, so we moved.

That's how I feel about living in the Mission - like living in a small town in the big city. I run into my neighbors all the time; I know restaurant, bar and shop owners by name, and they know me, and I have the local homeless people well trained to leave me alone.

Originally Posted by lefty

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The women look like men. Up close, ugly men.
Seriously though, I like SF quite a bit.

I know I've told this story but in DC I used to see this old black woman. SHe had what appeared to be black paint or maybe dirt caked on her face. She wore all white clothing including including something like a bonnet and pushed a white baby carriage draped in white cloth. She'd mumble and beg for money in Friendship Heights, one of the wealthiest areas in the country. One day I saw her on the metro and and she said to no one in particular, "lord I wish I could play this harmonica" and then proceeded to play the most badass blues on it I've heard outside of a legit Chigco bluesman. It was pretty amazing.

SF native, born and raised, and I still love it.

The cab situation is terrible, but that is because most people drive or take muni. I do not know a single person who regularly takes a cab. Hell, I've only taken cabs four times in SF.

The homeless? Not a problem if you're in the outer areas like Sunset, Richmond, Marina, etc. And generally they aren't aggressive. Usually they're just down on their luck or not fully there and won't bother you if you say no to change.

There may not be large museums, but there are many hidden little things in the nooks and crannies. If you like cars or motorcycles, there is a huge sub-culture (especially motorcycles) to tap into and some of the greatest roads a stone's throw away.

Coffee? Try Peet's if you're looking for Dunkin. Quite honestly, I am not a fan of dunkin', coffee or donuts. If you want local, my combo would be Bob's Donuts on Polk with Philz Coffee. For local corporate, Krispy Kreme with Peet's.

And all this is coming from a moderate-conservative from a bleeding heart liberal city.

Originally Posted by WorkingOnIt

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SF native, born and raised, and I still love it.

The cab situation is terrible, but that is because most people drive or take muni. I do not know a single person who regularly takes a cab. Hell, I've only taken cabs four times in SF.

I'm not sure what the complaint is about cabs. I take cabs all the time. Where I live it never takes me more than about 5 minutes to flag one down on the street. When I commuted between SF and LA I had a standing request for a cab to be waiting outside our apartment at 5:30 Monday morning. I'd often come down to find two or three cabs, with the drivers arguing about who "owned" the fare (hint - it's the guy who pays the most to the dispatcher).

I'm cutting back on cabs, though, as we're cutting back on all spending preparatory to buying a condo.

They smell. They're dirty. They haven't mastered the ability to cross 4 lanes of traffic to pick you up.

lefty

Originally Posted by imatlas

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I'm not sure what the complaint is about cabs. I take cabs all the time.

Try to catch one when you really need one, like late at night when nothing else is running, or on Halloween, New Years, etc. You will be **** out of luck. And when you do get one, they are the most expensive cabs in the country. I live near the ballpark, and it costs me $40.00 with tip to get to SFO. That's only a 15-20 minute ride. Complete highway robbery.

Originally Posted by alex99

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Try to catch one when you really need one, like late at night when nothing else is running, or on Halloween, New Years, etc. You will be **** out of luck. And when you do get one, they are the most expensive cabs in the country. I live near the ballpark, and it costs me $40.00 with tip to get to SFO. That's only a 15-20 minute ride. Complete highway robbery.
Sorry, but the only one of those complaints that's valid is the cost, outside of London SF cabs are the most expensive I've used. LA cabs aren't so bad on a per mile basis, but everything is so damned far apart it winds up to be very expensive (like $80 to get from LAX to Downtown LA). NY cabs are a relative bargain. The other complaint about getting a cab "when you really need one" (like somehow that only applies when the bars close?) is a universal truth, regardless of city.

Originally Posted by imatlas

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Sorry, but the only one of those complaints that's valid is the cost, outside of London SF cabs are the most expensive I've used. LA cabs aren't so bad on a per mile basis, but everything is so damned far apart it winds up to be very expensive (like $80 to get from LAX to Downtown LA). NY cabs are a relative bargain.

The other complaint about getting a cab "when you really need one" (like somehow that only applies when the bars close?) is a universal truth, regardless of city.

+1

I hated SF until I stopped trying to compare it to NYC. Now I can't wait to go back.