NYC vs. SF? Opinions needed. (1 Viewer)

[Dave Mack]

Hey guys, I have lived in NYC pretty much my whole life and it looks like I'm heading west, specifically Berkeley for now, (Fiancee's relatives) and eventually SF itself when we get an apt.
I have never been to SF before, only to LA and SD. I liked SD but was a bit bored. LA didn't really do it for me.
My fiancee has been to SF/Berkeley many, many times and LOVES it and wants to give it a shot as she is sick of NYC. (she grew up here as well, but has lived in CT and Ohio.)
I am a bit tired of the stress and the crowds myself, (I work in Times Square as well...) and am ready to try something new.
We have some dough and she has some leads for a job and I am starting to send out resumes myself. I have worked backstage on B'way for 16 years and I hear that SF has a decent theater scene. I have a sublet lined up and can take a 1 yr. leave of absence with my job safe so we can give it a shot.

Any opinions of NYC vs SF? Preferably by people who've lived in both cities.

Not trying to start a slugfest, I just would like some opinions.

Thanx! d

 

[Mort Corey]

Have lived in SF but only visited NYC but I think you'll be happy with the move. They are both older cities with the amenities common to centralized cities (vs Los Angeles for example). The weather is a little damp for my taste but it isn't cold like NY. Traffic would be a toss-up but SF has a pretty good transit system too. I'd say it's expensive, but if you are coming from NYC at least you won't be in shock....roughly the same. To me, SF seems ??cleaner?? than NY and the people a little less intense.

Mort

 

[Dave Mack]

Hey Mort,

Thanx for the response. We have been looking on CL for apartments and surprisingly we've seen what appears to be some decent ones in SF itself for under $1500 (which would be about our limit). Any advice on what neighborhoods to look for?

And I have indeed been told about the mellower vibe. I work backstage at a Bway theatre and we just had "Dame Edna" recently which had been in SF prior and 1/2 the crew were from the SF area and seemed to prefer it to NYC.

d

 

[Haggai]

Dave, I've never lived in New York, but I did go to college in Berkeley. I can give you a restaurant tip or two for while you're staying there--not much, but I gotta give props to my old favorites.

 

[Joe Szott]

Just be open-minded to the culture differences and it will be a good experience no matter what happens. Remember that no other place on Earth is like NYC and no other place is like SF, and they definitely aren't like each other.

Have a blast!

 

[Bob Graz]

San Francisco is one of the best cities I've visited and I've been there many times. It's a big city that I could live in and feel very comfortable.

 

[Jack Briggs]

Bob, I wouldn't call SF, lovely as it is, a "big city." But it's very cosmopolitan and probably the most culturally aware city on this coast.

 

[RobertR]

Maybe not the same kind of cold as NY, but don't forget the famous quote from Mark Twain: "The coldest winter I ever spent was the summer I spent in San Francisco".

 

[ScottHH]

I have lived in NY, but not SF. I have a number of friends who have lived in SF, and some who now live in SF. I have always had an amazing time when I've visited SF. If you love March and October in NY, the weather in SF is ideal. Buy some fleece for SF proper--I bought my favorite one while visiting. If you love snow, drive to Tahoe. If you love the heat, stop in the desert on the way to Tahoe. Geographically you cannot find a more interesting place, but that comes with the earthquake risk. In my opinion, earthquake risk is no worse than hurricane risk in Florida, or the perpetual cost/inconvenience of big winter storms in the Northeast. Finally, most everyone I've ever met who has lived in SF and now lives elsewhere thinks the new place sucks.

 

[Dave Mack]

Thanx, guys!

October is actually my favorite month, weather-wise so I think I'll be fine. First earthquake should be interesting. I heard the 2 or 3 VERY minor ones we had here over the years.

d

 

[Abby_B]

I've spent time in both and I think Joe said it best:



They are both great cities but not easy to compare! San Fran is wonderful though---enjoy!

 

[LarryDavenport]

To me, SF is the only city on the West Coast that actually feels like a city. LA and SD are too spread out, and Portland and Seattle (where I live) are pretty much a collection of neighborhoods masquerading as cities. (Not that there's anything wrong with that).

 

[Ken Chan]

Apparently wasn't Twain

 

[Don Black]

My friend from NYC couldn't stand SF. It was too "suburban" and didn't have the 24-hour feel of NYC. Those are good things in my opinion. But to each their own...

 

[RobertR]

I knew that.

 

[Kwang Suh]

I love both cities, but they're both extremely different from each other. I'd prefer SF, if only because they don't get snow

 

[Danny Tse]

I don't live in San Francisco but I work there. I think it's a wonderful city if you can overlook the typical "big city problems". The cultural diversity is amazing and it does have a nice theater scene; we had "Jerry Springer - The Opera" before NYC....enough said. It's expensive but if you can tolerate a commute, say, from Berkeley, then it should be OK. Even if you don't like it, at least you have experienced San Francisco.

BTW, San Jose is probably the "biggest city" in the Bay Area, in terms of population.

 

[Patrick_S]

Not probably, San Jose is the largest city in the Bay Area and it is only getting larger.

 

[Jack Briggs]

Yes, San Jose has the larger population.

Larry: Your post makes a lot of sense. A lot of visitors are taken aback by the way Los Angeles is laid out (which, believe it or not, was intentional -- thanks to the Chandler family). San Francisco, in some ways, "feels" like a bigger city, given its more city-like layout. Of course, it only has a population of about 650,000.

 

[Dennis Nicholls]

San Jose is now the largest city in the United States west of the Mississippi and north of Los Angeles. Not that that is a good thing.