San Fran vs. NYC?

Question

While I absolutely love living in NYC I am looking for a change - can anybody tell me pros/cons of living in San Fran over NYC. I am a single 30-something professional female. I love San Fran but am afraid it will not be as exciting as NYC

Answer 1

I used to say NY was 10 times bigger than SF, but only 5 times better...

The good:

1.You'll be used to the high price of real estate/rental (it will probably be a little higher here)

2. SF is probably the most beautiful city in the US in terms of natrual beauty (hills, bay, ocean)

3. There is a lot to see and do here, for tourists and residents. Culture fairs, music, theater, plenty of foreign/indie theaters.

4. It's compact, you can walk to a lot of places and take the underground/busses to others.

5. It's relatively safe, crime is for the most part confined to 3 or 4 parts of town.

6. Interesting neighborhoods

7. Never a dull moment, you never know what you're going to run into.

8. Great mix of people from all over the world.

Minuses:

1. This is not a 24 hour city. Although there are quite a few places open all night (restaurants and a few clubs), you won't find anywhere as crowded as, say times square is at 4 AM.

2. I don't like the weather much, there's rarely a real summer. It's normally foggy and cool even in July.

3. There are a lot of homeless/panhandlers, many of them really need psychiatric help.

4. There is no parking (probably similar problem in NY) in the most popular areas.

5. Earthquakes, although we haven't had much more than tremors since 1989.

That's all from off the top of my head. SF & NY are my favorite US cities (NO was up there too until Katrina hit), I could be happy in either.

Answer 2

As a New Yorker who ended up living in the Bay Area, I have to tell you that you are right to expect less excitement here than in New York: it's hard to beat New York City at just about anything.

However, there are still some positive qualities about San Francisco and Bay Area in general. I'd particularly highlight these:

1. People are laid-back a lot more. That's an obvious one, and everyone heard that, and it's true -- New Yorkers are speedy devils who will give you a dirty look if you smile at them on the subway, or worse try starting up a conversation. In San Francisco, more than once I've seen someone board a bus and spill their hearts out to the first person they see.

2. Climate is a whole lot nicer. New York's temperature variations are a little insane, and you need a pretty big wardrobe for all kinds of jackets, and sweaters, and summer stuff -- here you can pretty much walk around in shorts and flip-flops all year long, except you'll also need to carry an umbrella in winter months.

3. Hills. San Francisco is freakishly hilly. It may sound like a bad thing, but it actually gets you a lot more exercise and opens up lots of great views, so even if you are in an urban jungle, it doesn't feel like it.

4. Bay Area -- it's a vast space filled with all sorts of quaint places: Berkeley is great for music and food, there's Oakland, Palo Alto, Point Reyes (spectacular views)... the list goes on. So basically, lots of places to go outside of San Francisco, which is great if you just want to get out (when you get out of New York, there aren't that many places you can go that don't require driving for 2.5 hours).

And as far as cons... well, it's just not as good as New York. It goes to sleep earlier, there aren't nearly as many theaters and museums, Golden Gate Park pales in comparison to Central Park, and public transportation is pretty terrible. And as laid-back as people are, sometimes that gets on my nerves -- I want to get some attitude or see someone ripping through a crowd in the opposite direction once in a while.

In summary, San Francisco is worth giving a shot -- perhaps you'll like it and stay. If not, coming back to New York will be that much sweeter.

Answer 3

You're right, SF is not as "exciting" as NYC. It tends to close down at night. Bars/clubs close at 2:00 AM, and there's only a few all-night restaurants.

That being said, it's a vibrant city with lots going on.

Answer 4

You're 30+ what the hell do you need excitement for. Not to mention SF is the best place in the world.

Answer 5

They are pretty much the same but, if I were you, I would stay in New York! Do you have a job in New York? If so than, stay there. If not then, move to SF for a change.

Answer 6

Golden Gate Park is actually the biggest urban park in the United States, so i dont know how you can Golden Gate Park doesnt compare to Central Park?

Answer 7

sf is pretty great but, being the true east coaster i am, nothing compares to manhattan. sf is actually more expensive and there's that whole west coast thing(little slower, etc)....

Answer 8

new york is the best. i live here too