[pyrophane]

SF is a tech echo-chamber with terrible public transit and rental market that probably wouldn't be so expensive if anyone were allowed to build anything. On top of all that it has managed to attract more douchebags ("tech gold rush") per capita than Manhattan.

I'm not sure the density of craft cocktails bars and farm-to-table restaurants, or the fact that it never gets too hot makes up for the drawbacks.

[ghaff]

I actually understand the attraction of the Bay area in terms of climate, access to mountains and oceans and redwood forests, and the overall vibe of the place. If I were interested in moving somewhere else (which I'm not), and someone wanted to give me a really big pile of money, I'd definitely consider moving there especially if I didn't have to commute.

That said, I definitely get your comments. Aspects of the Silicon Valley mindset can get to be a bit much after a while. Much of the actual valley is suburban sprawl with awful traffic and I find SF itself something of a mixed bag even if it has a lot of positives.

[ryanobjc]

SF is def way more than just those things you cherry picked. Also, the "more douchebags per capita than Manhattan" -- you're going to need a citation for that.

Personally, I like the people here - both counter cultural, and also scientific. Very friendly to us aspy-leaning folks. A place where someone can say "I quit my job and am doing {teaching yoga, making the aforementioned craft cocktails, etc}" without judgement. A place where, quite literally, the core of our technological world is being invented. The weather is a bonus, and the accessibility to the great American west.

So yea, quit knocking my town!

[wutbrodo]

I've yet to meet someone who feels this way who's actually tried getting out of their house beyond going to the aforementioned cocktail bars. If you're an uninteresting person and uninterested in exploring, the city you're in isn't going to magically be interesting the second you step out the door. But hey no complaints here, that just means the fun parts of sf are all the less crowded.

Complaints about the rent and transit are obviously legitimate, though you may be overestimating the quality of transit in most other cities.

[orangecat]

Complaints about the rent and transit are obviously legitimate, though you may be overestimating the quality of transit in most other cities.

Other cities either have similarly insane rent and much better transit (NYC), or similarly bad transit and much cheaper rent (basically everywhere else).

[pekk]

I would take a short commute time over a higher-quality transit system with long commutes every time.