Seriously considering moving to California -- need some tips - Beyond Tiki

M martiki Official Mixologist http://www.smugglerscovesf.com Joined: Mar 29, 2002 Posts: 3059	M martiki Posted posted on Mon, May 19, 2003 5:18 PM Well, California is a very interesting place, and so many of the stereotypes that people out of state have about us are really wrong. It’s really a little slice of everything. There’s so much diversity of people and opinion here. Anyone who thinks it’s all Berkeley liberals and Hollywood greed doesn’t know the half of it. If people think that we’re completely out of touch with the values of Middle America, I suggest they visit any number of towns in the Central Valley, where god, guns, and high school football are still a big part of life. I’m not casting aspersions on anyone; just believe me when I tell you that we’ve got all types. You should expect anything & everything here. Pedestrian friendly neighborhoods: There are several that fit the bill in San Francisco, with housing, bars, restaurants, and shops all within easy walking distance. There are also some great areas in the East Bay that fit the bill as well. Rockridge & Piedmont are a couple that spring to mind. I enjoy being able to do this in my hood in SF. But as others have mentioned, outside of SF, unless you never leave your neighborhood, you’ll need a car. Look into neighborhoods in SF carefully- once you get locked in with rent control, it can be hard to leave. TikiVixen’s post made a lot of good points about the Bay Area. Plus if you like roller coasters, Vixen is right next to a bunch of cool ones! (Not as cool as Magic Mountain, but who would want to live next to that?) As people have spoken about cool cultural diversions in both LA and the Bay Area, I think it’s important to point out that there are places both in the LA/OC area and the Bay Area that have nothing to offer except endless cookie cutter housing and strip malls with the same old crap. Sometimes this is where the cheap houses are; sometimes these are the expensive places and people just like sterility. Personally, I couldn’t handle living in Walnut Creek up here, just like Irvine freaks me out. I mean, I feel weird walking down the street there. God forbid you should drop some gum- I think they club you to death for that. It’s like Stepford. If you move there, and start posting about how you like to cook for your man, then we’ll dispatch some TC people to destroy your robot simulation, because you’ll already be dead. I digress. Another thing about the Bay Area vs. LA is that there are no set rules about heat. There is fog in SF and along the western half of the peninsula. But parts of the Bay Area get really hot, and SF usually stays quite mild. Just as San Diego stays pretty mild, but other parts of LA are hotter than snot. Plus, sorry Humu, but fuck tanning. I’ve got fair skin, and I’m no sun worshipper by a long shot, but I’ve still had two nasty growths removed from my face. It’s gross, it hurts, it scars, and it’s dangerous. So it’s SPF 45 or higher for me. Besides, don’t sell yourself short: Translucent chicks are hella sexy. Also- do you like breathing? American Lung Association 10 worst counties: San Bernadino Fresno Kern Tulare Riverside Harris (TX) Los Angeles El Dorado Merced Kings Nine out of ten are in California! We’re #1! We’re #1! San Francisco has fantastic air thanks to three sides of water. None of those ten counties are in the Bay Area. But San Jose and the South Bay are kind of grim for pollution. I don’t know where Frenchy has been eating, but the SF Bay Area is home to some of the best restaurants in the world. Fantastic original cooking is everywhere. I used to love going to all the new places to try the latest in California cooking, but pretty soon it drained my wallet so much that I’ve mostly stopped. Plus Bay Area foodies can be real snobs. Eating out is a way of life and people can get very pretentious about it. I’ve found much more pleasure in all of the ethnic cooking at little hole in the wall places in my neighborhood and all over the Bay Area. This is where both LA and the Bay Area really shine. There is so much food from all over the world, particularly the Pacific Rim and Mexico that will knock your socks off. I eat as much as I can- you never know when you might move somewhere like Montana and never see decent Chinese or Japanese food again.. You know, we also have great trees- Check out most of Marin County, and Yosemite isn’t far. Plus the Santa Cruz Mountains, and Big Sur. Coastal Redwoods are our specialty. Well, I’ve rambled long enough. It’s interesting to read people’s opinions about all these places. As far as better attitudes in Southern Califonia, I’ve met plenty of assholes in Northern and Southern California- you just have to know where to look for cool people. I’ve found that http://www.tikicentral.org is an excellent place to start. I can’t argue Bong’s point about their being more tiki stuff in LA. I’ve always found that you’re really want for nothing in Los Angeles. Anything you want to do is there- you just have to drive (and drive) to get it. But we’re still better than LA. :) (I was going to say something about, “Besides, how many times can you REALLY go to Disneyland”, but then I realized I was talking to the WRONG group of people! :))

Well, California is a very interesting place, and so many of the stereotypes that people out of state have about us are really wrong. It’s really a little slice of everything. There’s so much diversity of people and opinion here. Anyone who thinks it’s all Berkeley liberals and Hollywood greed doesn’t know the half of it. If people think that we’re completely out of touch with the values of Middle America, I suggest they visit any number of towns in the Central Valley, where god, guns, and high school football are still a big part of life. I’m not casting aspersions on anyone; just believe me when I tell you that we’ve got all types. You should expect anything & everything here.

Pedestrian friendly neighborhoods: There are several that fit the bill in San Francisco, with housing, bars, restaurants, and shops all within easy walking distance. There are also some great areas in the East Bay that fit the bill as well. Rockridge & Piedmont are a couple that spring to mind. I enjoy being able to do this in my hood in SF. But as others have mentioned, outside of SF, unless you never leave your neighborhood, you’ll need a car. Look into neighborhoods in SF carefully- once you get locked in with rent control, it can be hard to leave. TikiVixen’s post made a lot of good points about the Bay Area. Plus if you like roller coasters, Vixen is right next to a bunch of cool ones! (Not as cool as Magic Mountain, but who would want to live next to that?)

As people have spoken about cool cultural diversions in both LA and the Bay Area, I think it’s important to point out that there are places both in the LA/OC area and the Bay Area that have nothing to offer except endless cookie cutter housing and strip malls with the same old crap. Sometimes this is where the cheap houses are; sometimes these are the expensive places and people just like sterility. Personally, I couldn’t handle living in Walnut Creek up here, just like Irvine freaks me out. I mean, I feel weird walking down the street there. God forbid you should drop some gum- I think they club you to death for that. It’s like Stepford. If you move there, and start posting about how you like to cook for your man, then we’ll dispatch some TC people to destroy your robot simulation, because you’ll already be dead.

I digress. Another thing about the Bay Area vs. LA is that there are no set rules about heat. There is fog in SF and along the western half of the peninsula. But parts of the Bay Area get really hot, and SF usually stays quite mild. Just as San Diego stays pretty mild, but other parts of LA are hotter than snot. Plus, sorry Humu, but fuck tanning. I’ve got fair skin, and I’m no sun worshipper by a long shot, but I’ve still had two nasty growths removed from my face. It’s gross, it hurts, it scars, and it’s dangerous. So it’s SPF 45 or higher for me. Besides, don’t sell yourself short: Translucent chicks are hella sexy.

Also- do you like breathing? American Lung Association 10 worst counties:

San Bernadino
Fresno
Kern
Tulare
Riverside
Harris (TX)
Los Angeles
El Dorado
Merced
Kings

Nine out of ten are in California! We’re #1! We’re #1! San Francisco has fantastic air thanks to three sides of water. None of those ten counties are in the Bay Area. But San Jose and the South Bay are kind of grim for pollution.

I don’t know where Frenchy has been eating, but the SF Bay Area is home to some of the best restaurants in the world. Fantastic original cooking is everywhere. I used to love going to all the new places to try the latest in California cooking, but pretty soon it drained my wallet so much that I’ve mostly stopped. Plus Bay Area foodies can be real snobs. Eating out is a way of life and people can get very pretentious about it. I’ve found much more pleasure in all of the ethnic cooking at little hole in the wall places in my neighborhood and all over the Bay Area. This is where both LA and the Bay Area really shine. There is so much food from all over the world, particularly the Pacific Rim and Mexico that will knock your socks off. I eat as much as I can- you never know when you might move somewhere like Montana and never see decent Chinese or Japanese food again..

You know, we also have great trees- Check out most of Marin County, and Yosemite isn’t far. Plus the Santa Cruz Mountains, and Big Sur. Coastal Redwoods are our specialty.

Well, I’ve rambled long enough. It’s interesting to read people’s opinions about all these places. As far as better attitudes in Southern Califonia, I’ve met plenty of assholes in Northern and Southern California- you just have to know where to look for cool people. I’ve found that http://www.tikicentral.org is an excellent place to start. I can’t argue Bong’s point about their being more tiki stuff in LA. I’ve always found that you’re really want for nothing in Los Angeles. Anything you want to do is there- you just have to drive (and drive) to get it.

But we’re still better than LA. :)

(I was going to say something about, “Besides, how many times can you REALLY go to Disneyland”, but then I realized I was talking to the WRONG group of people! :))

Post #34913 by martiki on Mon, May 19, 2003 5:18 PM