I know there are lots of reasons to hate this city, whether you live here or not. It seems to be a touchstone for a lot of people. I originally moved here in 1980 because I felt more comfortable being gay here (although I was harassed a few times, it was quite a while ago). That’s much less of an issue, both because I’m so much older and because acceptance is more widespread.
My problem with living here is the continued upward pressure on population and prices and pretty much everything, combined with the dig-in-their-heels types who just don’t want to see any changes at all. The result is that there is no vision about a viable future here. Houses turn from 2BR single family homes to 6BR boarding houses, and the city turns a blind eye because housing. The city is openly anti-private cars, but public transportation gets worse instead of better. They expect people to walk and bike if they can’t use public transit, but I’m 70 with 2 wonky knees, I ain’t biking. Not to mention that this is a city famous for its hills. Add to that, we don’t take advantage of any of the cultural stuff going on here. Kind of a waste, really.
Just spitballing and venting here because I honestly don’t expect to be moving any time soon, for one thing my husband wouldn’t agree to any further away than San Mateo, which is only marginally better. But sometimes I think about where else I might want to live. The climate is most important to me, I am so acclimated to the cool weather that I don’t think I could stand it someplace that has a real summer, and I have no interest in snow whatsoever. That really limits things.
I could go on, but if you were in my position, expecting to live maybe another 20 years, in search of a little calm and peace, what would you do? Pretend the cost of living is no object. Pretend I don’t have to take anyone else’s wishes into account.
Admit it. If you are looking for the perfect cool (but not too cold) climate year round, you are in the perfect strip of coast, at least in the US. But going south stays expensive clear down to Santa Cruz. How about north? Somewhere like Point Arena is still that small town, everyone knows their neighbors, type of town. Too far north to be considered a commute, so costs aren’t being pushed up by bedroom communities.
On the other hand, I have a friend in his eighties, legally blind, who retired with his wife to…Minneapolis. Apparently they have really good transit and a system of tunnels and walkways that allow one to get around year-round in air conditioned comfort. Not for me, but he loves it.
I’d get out and find enough to do that you’re basically reinventing SF into the city you wish it were.
I just retired, and I’m working on that. IF I get off my butt like I should, I’ll be signing up for some classes, and a community wood shop that gives lessons, and I’ll start making some Art (notice the capital A…)
Might start going to the symphony, catching some local jazz and acoustic shows, and getting some cheap rush tickets to Broadway touring companies.
Yes, it is. Change that, and you might want to stay.
Cost is no object? In the Bay Area?!? You could do anything. Move to Burlingame or Redwood City or any peninsula city with a cute, walkable downtown. Buy a 900sf house for, I dunno, $2m. Meet your neighbors, walk to town for food or coffee. Sounds pretty sweet to me.
Or move to Tiburon or the Oakland Hills or whatever. Buy some huge hill fortress. You did say money was no object.
Or Portland. All of the above are mild, temperate areas - just getting wetter and cooler as you work your way north. They’re all more or less politically liberal, all have tons of amenities, culture and decent food. And they’re all pretty damn pricey :). But…
They’re all gonna have these issues to one degree or another. It likely is tightest in SF, compounded a bit by the geography of being on a peninsula with limited land. But you’re going to run into the same general issues in any of the major Pacific coast cities.
I have no ideas to offer you, since I’m not familiar with California beyond standard tourist stuff.
But I have to ask this. Here is a Mercury News article about renting a single bunk bed (in a roomful of them) for $1200/month. Is this for real? Or is it some kind of extreme offering to focus attention on housing problems?
I think you should try it now. You can live in an apartment in a retirement community where you can still come and go as you please but they have organized things to do plus shuttle buses to take you places. Sure SF has some of these?
You ought to google gay retirement homes in northern California.
Or the northern Oregon Coast. Cannon Beach in the South to Astoria in the North is a roughly 20-mile stretch that is pretty much one continuous town. San Francisco type weather year round, it rarely gets above 80 in the summer and very rarely snows in the winter. The downside might be if you don’t have a car. I don’t know for sure, but I suspect public transportation wouldn’t be as good as here in Portland. It might be ok right in Astoria, though, it’s a decent-sized town.
Oh, hell no. I mean unless you are one of those lunatics that really, really likes snow and humid-ass summers ;).
I’ve had the misfortune to have visited Chicago only in high summer and deep winter. The city may be a cultural gem, but sweet Jesus does the weather suck.
The pacific northwest is a nice area. Cheaper to live in, less taxes and decent weather. I live in the burbs now but will likely be moving out somewhere into the sound when I retire.