Maybe you need to get out of Larchmont ;)

I go to Peets MdR pretty much every weekday. The coffee is excellent and the employees are great. Friendly, funny, and no attitude.

Both sides of my family immigrated to the Bay area...1800's, before the Rush. One of my relatives owned a butcher shop in Placerville in 1840. He kept a diary of his travels which my mom had printed for all the family.

We are the only family members to ever leave Northern California.

My mom grew up in Petaluma, my father in Castro Valley. My great uncles had places in the Sunset District, Haight and Marin. My Father's brother lived in Sausalito.

Other family lived(s) in Napa and Ukiah, on ranches near Stockton and Sacramento.

There is no better two hundred mile arch from a city center that I know of.

During summers in college I remember finishing running the Tuolumne River as a boatman on a Sunday afternoon and meeting my great uncle for dinner in the City that night.

+1 on this! 200 miles will also get you over Tioga Pass and onto US 395 and into the Eastern Sierra.

Yes, the SF Bay Area does have its negatives but show me a city on the planet that doesn't.

I'd say that the upside is far greater than the downside and most importantly, when you get tired of the negatives, just point the 911 North, East or South and that stupid smile quickly returns.

The hills and bridges and some of the architecture with the proximity of the water is neat... but...


not enough palm trees.

I was talking about the employees here in SF. The ones on Larchmont are alright, but they do brainwash them into thinking that their coffee is a lot more special than it is. The coffee at the Rose cafe in Venice crushes Peet's coffee like a grape, and I can think of many others.

Everything is very expensive here in SF. I parked at a meter that was $3.75 an hour(!) this am and we went to a coffee shop, (independent), that was selling bowls of oatmeal for $9.00. WTF...more expensive than the coffee shop at the BH Hotel?? :rolleyes:

A parking meter that is 3.75 an hour? WTF? Are the spots paved with gold? Does that include a complimentary car wash/hand job?

Here... AT THE BEACH... it's something like 1.25 an hour.

It's tough to find an open meter... but yea, they are 1.25/hr.

Yep, $3.75. I could not believe it.

I really enjoy visiting the SF area. I was last there for Rennsport and I'll likely be there this September. Nice climate, lots to see and do, interesting vibe, cool Porsche roads...it has it all. Cheers

Lol, good point! And we appreciate you grumpy old farts staying away, it's crowded enough as it is.

I'm a country boy and don't like any city I've ever been to, but if I HAD to live right inside a city it would be either SF or Vancouver. Maybe Portland or Seattle if the job paid FU money. SF has everything packed into a small area. Like any city it has it's nasty sections, but the beautiful sections trump any other city on the planet IMO. As others have said I can't think of anyplace else in the world that has everything at your feet. World class dining, skiing, surfing, beaches, museums, mountains, redwoods, parks, wineries, music scene, theater, etc., etc., all within an easy walk or drive. Generally a young, well educated and well paid public simply because no one else can afford to live there. A bit too idealistic so the politics ends up crazy, but that comes with the territory.

No cities for me though. I like being up here in the mountains with the other rednecks and just drive into the city, have some fun, and then leave it all behind. Best of both worlds. ;)

my problem with SFo is that it closes up so early -- not a late night town

in NoLa, there are bars that don't even open up until midnight, and then they are dead until 2 to 3 am