Been here about two weeks.  Some things I’ve noticed about San Fransisco:

  • Most important point first!  The pizza is much worse!  Off the charts worse.  Believe me when I tell you we have TRIED to find good pizza here, to no avail.  Every single place we’ve ordered from has been “meh” compared to a generic NYC-thin slice.
  • Along those lines, not all that many places deliver food!  WTF?!  Although we are technically right in the exact geographic center of San Francisco, there seems to only be two cuisines we can get hot and quickly to our door- Indian and Ethiopian.  Whooo.  ::eyeroll::
  • Homeless people: Less dangerous, but more annoying.  In NYC, the homeless people would randomly stab you on the subway.  They’ve always got that crazy/dangerous thing to watch out for.  Here, they are more common, much more prominent and in your face, and more annoying.  They will bug you for money, however, the majority of them do seem to be mentally stable.  Are they just lazy, peace-loving people who choose to be homeless?  Pleasant weather and generous benefits put some weight behind that theory.  Until recently, homeless have gotten $350 a month, (in cash) from the government.
  • Public transportation sucks.  Never thought I would actually MISS the NYC subway, but I do.
  • Not as many people pick up dog poop.  Compared to NYC, it’s all over the streets, and completely disgusting.  This bulletpoint ALONE makes me wish Giuliani would run for Mayor of San Francisco (and I am a longtime Giuliani detractor).  Because of dogpoop everywhere, I have enacted a “no shoes on in the apartment” mandate.
  • My oh-my, are the people that live here healthy.  San Franciscans make New Yorkers seem like fat slobs in comparison.  You RARELY see a fat person walking around on the street.  And when I’m running in Golden Gate Park, which I have been doing most mornings, hardly anyone is huffing and puffing along like myself.  The women prance along like svelte gazelles.  And muscle-y guys troupe quickly along like Marines that are coming to kick your ass.
  • Related: our freaking local grocery store DOES NOT CARRY DORITOS.  Okay, okay, you got me.  I wanted a cool-ranch fix yesterday and the afternoon found me in there looking for some.  Well… it was literally vegan rice-crackers, Annie’s organic wheat things, and bunch of brands of healthy tortilla chips (no tostitos, either).  They didn’t even have PRETZELS!!  The most unhealthy thing they had in there was Kettle-cooked organic potato chips.  I settled for tortilla chips and humus.
  • The organic/healthy/save the earth thing everywhere here is getting a little preachy and annoying.  At our local coffee shop they yell at you if you do not separate and properly dispose of your cup in FOUR separate recycling bins (1 to dump left over coffee, 1 for the sleeve, 1 for the lid, and 1 for the actual cup).  Are you kidding me?! I just want to throw the fucking thing out and get the heck out of here.  Argh.
  • The service industry does not care about customer service.  Service at most/all establishments is slow and put-upon.  “Laid back” does not really cover it.  You feel like it’s a big hassle to give anywhere your business.  Take this with a grain of salt, because this is compared to NYC, where people jumped all over to wait on you and service was generally impeccable.  They had to be.  There was just too much competition.
  • Many, many, many of the eating establishments here are order at the counter and serve yourself.  Table service?  Extremely rare.
  • Yes, yes, we have to talk about the weather, don’t we.  It’s so gorgeous here, I am actually getting a TAN.  In DECEMBER.  I went running today in a t-shirt and shorts.  It’s great.
  • While we’re stating the obvious: hills.  EVERYWHERE.  I recall how in NYC I would often trek 2 or more blocks completely out of the way in order to avoid a hill.  Here, they are twice the size, triple the steepness and completely fucking unavoidable.
  • Much better hiking/access to outdoors.  This weekend we’re going on a hike up Mt. Tam and it’s only thirty minutes out the door! Nice.  Skiing this winter looks to be just three hours away, compared to 5 or 6 in NYC.
  • Related:  Having a garage to park your car in, below your apartment, is really sweet.
  • Probably because so many people have the above- it seems like a lot more people living in the city drive around on errands/whatnot to get places than walk or take public transit.  Directions to most activities ALWAYS includes a mention of parking, which you would rarely get in NYC.  Attention city planners:  This means Americans will only give up there cars and resort to public transit when they are utterly forced to, like in Manhattan.
  • I had this big rant on friendliness, although I am reluctant to share because maybe I too-quickly judged.  However, it seems like people AREN’T as friendly here.  Sure, they’re helpful, they’ll give you directions, but… that’s the end of it.  In NYC someone can tell you “fuck youse,” you respond “up yours,” yet your paths cross the next day and they invite to share stories over beers.  Here… not so much.   It kinda feels like The Seattle Freeze.  I don’t know.  Hopefully this will go away over time.  Once I stop being the Single Fat Person in the Entire City maybe all the skinnies will suddenly warm up.  And, how could I forget, better start recycling or I shall continue to be shunned.

So yeah.  I’m having a few growing pains in this new city, but should get over it soon.  The transition from New Hampshire to NYC exactly seamless if I recall.  And as Kermit tells us in the below (awesome!!) video, there are plenty of things about Manhattan that suck big time, too.  I may be romanticizing NYC simply because I don’t live there anymore.