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SF BayGaf
- Thread starter PseudoKirby
- Start date
Go for DTX showings or the AMC equivalent. Most of the imax screens besides the one in San Jose (not sure about the Dublin one) have already been converted to digital and no longer support the film format or the full aspect ratio screen wise.
It's all rubbish. If only the tech museum acted as a theater more often I'd make trips out there specifically for IMAX films.
Auron_Kale
Member
I go to Dublin's Regal for my IMAX needs, but that's because I live in Dublin and it's like 2 min. from me. Haven't really had issues with watching but just get there early to get a decent seat. Sound and screen are great.
I don't think the screen is digital though as it has the same slight fuzz I see in the Tech Museum's screen.
BoboBrazil
Member
Looking at apartment prices for a 1 bedroom in Pleasanton, should i expect to pay $1,900+? That's what I'm finding. I'm starting to wonder if it's worth it for me to move from Texas for a better paying job when the extra money would be eaten up by the extra cost of living.
XiaNaphryz
LATIN, MATRIPEDICABUS, DO YOU SPEAK IT
Best theaters (to the public anyway) in the Bay in terms of screen/display quality, sound, and being well-maintained are near the major filmmakers. The AMC at Bay Street is consistently good due to a lot of Pixar folk going there. A couple in Marin are excellent as well due to George Lucas' influence (used for a lot of Lucasfilm employee screenings when they need to use different theaters).
And while they're prety great, they still pale in comparison to some of the absolute best theaters on the planet at Skywalker Ranch, the Lucasfilm campus on the Presidio, and the Pixar campus.
BomberMouse
Member
In my experience, under $2k you should expect to pay similar prices in SF than further away. The difference is the size of the apartment you get.
I pay $1.6k for an efficiency studio in the tendernob. Not bad since I don't spend most of my time at home.
BoboBrazil
Member
I'm not understanding your first sentence. Isn't Pleasanton about a hour from San Francisco? My job would be in Pleasanton.
BomberMouse
Member
Oh, I thought you were trying to live in Pleasanton to save some money. Since prices in the city and south bay are crazy.
BoboBrazil
Member
Ah ok. Is there somewhere cheap around Pleasanton to live? There seem to be very few apartment complexes online when searching and everything is like 1900+. I don't want to have a long commute to work if I move out there, but these prices are like $1,100 a month more than here in Texas.
XiaNaphryz
LATIN, MATRIPEDICABUS, DO YOU SPEAK IT
You should extend your search out to the immediate surrounding area as well. Dublin and Livermore are immediately next to it.
BoboBrazil
Member
Any apartment recommendations? Preferably in a low crime area.
BoboBrazil
Member
BoboBrazil
Member
I'm just trying to determine if it's worth the move. Like how much more would I need to make there to be equal? Like 20k more a year?
Not that much but yeah housing is nuts and always getting worse. Give this a shot http://money.cnn.com/calculator/pf/cost-of-living/
BoboBrazil
Member
Wow, based off that chart I'd have to make 20-30k more to be about the same as what I make now.They didn't have a Pleasanton option so I used San Jose and San Francisco.
BoboBrazil
Member
Any other opinions? Anyone live here that used to live in TX?
Yeah sorry, I thought you said 20x not 20k more. You are probably correct. Housing prices here are ridiculous though I'm sure some of the good folks in this thread could point you to pockets of relative cheapness (still gonna be way more expensive than where you live today though).
Giant Robot
Member
General rule of thumb in the Bay Area is the further South and/or East you go, the cheaper.
Same goes for each city you want to live in too.
There will be pockets in between cities that can go anywhere from $$$$ to $.
Milpitas/Fremont is a little northeast of San Jose and would be a 20-30 minute commute to Pleasanton against opposite traffic. More affordable than San Jose.
Not sure which part of TX you are from, but San Francisco would closely resemble Austin. Oakland/Berkeley/East Bay is nice too.
Way further south to Morgan Hill/Gilroy (last of the South Bay cities) resembles farms, farms, garlic/mushroom plants, and farms.
Then theres Santa Cruz/Capitola/Ben Lomond/Scotts Valley who are in their own country. Cool secluded foresty cities, with the exception of Santa Cruz/Capitola being more of a "beach" (dirty) city.
BomberMouse
Member
It's gonna be more expensive for sure, but it's a cool city. I think it's totally worth it but it depends on you.
Quite a bit of people seem to love http://www.menohusa.com/home/menu/union-city/
Not sure exactly what area you're in to recommend something closer.
(My personal favorite is Kahoo Ramen for their Kotteri Miso, followed by Ramen Dojo. Dojo IS amazing but the line/wait is insane!)
Kahoo:
Dojo:
BoboBrazil
Member
Thanks for the feedback. How much would an average 1 bedroom apartment run in Milpitas or Fremont.
BomberMouse
Member
I have no idea about that, but I feel like that's the wrong approach for this.
You'll eventually find something, just expect to pay 1/5 to 1/3 of your salary in rent.
BoboBrazil
Member
Are there good and bad parts of town there? Areas I should avoid? $1500 wouldn't be too bad with the increased pay.
We live in Vallejo and spend most of our date nights in Berkeley, Oakland and SF. South Bay might as well be New York for us.
XiaNaphryz
LATIN, MATRIPEDICABUS, DO YOU SPEAK IT
Hello fellow Vtown resident!
Isn't Orenchi Ramen supposed to be getting a SF location?
Giant Robot
Member
East of 680 in Milpitas is the Park Victoria area. Not the most desired, but then again nothing happens in Milpitas for the most part.
Orenchi's line irritates the fuck out of me. Not worth the wait imo. Love it there, but not enough to wait 90+ minutes.
BoboBrazil
Member
Thanks. How do state taxes work? Being in Texas I've never had to worry about them, but the federal government usually gets 30-35% of my paycheck and then I pay sales tax on most items that I buy at time of purchase. Is the state tax for California that you pay at the end of the year in addition to these taxes? Altogether with state and federal taxes, how much are they getting?
charlequin
Banned
Is it about making more money? Then no.
Is it about getting the fuck out of Texas and getting to live in the Bay? Then yes.
You'll be paying state income tax (generally around 9%) as well as sales tax (about 8-10% in the Bay Area.)
BoboBrazil
Member
Thanks. Well it would be to better my career. What makes the bay area so great? I've always wanted to move to California, but my heart was always set on San Diego or Southern California. Have you been to Texas to compare?
Giant Robot
Member
Everything, except housing prices. What career are you in? Bay Area is known for high tech and bio medical. Strong job market in those fields out here. Lots of venture capitalist here on the Peninsula.
Diversity and weather are the 2 most common things I hear people mention when they first visit. Everything you want to do is within a couple hours in any direction. Theres only 2 seasons here: Summer and Spring. It rarely feels like Fall/Winter here. Traffic in the Bay Area is getting worse, but nowhere near the clusterfuck in Socal at all times of the day.
It's often said that Bay Area is expensive because of the weather and job market. People are willing to pay for that.
I've been to Houston, Dallas, and Austin. Austin is awesome because it felt like San Francisco to me. Hated Houston and Dallas.
BoboBrazil
Member
I live in Dallas now. Dallas is huge though so you might have liked one part of it and hated another. The weather is one of the main positives I see of coming out there. How close is a good beach?
Well there are parts of the Bay Area that are on the coast. But I've never lived further than like 45 minutes away from one.
And yeah overall it's great. I was born and raised in London, but Northern Cali >>> that. It is pretty pricey to live here in most areas, but definitely worth it if you have the means.
Edits: oops, missed your earlier post. You could be at a nice beach in less than an hour from Fremont or Milpitas.
You should look at Hayward, which is a lot closer with way cheaper housing.
charlequin
Banned
What's great about the Bay:
- Great weather.* It's basically like living on television, you veer between 80s warm and 50s chilly at the usual extremes, it rarely rains, and it's almost never super humid.
- Amazing food.† Great Mexican food, tons of incredible Asian food (Chinese, Japanese, Korean, Indian, Vietnamese, Burmese, the list goes on....), some of the best high-class restaurants in the world, incredible produce (avocados to die for), etc. etc.
- Lots of cool culture -- great museums, gorgeous architecture, tons of fascinating history, and just a lot of all-around weird and nifty places.
- A short drive|| to wine country, the aquarium and kayaking in Monterey Bay, a number of halfway decent beaches, and great hiking in the Santa Cruz mountains.
- The San Jose Sharks, the greatest hockey team‡ on the earth.⁂
* I mean, it's terrible if you like actually having DIFFERENT weather, or if you like autumn or fall....
† You cannot (I am assured) get good barbecue, and I can assert with confidence that you can't get good NY-style pizza, bagels, or blueberries.
‡ ...with no Stanley Cup...
|| No more than two hours, less depending where you live.
⁂ And also some bandwagon teams you should under no circumstances start rooting for if you move here.
With no other implied judgment, a ton of people move to the Bay from what are nominally lovely places because they want to get the fuck out of where they are. For people who fall into that category, from basically anywhere else, I will say that the move is worth it and you will probably be happy to take the hit. For people who don't, it gets fuzzier and you have to take a lot more into consideration.
BoboBrazil
Member
Definitely sounds awesome. Do you guys feel the earthquakes when they happen? Darkatomz, how do you think San Jose compares to Dallas?
charlequin
Banned
I've been here three years. The only one I've felt, I initially thought my wife was shaking my desk for some reason. Hasn't been a big one in a while.
All that needs to be said really.
I've been in the bay all of my life and only recall 3 earthquakes I've felt. One was only a 3.0 or something but the epicenter was a couple blocks away so it swayed the building I was in the top floor of.
Auron_Kale
Member
Kahoo Ramen is where red_taiyaki and I often go for our ramen needs. The Kotteri Miso is so so good, love that garlicky flavor and the thicker broth. The chicken karage there is also damn good and the mini rice bowls are a steal at their price.
Funny enough, during Japan Expo, we were set to go to Ramen Dojo but the hour and a half long wait was enough to kill our interest in it. We ended up getting Filipino food and Rolling Pin donuts instead.
Giant Robot
Member
I've experienced the big Loma Prieta earthquake in 1989. Definitely feel all the significant earthquakes and aftershocks 3.0+ Yes the big one was scary and surreal. The East Bay finally recuperated from that earthquake when the bridge was refinished just a few years ago. There was a significant one in Napa just a few months ago.
Native Californians are used to small quakes and just shrug it off. Although it's kinda hilarious to see people who are not from here experience one. They actually do the whole duck and cover thing at work/home/school.
Kahoo Ramen is good. The Kotterri can be overkill sometimes for me, but the Hiyashi Chuka ramen (cold noodles) is my fucking favorite from there. Oh yea, don't be fooled by the other Kahoo on El Camino/Lawrence. It started out as an extension of Kahoo Ramen, but weirdly turned into something else. The guy who ran the food court kitchen at Mitsuwas is now running fake Kahoo.
BoboBrazil
Member
I don't mind a little shaking now and then. How are allergies out there?
In what aspect? I can be more specific if that's what you're looking for.
I would say that there are generally more things to do (from where I am anyways, I'm 10-15min from SJ, 45-60min from SF and Santa Cruz, 5hrs to LA). Everything is closer together, and not as spread out like it is in Texas. Food is great and varied (don't bother comparing BBQ). Cost of living (food, rent, taxes, gas, etc) is insane comparatively, but it's more about the opportunities and privilege to work and live in the area, especially if you are into tech with Silicon Valley being here. Drivers here are almost too nice and non-aggressive, causing terrible and slow traffic (traffic runs from 8am - 7pm or so in specific directions). Weather is consistently between 50-80ºF year round (I don't notice allergies really due to the lack of varied seasons). Personality-wise, SF is indeed somewhat similar to Austin. Hiking and outdoor activities is huge here, replacing the pool mentality in Dallas (see Lake Tahoe for summer and winter sports). Napa/Sonoma valley is close for wine, and Russian River isn't super far either (the beer scene in general is far superior in this state, though you can still find Shiner if you look hard enough). People are generally more relaxed and causal overall. In some areas, money is everywhere, even if it doesn't appear to be. More asians and educated people in general all over (also, more fit). Sports scene is pretty big with the 49ers, Giants, and Sharks. There are no highway tolls, but there are certain bridges where it will cost more than a couple of bucks to cross. Gun culture is not nearly as prevalent, as is stereotypical to the South.
Also, if you were to work in Pleasanton, I would recommend the Dublin area for a place to live. Being on the East Bay, you will also be closer to Berkeley, Oakland, and SJ as far as major ciites go.
beat
Member
I dunno about you, but I take generic Zyrtec almost year-round.
HP_Wuvcraft
Banned
Anyone else seeing the five experimental aircraft flying/hovering over Redwood City?
BoboBrazil
Member
Thanks for the info. How is the hispanic population? I will have to check out Dublin.
So one person says they never get allergies and one has to take Zyrtec every day. This is confusing for me. My allergies in Dallas have gotten really bad the last couple of years and speaking to others around here it's been bad for alot of people. One thing I was looking forward to was less of that if I move out there.