Positives of SF?

Very consciously made a choice to move to SF over NYC and even though I love NYC and would have enjoyed it, I'm very glad I live in SF and haven't looked back. I'm healthier and more balanced than I would be in NYC (happier overall) and have a great career with tons of prospects and options. Friends group could be bigger but some of that is a function of work. And I still find myself having fun on weekends one way or another (friends, visitors, traveling if I'm not working) so I don't notice it. 

Agree where you live shapes your perception. I live near the Haight and I love my area. It's quieter but lots of access around town. There's more than one place to live in besides the marina.

Btw, looking at prices lately at least from an ownership perspective, NYC is crazy expensive for real estate.

SF still far and away better place to be for tech (tech banking and investing included). City is beautiful and temperate and very cool vibes. Homeless not an issue if you live in the right spots (pac heights, most of marina and hayes). Going out scene is fun and more diverse, lot of cool music and great food. Napa and Tahoe are huuuge too. Also surfing (even if you’re a beginner many other new grads will want to go a few times to Pacifica and grab boozy Baja blast at the Cantina). 
 

place gets shaded on here for no reason. Culture way different in the fact that finance is not as celebrated as tech - so the toxic NY finance culture is pleasantly absent. Finance bros very humbled here given tech and VC. Worst case you’re here for 2 years, expand your network, explore a new city, then go back to NY

They have some bomb food there, I’ll give ‘em that. Otherwise, I was not too much a fan and never plan to go back… Granted, I’ve only visited for a week but there was nothing enticing me to return (whereas usually when I visit new places I think to myself, “yeah, I’ll come back here again one day.”). Buddies who live there aren’t a fan of it either FWIW. Probably depends on your personality and who you know that lives there. If all your friends are there (as opposed to NYC or CHI), you’ll probably enjoy it more than if you’re the only one in your friend group there. 

Here's the other side of SF from people with the traditional finance mindset / culture: 

https://www.wallstreetoasis.com/forum/private-equity/why-does-sf-suck-s…

SF is way better than I expected. I live in North Beach/Russian Hill/Telegraph Hill and never have any issues with homelessness or crime. I’m also a close walk to FiDi and there’s countless good restaurants. I’m not really into clubbing and going out that often so the lack of night life options doesn’t really bother me. The one thing that does suck is the fact that everything here closes super early, even restaurants and stores. But my least favorite thing about being here is the fact that my friends and family are all on the east coast. Apart from that I love living here and wouldn’t want to trade the chill culture for NYC’s cut throat, prestige-obsessed culture.

If you are looking for strictly positives,  the weather and the proximity to outdoor activies (being right on the beach, close to the mountains, etc.) by far beat out NYC and Boston. You don't have to deal with harsh winters, and you basically can surf 9 months of the year if you like. 

Assume you are 24 and about to leave your NYC analyst stint for a PE job. Your main problem is that you are likely still in your hedonist consumption phase. Single and trying to meet a lot of women, drinking and eating the best food, and living indoors 99% of the time. SF is not for that type of person. 

Recommend you live in North Beach between Broadway to Lombard (North/South) and Taylor to Montgomery (East/West). Wide area with a few different vibes that are all good. Or live a block or two off of Polk north of California street. Maybe a block of two off of Chestnut if you can't escape your frat needs.

Meet people/potential partners centered around physical activities. Easy ones include classes (Barry's, Rumble, etc.), the structured spots around the Marina Green or any Equinox. 

If you need to be a hedonist for a bit, take a $50 flight to Vegas and go on a quick bender. Friday or Saturday afternoon flight. No hotel. Fancy restaurant, tables for a bit, bars/lounges, the club till 4AM, Peppermill to finish and flying back 7AM Saturday to the real world.

If you are willing to drag your physical shell to being happy, pick up something that is completely outdoors. SF is better at that than most places. Could be golfing in the Presidio, cycling along a dozen paths through the city, just walking in Golden Gate Park. Holy grail is extending yourself beyond the city. Quick Zipcar rental to nature 30 minutes in any direction out of the city to hike, kayak, etc. Do the hardest iterations of these activities while your body still can.

SF isn't a location change. It's a lifestyle change. If you want to emulate your NYC life in SF you are going to be disappointed. But if you really valued the lifestyle, should have gone to LA or Miami instead.

What made me fall in love with SF over NYC:

PE/IB is one of the most stressful career paths you can possibly take. It’s hard on you physically and mentally. So I would ask, why would you want to be in an incredibly stressful job in an incredibly stressful city?

In SF, I can grind away in the office or my place, but once I leave my desk I am in a exponentially less stressful environment. The weather is always nice, you are surrounded by nature, people are way more laid back, and the list goes on.

Unless you live for the club (oof), I am not sure what pro I would give NY.

Went through this in March when I moved from Miami to SF. thought the job was in NYC but nope, they made me move out to Cali. you can refer to the post I made and maybe get some insights there.

Where you live in the city is important. When i moved I really didn't know better and lived in a pretty unsafe neighborhood. thankfully it was a short sublease and I moved out quickly. I live on the East side of the Embarcadero near Mission Bay and right next to the Giants ballpark. Some of my friends live in Nob Hill, North Beach, Pacific Heights, or the Marina.

In terms of nightlife it's honestly not great. Definitely cant compare to Miami, but that doesn't mean you cant go out on the weekends and have a good time. My friends typically go out to the same bars in the Marina, but its gotten repetitive so we've been exploring North Beach cocktail bars. SF is full of really cool speakeasies and amazing restaurants. Chinatown is pretty run-down but the food is damn good. Lots of cool breweries to check out too.

Nature is big part of SF too. Take a long walk across Golden Gate Park and check out Ocean Beach. Go to Baker Beach and climb up the Sand Ladder. hike along Lands End to Sutro Baths and get a sick view of the Golden Gate Bridge along the way. Go walk down Valencia Street in the Mission and get some Mexican food and then go day drinking in Mission Dolores Park. Bring a football or a frisbee to Great Meadow Park at Fort Mason. Get some good Italian food in North Beach and walk up to Coit Tower to get a good view of the Bay. Next August go to the Outside Lands festival. 

The dating scene in SF is pretty rough too. The only attractive girls ive met in the city were just going out from South Bay (San Mateo area). San Mateo is a pretty nice town. My roommate is from there and we take advantage of his parents pool and hot tub all the time. I recommend you take full advantage of the rest of the Bay. rent a car or take a bus to Napa or Sonoma. Theres a train that goes to Tahoe which is a lot of fun in the summer and in in the winter even if you dont ski. Theres some decent cheap golf courses in East Bay (Oakland/Berkeley side). 

Homelessness is obviously a huge problem. it threw me off guard when I first moved here. parts of the city are really just like zombie land, its sad. just be polite if someone asks for money. I tried ignoring them once and they just started yelling at me. It is weird commuting to work and seeing people doing heroin at 8am, but its just something you'll get used to. 

 Go to Warriors games if you can afford the tickets. Giants games were a ton of fun. there's a decent art museum if you're into that. lots of touristy stuff to do, too. The city definitely has serious issues but try your best to keep busy and make good friends. 

The Bay Area is amazing! I am in a similar boat - most of my friends live on the East Coast. Also, several friends have moved to NYC/Miami during COVID so sometimes I have considered making the move just for my social life.

Why haven't I done it?

I'm just very comfortable. I don't live in the city (it went downhill during COVID but has now recovered) but I go almost every week. Food is great and diverse (expensive, but same as NYC), people are NOT finance obsessed so the pace and environment are very different vs NYC.

People are into hiking, wine, outdoors. The views are great, it's honestly the most beautiful place in the world. Head south and you can be in Carmel/Monterey, head north and you have Sausalito and wine country. West and you have the full Pacific Ocean, head East and you can ski one of the ~10 resorts in Tahoe.

Last year my friends visited, they are not outdoors and are more into drinking but I took a day off and we drove to Pinnacles National Park - it was a ~2 hr trip but we hiked and saw condors and waterfalls. It was amazing and they loved it. Afterward, we grilled some steak and got wasted haha but California gives you the opportunity to do these things.

Weather is fantastic.

Nonetheless, there are several cons that everyone knows:

• Homelessness around downtown and crime
• Cost of living and taxes
• If you work long hours (I used to do 80/week) no one understands cuz you are benchmarking vs tech people
• Everything closes early (restaurants, bars) so the whole environment pushes you to sleep early and wake up early to do healthy stuff (workout, hike)
• Folks are transient and leave the Bay entirely or get dispersed around it (SF, San Jose, Palo Alto, Oakland, etc)
• Girls...

If I were single and younger I would probably be in NYC, but at this point in my life, I love the Bay.

Positive: fleet week is badass

thread about cons of SF:

• 100 replies

thread about pros of SF:

• 15 replies where 10 of them are why sf sucks and the other 5 are why sf is good when you're 40 years old 

Why is it impossible to say good things about SF without putting down NYC for some people in here?  Anyway, I’ll do the same thing right now: If you aren’t an extroverted person who likes drinking and going out, NYC in my opinion is a total waste. SF in comparison is much more introversion-friendly. 

HIV

Seeing homeless people shit on the streets and stick needles up their arms when you go to work

Remember the legendary Wall Street Playboys SF vs NYC post?

The best part of San Francisco is the airport so you can leave San Francisco.