Ellis Live

I hope everyone is doing well. I was hoping to write something and realized that I’ve lived in the city for almost six months. I immediately decided a list was in order (big surprise, right)? I decided that the two things that people here always ask me are how I like the Bay Area and what the cultural differences are between here and the South. My standard answers are that I like it here a lot and that Birmingham is a pretty large city, so things aren’t really all that different. However, when I put my mind to it, I easily came up with a list of strange and interesting bits to share about my new home. Enjoy.

• “The Bay Area” - San Francisco as a city is actually pretty small (around 750,000 people, only 7 miles wide and around 46 sq. miles total). However, most of the time it’s referred to as the “San Francisco Bay Area”. The same way that NYC is made up of five Burroughs, “The Bay Area” actually covers a wide swathe of land and cities including San Francisco, Oakland and Richmond (The East Bay), Marin county (The North Bay), and down to Silicon Valley and San Jose (The South Bay). The culture and climate of each varies. I’m convinced that this is why I’ve never met anyone who doesn’t love the Bay Area, since you can live wherever you want (hot, cold, suburbs, city, etc.) and still get to the other places in 20 minutes. San Francisco (Proper) is referred to as “The City”.

• The nearest Best Buy is 20 minutes from my house in the city. The nearest Target: 30 minutes. The nearest Walmart, over an hour away (in good traffic).
• Don’t take that parking spot outside your door for granted. I miss mine when it’s raining.

• I’ve said it before but San Francisco is the most pedestrian place I’ve ever been. There are bikes everywhere (that think they own the road and can actually be dangerous but that’s another story), the MUNI and BART public transportation systems will get you most places without a car if you plan a little, and most people think nothing of walking 5-10 blocks to get where they’re going.
• Public transportation may not be glamorous but it costs very little and gets you wherever you want to go with a little planning. It’s interesting that such a simple thing can have such an effect on your day-to-day life, especially with regards to interactions with other people. Since there’s less need to pick people up, it’s more common to meet out rather than meeting at someone’s house. I have friends whose apartments I’ve never seen. Think about that. No trying to decide who’s driving. No waiting on your ride. No trying to take keys away from someone who’s had one too many. It’s a big deal.
• Gas stations aren’t as frequent in the city but corner stores are everywhere. The corner stores are usually really small and I used to think they were kind of sketchy. Now I’m used to them and they serve the same purpose a gas station used to, namely a place to stop and grab a bag of chips, a soda, and a paper.
• Speaking of corner stores, having so much local business has a side effect I didn’t expect…cash is king. A lot of small, neighborhood places don’t take cards. If they do, you’re probably looking at a $20.00 minimum purchase. Combine that with cash for public transit, cabs, and throwing down cash for dinner (since restaurants don’t split checks most of the time) and you will be amazed at the amount of cash you spend.
• Since we’re talking money, it’s also worth noting that expensive is a relative concept. I knew this in theory before I moved but it took a while to really hit home. You quickly get used to prices in the area and forget what things used to cost. I talk to friends all the time and just about have a heart attack when something they say jolts my mind back to pricing back home. As everyone knows, the real kicker is in real estate. A few examples:
  • A standard lunch in Birmingham (nothing fancy) usually cost $6 - 10 dollars. In San Francisco, that same lunch is probably $10 - 15.
  • A movie ticket here is $10.50.
  • Gas averages around $3.00/gallon nationwide right now. It’s $3.70/gallon near my house in the city.
  • I paid $600/month for my first studio in Birmingham and most 3 bedrooms were $1000-1500. Most 1 bedrooms in the city start around $1500/month and go up from there. Also, you’re going to have to show up early and fight 15 other people holding checkbooks that all want that “reasonably priced” apartment. Furthermore, if you’re thinking of buying, consider that a 3-bedroom flat nearby went on sale a few weeks ago advertised at $750,000 and sold in under two weeks.

• Due to a law passed by 58% of voters in 2005, it is illegal buy or own a gun in the City of San Francisco. Wikipedia says this was later struck down but people keep telling me that’s wrong and that they are still illegal. I’m not entirely sure who’s right.
• Everything in the city is a lot bigger inside than it looks on the outside. Places in general are more compact. Apartments in the city aren’t as wide but they go back a lot farther and some even have a yard. Some places (like the famous Fillmore) will have a single tiny doorway on the outside that you can barely find, then inside you find they’re three or four times as wide as you thought and have 40 foot high ceilings. It’s like walking through the doorway into another dimension where they keep all the room.
• They love their healthy food here. Some foods like avocado they’re positively lunatic about. They put it on everything. I’m constantly fending off people trying to put avocado in my sandwiches, noodles, sushi, etc. I think they’d put avocado in my beer if they could figure out a way.
• Speaking of healthy food, despite what anyone tells you, joking that your microwave pizza or beer is “free-range” is ALWAYS funny.
• The lack of a physical stereotype here is in itself a stereotype. I’ve said it before but anything goes here. It’s so much the case that I’ve been warned that when I get on a plane home I’m going to experience a very strange sort of deja vu upon realizing just how “normal” people look and act other places. I realized this might actually be true the other day when I was staring out the window of the train and a guy walked through the station wearing (I am NOT making this up) black clothing, full padding (knees, elbows, football shoulder pads, etc.), long hair and a giant purple cape. He didn’t make a scene, just walked by and it took me a full 15 seconds to realize that it was kind of strange.

• When I moved, I got more “Left Coast” comments than I care to remember. I won’t lie, California is definitely a democratic state. However, it’s funny because as much as they hate the Republican party for doing bad things, most people seem to hate the Democratic party just as much for doing NOTHING.

So, there you go. It turned out a little longer than I expected but it was fun to write and gives you an idea of the things that go through my head as I wander about my day to day life. We’re heading into the holidays so have fun. I’ll see some of you soon.