San Francisco

And you can take your bike on during any times other than commute hours. No fee.

Don't know who Roberto

https://www.lfgss.com/member94.html

A 2 digit user who lived in London, and now has a bike shop in Oakland.

Since you mentioned him, I just realise I got his headset that needed fitting.

And you can take your bike on during any times other than commute hours. No fee.

That's actually changing (finally), so you'll be able to take bike any time (common sense required though!).

As for Oakland better than SF... dunno I always find lots of things to do in SF without having to head to Oakland. That said, I do spend my weekends else where (Marin, or a beach flying kites)

SF is deader than dead. Sold out to the tech industry and the young professionals.

http://www.businessinsider.com/google-bus-is-a-sign-of-silicon-valleys-excesses-2013-5

See, that's just fucking stupid. Having driven on the 101 down to SJ, I applaud Google etc... for taking the foresight to provide transport to their staff.

Caltrain is a fucking joke and would these idiots rather everyone drove their own cars instead ?

These people live in a weird world, do they not want the tech dollars that funds shit loads of civic projects ? Let's pretend the tech industry all left silicon valley, then wtf is SF / SJ going to live on ? Perhaps go the way Detroit has, having a financial implosion and unable to afford anything at all. I'm not saying the tech companies are perfect, sure they skive paying taxes (but then again so do the wealthy), but without them there's 100% of exactly $0.

Oh and thanks to the tech companies Market street will (eventually) no longer look like total shite. There's been deralict buidlings from 6th onwards for as long as I can remember (10 years?). These are being bought by various tech companies and fixed up for their offices.

Slowly the area is becoming nicer and safer, these "activists" live in the fucking past. They want to pay no/low rent and get everything as though the prices were still in the 50's. It's not the 50's, and life is not going to suddenly stop just because you want it to.

note: on the rent part, I do admit it's insanely priced here. However, the irony is RENT CONTROL is one of the problems that causes it. People with rent controlled places will never move, that means everyone is fighting for the remaining properties. So, of course the high paid tech people are going to price anyone else out of the market. Remove rent control, demolish the old 2 bedroom shitty buildings from the 50's and build some proper modern places. When you've only got around 7miles squared (SF "proper") of land, something has to give you can't have both low prices AND houses for everyone.

Also, most people I know in tech do not actually live in SF proper, they live down in Silicon Valley, or San Jose, or Oakland. I'm still not sure really who all lives in SF, seems to be the poor, bankers, students and then the very wealthy with a small smattering of tech people.

That's actually changing (finally), so you'll be able to take bike any time (common sense required though!).

As for Oakland better than SF... dunno I always find lots of things to do in SF without having to head to Oakland. That said, I do spend my weekends else where (Marin, or a beach flying kites)

Actually, Bart is experimenting with relaxed restrictions. Nothing is changing, yet.

http://www.bart.gov/news/articles/2013/news20130523a.aspx

And Kirth, don't forget that thanks to the tech companies not only will Market look nicer (whiter? more like an Ikea styled condo?) but it will also displace a particular community that can no longer afford to live there and are too gritty for the rest of SF to accept them. So they'll be shipped out, sometimes literally, with one way bus tickets. I assure you, rents in the tenderloin are not even 1/10 of what they were in the 50s. Please, please, whatever you do, stay where your visions of nicer, safer streets via unbridled tech capitalism are appreciated.

A lot of people who aren't flying kites on the beaches of Marin are working to protect the disenfranchised people you're so quick to write off.

Any chance you're related to edscooble?

So your solution is to leave the buildings derelict and empty ?

Oh and I live in the tenderloin for the record. No I don't work for big tech companies either.

And Kirth, don't forget that thanks to the tech companies not only will Market look nicer (whiter? more like an Ikea styled condo?) but it will also displace a particular community that can no longer afford to live there and are too gritty for the rest of SF to accept them. So they'll be shipped out, sometimes literally, with one way bus tickets. I assure you, rents in the tenderloin are not even 1/10 of what they were in the 50s. Please, please, whatever you do, stay where your visions of nicer, safer streets via unbridled tech capitalism are appreciated.

I've a load of pals in SF, not a single one of them works in tech, they all work in social work or journalism or at bars, and not one of them has this highly romantic view of tenderloin, I guess because most of them have worked on 6th and Market before and know exactly what it's about.

If you think that it's somehow a tech/white/ikea thing to not enjoy seeing crack being smoked openly in the street, women being hassled, and violence from dusk till dawn, then you my friend need to work on your people skills. Gritty is one thing. Tenderloin - when I was there - was way beyond that.

Been looking at rent again today and it's not that bad in reality when compared to London, is it? I think it seems reasonable, but considering I'd probably be living on my own, it will cost a shite load more than it does in London.

Also, I've been looking at outside of SF 'proper.' But not on the East Bay as I don't want to reply on public transport to get across the bay. San Rafael seems nice and it would be a beautiful 20 mile commute to work...

er

I've a load of pals in SF, not a single one of them works in tech, they all work in social work or journalism or at bars, and not one of them has this highly romantic view of tenderloin, I guess because most of them have worked on 6th and Market before and know exactly what it's about.

If you think that it's somehow a tech/white/ikea thing to not enjoy seeing crack being smoked openly in the street, women being hassled, and violence from dusk till dawn, then you my friend need to work on your people skills. Gritty is one thing. Tenderloin - when I was there - was way beyond that.

I'm glad you have loads of pals in SF. Last year on my birthday my dad got me a pony.

There are a lot of great people there. And I never meant to suggest that there aren't non-tech people in the midst of they city's catering to the tech industry. I do, however, mean to stress that the tech industry has both good AND bad effects on local populations, depending on where you fall along the spectrum.

There is a lot of open drug use in the tenderloin and a whole host of other problems. I don't mean to downplay this. But displacing people in acts of "improvement" isn't always as neat and tidy as one may think. The displaced have to go somewhere. The end. The world is broken. People don't get along. Everyone is standing on a soapbox with a blindfold over their eyes and fingers in their ears.

Lets all just ride bikes naked.

Been looking at rent again today and it's not that bad in reality when compared to London, is it? I think it seems reasonable, but considering I'd probably be living on my own, it will cost a shite load more than it does in London.

Also, I've been looking at outside of SF 'proper.' But not on the East Bay as I don't want to reply on public transport to get across the bay. San Rafael seems nice and it would be a beautiful 20 mile commute to work...

It's similar to London for sure. I just got a shock as I have not rented in London in over 10 years so didn't realize how much the rent prices had risen! Also if you share it's much more reasonable

San Rafael is lovely, and you could cycle over the bridge no problem. You looking 20 mile return or 20 mile each way ? Oh also at night you'd have to get the bridge people to open the gates to allow you to cycle across. I do find it funny, gates shut as people jump off the bridge but because you are on a bike technically a vehicle they can't stop you. So moral of the story is, if you want to jump, turn up on a bike not foot (or do it during the day).

It's similar to London for sure. I just got a shock as I have not rented in London in over 10 years so didn't realize how much the rent prices had risen! Also if you share it's much more reasonable

San Rafael is lovely, and you could cycle over the bridge no problem. You looking 20 mile return or 20 mile each way ? Oh also at night you'd have to get the bridge people to open the gates to allow you to cycle across. I do find it funny, gates shut as people jump off the bridge but because you are on a bike technically a vehicle they can't stop you. So moral of the story is, if you want to jump, turn up on a bike not foot (or do it during the day).

+1 to jumping.

Forget Market Street let's talk overpopulation.

It's similar to London for sure. I just got a shock as I have not rented in London in over 10 years so didn't realize how much the rent prices had risen! Also if you share it's much more reasonable

It's almost twice London, and has crappy power supply.

It's almost twice London, and has crappy power supply.

True that.

I never thought I'd miss LFGSS ... but honestly, SFFixed is no where near as open, welcoming, and basically as big a bunch of *UNT as LFGSS.

Seriously, they expect people to RIDE BIKES ?! I mean, really, is this the 17th century ? ;)

Seriously, they expect people to RIDE BIKES ?! I mean, really, is this the 17th century ? ;)

Join them instead, I dare you;

http://www.sfrandonneurs.org/

It's similar to London for sure. I just got a shock as I have not rented in London in over 10 years so didn't realize how much the rent prices had risen! Also if you share it's much more reasonable

San Rafael is lovely, and you could cycle over the bridge no problem. You looking 20 mile return or 20 mile each way ? Oh also at night you'd have to get the bridge people to open the gates to allow you to cycle across. I do find it funny, gates shut as people jump off the bridge but because you are on a bike technically a vehicle they can't stop you. So moral of the story is, if you want to jump, turn up on a bike not foot (or do it during the day).

Yeah the commute would be fine. Done it before in the UK so I'm sure it would be even nicer going through Marin county ;-) though it would mean I get home quite late and not too sure how I feel about that.

I will bear that in mind if I'm feeling suicidal :-)

so the getting home bit sucks over to Marin. No ferry (at night), no bart (at all, even though the lower deck on the bridge would handle it http://www.marinij.com/ci_15707690 ). So basically you are left with Cycle, Drive or Taxi.

er

I'm glad you have loads of pals in SF. Last year on my birthday my dad got me a pony.

There are a lot of great people there. And I never meant to suggest that there aren't non-tech people in the midst of they city's catering to the tech industry. I do, however, mean to stress that the tech industry has both good AND bad effects on local populations, depending on where you fall along the spectrum.

There is a lot of open drug use in the tenderloin and a whole host of other problems. I don't mean to downplay this. But displacing people in acts of "improvement" isn't always as neat and tidy as one may think. The displaced have to go somewhere. The end. The world is broken. People don't get along. Everyone is standing on a soapbox with a blindfold over their eyes and fingers in their ears.

Oh come on. The gentrification of once-rough areas is happening all over, not just in SF. This is one of the reasons you as an American are relatively safe in parts of London that would've eaten you alive, even in our relatively recent past. (I was born in E1 and I won't have any johnny-come-lateleys tell me the place was better 20 years ago - it's bullshit, no matter how cheap the rent was. Life is better for most Londoners as a result of gentrification and hipsters and art and increased rents are probably the only negative).

So not only are you mistaking this for a specifically SF-based problem, in actual fact you're CONTRIBUTING to it - it just happens to be that you're contributing to it in London rather than in sunny California.

Oh come on. The gentrification of once-rough areas is happening all over, not just in SF. This is one of the reasons you as an American are relatively safe in parts of London that would've eaten you alive, even in our relatively recent past. (I was born in E1 and I won't have any johnny-come-lateleys tell me the place was better 20 years ago - it's bullshit, no matter how cheap the rent was. Life is better for most Londoners as a result of gentrification and hipsters and art and increased rents are probably the only negative).

So not only are you mistaking this for a specifically SF-based problem, in actual fact you're CONTRIBUTING to it - it just happens to be that you're contributing to it in London rather than in sunny California.

I don't think anyone is mistaking this for a purely SF problem.
You're still on your soapbox. And dude, give it up. Hipsters, (junk) art, and increased rents are not the only problems of gentrification, though they are certainly part of it.

I have nothing to tell you about E1, sounds like you have pretty emotional feelings about it. That's nice. I believe you know more about London's problems that SF's. So while you're shouting and telling everyone what is going on, I'm just saying there is another side to it. THERE IS ALWAYS ANOTHER SIDE.

So can I borrow your road bike or what?

You're still on your soapbox

Sounds like you have a bad case of the projections.

Sounds like you have a bad case of the projections.

You must mean I have a bad case of observation. Which can't be helped when reading statements like:

"Life is better for most Londoners as a result of gentrification and hipsters and art and increased rents are probably the only negative"

Meh, those sort of thing is happening all the time in every part of the world, certain place like E1 is affected, but places like Tooting remain unaffected (for how long I don't know)>

I still think it needs to be done.

HOW it's done is a the important part. Sure, rounding up the homeless and dropping them in another state/city/wasteland is not the right solution (I'm looking at you Munich...)

I've no idea how to solve the problem where everyone can live in such a resource scarce place as SF without turning it into a city of concrete. Thankfully it's not my job, but if I do ever think of a solution I'll do it!