What do you like and dislike about living in San Francisco?

Likes: San Francisco has an energy to it. I go to the suburbs and feel like time has stood still. I see Starbucks and other chains in the suburbs and realize that San Francisco businesses are more often than not run by real families and real people. I love that uniqueness. I don't feel hedged in by the corporations and sameness that is strip mall America. In addition, the live music scene is great. I've stumbled upon tons of great bands in my 12 years here. It's not like New York City but I can drive to the mission and park if I want which is nice (not so enviro-friendly). Dislikes: Along with the heightened energy of the "city" comes a heightened level of stress. Often, I can't park directly in front of my house so I might be hauling kids or groceries from around the block. These are inconveniences for the most part but they can add up. I live in the Richmond District directly facing Golden Gate Park so I get a good dose of nature to balance the busy traffic. I'ev lived in Nob Hill and the Castro and couldn't live there forever as there are too many hills (bad for exercising) and not enough nature. The biggest downside of SF is that people have a sense that nobody is watching and often do things that fall into the "tragedy of the commons" type of behavior...victimless crimes like drivers cutting off other drivers, graffiti, incessant car alarms, etc. In general, my family is committed to living in SF and the schools are pretty good (even when compared to Mt. View schools) so I'm a lifer.

I have been raised in the east bay and as a young adult I lived in San Francisco for 6 months in the Twin Peaks area. I really loved living there but everything was so expensive. So I moved back to the east bay because I got more bang for my buck. The only thing I find annoying is how the homeless are scattered around the city. In the past they only hung around the Mission District. If it were up to me I would put all the homeless in a camp outside the city. At present most of our cities have these creeps out there begging for money day & night using the streets as open air bathrooms. Most of them are on drugs and alcohol.

Likes: Diversity-check Natural Beauty-check Great arts scene Incredible History Variety of food available Compactness Public Transportation Dislikes Cost of Living - check Overly PC contingent Less than friendly people The way the city is fast losing is middle and service class population