clyde Posted April 13, 2014 As someone who doesn't live in San Francisco, but ends up reading a bunch of stuff about it because he follows people who make video-games, I have a question: Video-games come from San Francisco; I hear a lot about inflation of property values making life difficult there; who is making the simulation heavy game about the income inequality San Francisco faces? I would think that a embedded sentiment would he oozing out of 2014's games, right? 2015? I'm just curious, I don't know what people should make, it just seems like this would be a thing. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Frenetic Pony Posted April 13, 2014 As someone who doesn't live in San Francisco, but ends up reading a bunch of stuff about it because he follows people who make video-games, I have a question: Video-games come from San Francisco; I hear a lot about inflation of property values making life difficult there; who is making the simulation heavy game about the income inequality San Francisco faces? I would think that a embedded sentiment would he oozing out of 2014's games, right? 2015? I'm just curious, I don't know what people should make, it just seems like this would be a thing. Ha! It's an idea, but I've no idea if it would show up much as an affect. Personally I'm kinda for it, my grandmothers house will be up for sale soon, and her three story old house will go for $850,000+ unless there's a crash. I also don't live in SF myself, so there's that, though I've known people that have had a lot of trouble moving there. I think that's really the thing I've seen. People that move there having the damnedest time getting a place in their price range more than anything else. Edit- Mington, I live there! Uhhhh. I don't like wine actually, sorry. The wine train is fun enough though, but I'm not sure a wine tour is necessary. There's so many damned wineries in the Napa Valley you can just pick and choose as you go along one of the two roads up and down the valley. It's also spring, so taking like a convertible or just something you can see out of is highly recommended. Not one of those stupid blacked out mini bus things, unless you plan on getting quite drunk that is, which... obviously do the bus thing. Otherwise, besides wine and cringing at the clothing prices for all the shops she may drag you too, go out to a restaurant (or several, there's like 40+ to choose from). Hit up downtown Napa, Yountville, St. Helena, and Calistoga. Don't be fooled by Oakville and Redford being "towns" the Oakville Grocer (used to be good, not now) and the Redford Grill are literally the only things there, you will otherwise pass by these "places" without realizing you'd gone anywhere. Yelp is good enough for recommendations, though I thought Tarla was solid if you like meditteranean, and Gott's is fun for some high end fast food (get both the Garlic and Sweet Potato fries, even if you die of diabetes and a heart attack you'll thank me). If you don't know what you want head to the Oxbow (downtown Napa) and you'll find a single building with a half dozen restaurants inside. Also, Sonoma is kinda fun but is really just a knock off Napa Valley. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
melmer Posted April 13, 2014 Oh wow, thanks for the recommendations! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Jake Posted April 13, 2014 lol at Sonoma burn. Sonoma county still has more farmland in it that hasn't been converted to wineries. I don't know the point of visiting it as a tourist. It is the county that is where Tim Schafer grew up as well as me and most of the giant bomb staff. That's the opposite of a reason to visit it. And the parkside is not worth visiting unless you work by it! If you want weird/fun bars you can't get in another city go to Smugglers Cove or Bourbon and Branch or something, and not to one of the billion dives-with-okay-kitchens.* * Dear Mom is a dive with a delicious kitchen but it's still a very odd stop for a vacation. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Twig Posted April 13, 2014 Smuggler's Cove is pretty rad. I will vouch for that one. I only went once (two GDC's ago when some of the thumbs meet-up crew were drunkenly chasing... one of the Thumbs who tweeted he was there, I can't even remember who!), but it blew my drunken mind. Also I love rum and they have a lot of delicious rum-based drinks. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
melmer Posted April 13, 2014 I knew my girlfriend had done some planning, I didn't realise she had already scheduled the whole week This what we've got so far (HH is code for happy hour, that's my girl) Weds - Soda Popinskis (HH 5-7) Amelie - dinner (HH 5.30-7) Thurs Macys- rings (we are going to buy our wedding bands for our wedding next summer. We got the engagement ring in Macy's NY) Palace of fine arts Lunch Crissy field Battery east trail to GG bridge Smugglers cove (HH 5-6) Absinthe - dinner Fri- Lombard street Fisherman's wharf, Pier 7 & 39 Bubba Gump - lunch (we are collecting the glasses ) Rocketboat / boat cruise Top of the Mark Tonga- dinner & drinks (HH 5-7) Sat- Transamerica pyramid Chinatown Yang sing - early lunch Union square & Westfield's, Nike,bag Sanraku- dinner 6.30 Pubcrawl 8pm - Bacchus Kirk Sun- Nopa brunch Painted ladies Coit tower Comstock saloon (HH 4-7) Tonys pizzeria - dinner Vesuvio cafe Mon- The Castro & theatre Lunch Mission Dolores park Boulevard - dinner Rickhouse Tues- GG park & Japanese tea garden Lunch Chambers - dinner Bourbon & branch Weds-LUNCH Airport (fly 4.40pm) Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
namman siggins Posted April 13, 2014 I'm might come across on you Saturday. I'm going to be in San Fran for just hanging around and a comic books signing at Mission Comics. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
tabacco Posted April 13, 2014 Just so you know, Coit Tower is closed for renovation through May or June. Presumably you can still go to the base of it, just not inside or to the top. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
syntheticgerbil Posted April 16, 2014 Coit Tower was in Under a Killing Moon. Better go. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
deleted user Posted April 17, 2014 I'm planning on getting a job in San Francisco and moving there from England. On a scale of 5 to 7, how difficult is this? On a secondary scale where Q is the worst and Z is the best, how worth my while is following through with this plan? Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
TheLastBaron Posted April 17, 2014 I don't live in San Francisco and have never worked there, but I did spend a lot of time helping some friends who go to SF State and UCSF find an apartment and it took a while. I imagine it would also be a lot harder if you're trying to do it from England. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Chris Posted April 17, 2014 I'm planning on getting a job in San Francisco and moving there from England. On a scale of 5 to 7, how difficult is this? On a secondary scale where Q is the worst and Z is the best, how worth my while is following through with this plan?As would probably be the case moving to any desirable place, it depends on the field you're in. What do you do for a living? Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Argobot Posted April 17, 2014 Oh yeah, EMP is pretty alright, forgot about that. I've also heard great things about the underground tour, though I've never taken it before. Anyway. Seattle is not San Francisco. I don't think. But the Space Needle! Pike Place! Piroshki, Piroshki. Golden Gardens beach. I love San Francisco, but Seattle has some good stuff going for it. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
sclpls Posted April 17, 2014 I'm planning on getting a job in San Francisco and moving there from England. On a scale of 5 to 7, how difficult is this? On a secondary scale where Q is the worst and Z is the best, how worth my while is following through with this plan? How okay are you with living with roommates? The average rental is in the $1.5-$2k per bedroom range.If that doesn't sound like something you can afford your only real hope is to move in with someone that lives in a rent controlled apartment, which will be below market rate. Or you could commute from the East Bay, which is easy enough although places near BART (the Bay Area train lines) tend to be quite expensive as well. It's a crappy situation! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
coaxmetal Posted April 17, 2014 Philz is fantastic coffee, all aboard the philz train. Also, wrt phone coverage, I was on verizon when I moved to SF, and their coverage was perfect. I switched to tmobile a while ago, and, while not as good as verizon, their coverage is adequate. In some buildings I lose signal, and I don't get proper LTE everywhere in the city, often a slower network, but otherwise it works. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
tabacco Posted April 18, 2014 For reasons I don't fully understand, Verizon data coverage is nonexistent on Marina Green and in Fort Mason. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
melmer Posted April 25, 2014 Oh balls, this is two weeks after our holiday Die Antwoord at the Fillmore http://thefillmore.com/ai1ec_event/die-antwoord/ Sold out anyway. I assume all you SF residents already have your tickets yeah? NINJAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
sclpls Posted April 25, 2014 Philz is fantastic coffee, all aboard the philz train. Also, wrt phone coverage, I was on verizon when I moved to SF, and their coverage was perfect. I switched to tmobile a while ago, and, while not as good as verizon, their coverage is adequate. In some buildings I lose signal, and I don't get proper LTE everywhere in the city, often a slower network, but otherwise it works. Philz is kinda polarizing I find, people either really love or really hate it. I'm more of an espresso guy, so it isn't my thing so much, but when I want a cup of coffee I think it's good. My favorite coffee shop is Grand Coffee which is a hole in the wall on Mission street. They make great coffee drinks without being hopelessly pretentious. It's such a small, cramped space you avoid people that are coming in to work on their laptops and talk about their new startups or whatever. So the culture and conversation there is really great. My experience with coverage with Verizon is mostly good, although at some people's places it is nonexistent so it always seems like a tossup. Doesn't seem so great on BART either. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Frenetic Pony Posted April 25, 2014 Grand Coffee... I'll have to try that. I like Ritual, and know people that work there in SF now (they moved from Napa, promotions). And Blue Bottle, but Blue Bottle is pretentious as fuck. Oh look it's a non descript building downtown on a sidestreet with absolutely no sign or indication of what the place is and a line out the door and when you go in the overcharge you like hell for tiny bags of coffee beans. Still, their espresso is nice and super smooth, and the food there is actually good. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
melmer Posted April 26, 2014 As anyone used any of these ride share services? http://www.thrillist.com/entertainment/san-francisco/comparing-the-5-rideshare-options-in-sf-thrillist-san-francisco I only found out about lyft a couple of days ago and downloaded the app. But it wouldn't except my mobile number during sign up Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
tabacco Posted April 27, 2014 I use UberX when I use one. It's good and pretty cheap, unless you get stuck with surge pricing (where they add a multiplier onto the price because of demand). Usually you can wait it out after a half hour or so though. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
melmer Posted April 27, 2014 Cool thanks. UberX is available in London so we can create an account using a British mobile number on that one Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
deleted user Posted April 28, 2014 How okay are you with living with roommates? The average rental is in the $1.5-$2k per bedroom range.If that doesn't sound like something you can afford your only real hope is to move in with someone that lives in a rent controlled apartment, which will be below market rate. Or you could commute from the East Bay, which is easy enough although places near BART (the Bay Area train lines) tend to be quite expensive as well. It's a crappy situation! I was hoping to finally live alone, but I'm not sure if I would end up getting too solitary and lose all my money. Since I've never actually not lived with other people, I'd be fine with it. There were a few places I had my eye on, but yeah, majorly expensive; so I guess it'd be cool to live with people who know the town anyway. Is it possible, do you think, to commute from the bottom of Oakland or something? Or maybe the public transport/petrol costs would outweigh the living expenses. As would probably be the case moving to any desirable place, it depends on the field you're in. What do you do for a living? I'm sort of a technical generalist at the moment. Just finishing my BA on Computer Visualisation and Animation, and in my incredibly biased opinion, I feel like I'll be able to create a good enough portfolio to get hired at a minimum of 30 or 40 grand. Of course I have no real experience of finding a job, especially abroad, so I may be in for a smack in the face from what happens. I know about two different types of work visas, and their low amount. Still though, might as well try my hardest. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
subbes Posted April 28, 2014 £30-40k, or $30-40k? If the latter, prepare to live out of a cupboard or something. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
deleted user Posted April 28, 2014 £30-40k, or $30-40k? If the latter, prepare to live out of a cupboard or something. In other topics, we live in Sonoma county and it's not quite as shitty as Jake implies. The scenery is nice. In England I think I could probably start on £30k, which is like $50k, but I don't know if I could actually make $50k in San Francisco. I don't really know the deal with inflation or the value of technical artist sort of jobs over there. Something I'm rather curious about all you San Franchinigans, where's the furthest you've all travelled? I hear that it's common to not really travel outside of America due to costs and the fact that America is bloomin' huge. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites