Quantcast

going back to cali - for the first time

smoke brakes

Monkey
May 18, 2007
192
0
one step closer to the lord
im taking off with my lady friend , to nor-cal monday
will be staying in berkley (dont ask) , we are looking to move and would like to check out what the bay area has to offer -

any tips , on neighborhoods , areas , food ( i think bacon is banned in berkley?)
not berkley specific , any good areas to look at houses to buy / rent

tanks
 

blue

boob hater
Jan 24, 2004
10,160
2
california
morgan hill is super sweet area and in and out for grub .
If you like heat, crappy food, crappy riding, and being far as hell away from everything.

I lived in Santa Cruz for a couple years. Awesome outdoor access and beaches, but mediocre food offerings and no jobs (plus COL on par with SF).

What exactly are you looking for? I love San Francisco and would move there in a heartbeat if I could, but it's definitely not a place for everyone.
 

smoke brakes

Monkey
May 18, 2007
192
0
one step closer to the lord
"What exactly are you looking for?"
#1 get the hell out of philly !
not real sure at this point to be honest , life change , good weather , ride dh , surf , snowboard , make some cash , have a good life style basically
going for 10 days , to find out
i have lived in major cities thru out europe and kinda losing all hope in humanity one person at a time
just wanna great life style
 

Montana rider

Turbo Monkey
Mar 14, 2005
1,741
2,164
unless you're already wealthy, or have a good line on work (IT, medical...) I don't think you should really consider the Bay Area if quality of life is the main criteria.

The COL expenses up there are such that you'll be hamster on a wheel albeit in more cramped and scenic environs than PA.

What you'll find is that most places worth living (i.e. decent recreation, food, etc.) have already been priced out of reach for the average joe.

That's not to say that you can't enjoy treading water in a place like East Bay...

To each their own -- enjoy!
 

smoke brakes

Monkey
May 18, 2007
192
0
one step closer to the lord
unless you're already wealthy, or have a good line on work ....

i am / was a fashion photographer for about 15 years , just sick of the people - pretty much shoot wedding with the little lady , its great money and people get married everywhere , weekends only work , and 8 months off ....
kinda what i expected ...over priced etc ..... half a mill for a cramped ass a 2 bedroom ?
well we see soon enough
 

blue

boob hater
Jan 24, 2004
10,160
2
california
unless you're already wealthy, or have a good line on work ....

i am / was a fashion photographer for about 15 years , just sick of the people - pretty much shoot wedding with the little lady , its great money and people get married everywhere , weekends only work , and 8 months off ....
kinda what i expected ...over priced etc ..... half a mill for a cramped ass a 2 bedroom ?
well we see soon enough
Word of caution: The Bay is saturated with very good wedding photographers who are willing to work below living wages. The five or six decent art schools in the area are a big reason for this.

That said, there's decent commercial work throughout SF if you know the right people.
 

blackohio

Generous jaywalker
Mar 12, 2009
2,773
122
Hellafornia. Formerly stumptown.
I moved from LA after 13 years because I was sick and tired of the c.o.l. and the rat race. Im so glad to be back somewhere where life is lived at the pace I want and the level I want. I get to work 1-3 days a week make about a grand a week in ohio. I wouldn't go back to cali for under 100K a year.

...and photographers, well there are a million really good ones throughout California. My ex worked for one of california's best and dealing with those snobby bitches would suck ass.
 

smoke brakes

Monkey
May 18, 2007
192
0
one step closer to the lord
"...and photographers, well there are a million"
pretty much true every where now , throw a rock and hit two

we are both more than established and pull in a nice chunk of change , granted the first year might be a bit tight ..........

"dealing with those snobby bitches would suck ass."
i am one of those snobby bitches , i guess ???

the girl actually grew up in tahoe pretty amazing piece of the states actually
 

dump

Turbo Monkey
Oct 12, 2001
8,195
4,419
I lived in Berkeley for about 5 years while working in San Francisco. It's really quite different from the reputation, and a great place to live.

What kinds of things to you tend toward? What's your style. You can find pretty much every style in the bay.
 

OGRipper

back alley ripper
Feb 3, 2004
10,647
1,116
NORCAL is the hizzle
If you want to surf and ride DH/FR, and you don't need to commute to one of the bigger cities, check out Pacifica. You need to drag yourself to the top but it's one of the few places with decent gravity trails in the bay area, and it's a popular surf spot. Just a bit south of SF but cheaper and more laid-back.
 

rockofullr

confused
Jun 11, 2009
7,342
924
East Bay, Cali
check out truckee, tahoe, placerville, auburn areas, great foothill riding, and close to chairlifts.

little bit more of small town style as well
Yes to this!

If you can find work in the area that's the way to go. There are plenty of people looking for roommates around Tahoe and it's a photographer's paradise. Oh yeah and there may be some riding and boarding to be had too.

Don't listen to the hate. All those fools just wish they could go surfing and skiing in the same day. Good luck with that out in Ohio :weee::weee:

If you wanna be closer to the bay, try Pacifica like OG said.
 

blue

boob hater
Jan 24, 2004
10,160
2
california
Yes to this!

If you can find work in the area that's the way to go. There are plenty of people looking for roommates around Tahoe and it's a photographer's paradise. Oh yeah and there may be some riding and boarding to be had too.

Don't listen to the hate. All those fools just wish they could go surfing and skiing in the same day. Good luck with that out in Ohio :weee::weee:

If you wanna be closer to the bay, try Pacifica like OG said.
Pacifica is a nice spot, but the weather sucks. Most of the summer it's socked in by fog - moreso than SF. The riding in the Bay is decent for being so close to 8 million people, but it's not what I'd call "good" (but I got spoiled by living next to 11,000 foot peaks most of my life, so take that for what it's worth). It IS, however, open nearly year-round.

You may want to consider even further down on the Central Coast (Watsonville, Monterey, etc) if you're looking to "get away"...COL isn't quite as retarded. Very deep photo culture there - I met a lot of great photographers, many of whom associated closely with Group f/64.

Don't get me wrong - the Bay and Norcal are amazing, but very hard to get by in without a lot of stress if you're not in the right industry. That said, I might move back to SF/SC for the summer, who knows.
 

bdamschen

Turbo Monkey
Nov 28, 2005
3,377
156
Spreckels, CA
I dig living in the Monterey area. Everyone here is laid back, the scenery is nice and the trail riding is pretty sweet.

For good gravity trails, you really have to go somewhere else.... for now. A few years from now though, I'll bet Monterey has some fun DH if you know where to look. :)
 

stevew

resident influencer
Sep 21, 2001
40,494
9,524
Don't listen to the hate. All those fools just wish they could go surfing and skiing in the same day. Good luck with that out in Ohio :weee::weee:
there are probably a whole lot less douchebags in ohio than there are in california.