The Differences

Transitioning from city life to suburbia life has been a rather difficult task. I didn’t quite understand the magnititude effect that San Francisco had on my perception of life. I first assumed that the adjustment would be easy since I lived in Mtn. View most of my life and then went to Sonoma State, and then I lived in San Francisco. By my behavior the last few weeks, you would swear I have never lived anywhere but San Francisco.

1) Lack of Driving Ablity
First of all, my driving skills have gone out the window. Going over 55 mph on the freeway seems ABSOLUTELY ABSURD to me, and I would much rather twist and turn down these obscure streets then continually travel down this bleak highway that never ends. Everyday feels like I’m driving to LA.

2) Sleeping with Crickets or without Crickets.
Going to sleep in utter silence was deafening, and for the first few nights I could not fall asleep sleep. No sirens? No over aggressive motorcyclists trying to prove their manhood? No loud drunkards calling for a taxi cab? Where am I?

3) Parking lots…
…are a nightmare. A complete utter nightmare and really San Francisco is better off with out them. It takes just as long to find parking in a lot then on the streets of SF, and I do not want to hear anymore wining about the one way streets in the city because you guys have the one way stupid parking lots that nobody pays attention to anyway.

4) Fast Food…
…is FAR easier to access. I forgot all about Taco Bell, McDonalds, Burger King and the rest of the usual suspects. Oh Krispey Kreme is close by and SO IS IN-N-OUT, and it only smells of very very good bad for you food instead of a room jam packed with tourists and the homeless.

5) Nothing is close by
In San Francisco there are a million different ways to get to ONE location. Tell me what street your on and what the cross street and I from anywhere in the city I will figure out how to get there. In addition, it’s a big giant circle. If I make a wrong turn, I’ll just go down the next street and cut over. The one way streets aren’t forgettable, and the free way is ALWAYS only a few miles away from ANYWHERE in the city.

This is not true in suburbia, and it’s very painful. You can not just wing it. You have to know exactly where you’re going and do not be alamared by driving through houses and school districts to get to a car auto place. Things here are not nicely sectioned off.

6) The driving is much more unbearable, and chores take you twice as long.
In San Francisco you need to go grocery shopping, go the bank and the post office. Sure, no problem. Just go to the safeway that has the bank and post office INSIDE – or go to SOMA where all three places are on the same block. No problem 30 minutes tops.
Not here.
You have to DRIVE EVERYWHERE. I mean everywhere. Fight the parking lots, do the errand, and drive to the next place. Rinse. Repeat. An excursian that would take 30 minutes in San Francisco takes 70 minutes here with all the distance, driving and parking efforts.

7) Directions.
People here give the oddest directions, and I can not remember a time where I was just as guilty of such a crime. Please don’t write out all the different landmarks I’m going to see in paragraph form. I can not drive and read at the same time. It’s a skill I would like to develop, but alas, I am still in the beginning stages.

What do you mean you don’t know the street names?

“Go a little ways and turn right on where you see the big tree.”

“Ok. What’s the street name?”

“Um, actually, I don’ t know.”

People – are you kidding me?