Ok ppl... What's Cali REALLY like?

[Ragnar Danneskjold]

So as many of u know, i am looking at Santa Clara as my best option now. This is just a straight forward question: What do i have to know about the great state of Claifornia (i already know who the Governor is)? I'm from NYC. I there is anyone whos lived in both places (nyc & San Francisco/Sanjose), let me know what your thoughts are.

[SuperMoni]

California is way over-rated.  Consider it NJ w/ more hills and mountains.

[elemnopee]

There is no public transportation, well there is, but don't ever take it.

As a general rule the crappier the building the better the Mexican food.

Wearing sandals year around is normal, but never wear them with jeans.

At a bar order Sierra Nevada if they have it on draft, not because its good, but because it makes you look cool.

People say "hella" a hella lot, and its hella lame

[Ragnar Danneskjold]

Well i was in LA last year and the public transportation wasn't all that bad. And i love to wear sandals, of course never with jeans. Only fagatronic dumbasses do that . At the bar, i'll be stickin with a good old Samuel L. Jackson. "Mmmm Mmmm female dog! That's good motherf*ckin beer!"

[dbgirl]

Los Angeles is different from Northern California/Bay Area.

In L.A. there is a lot more emphasis on bleached blonde hair and plastic surgery than there is in S.F. In S.F. there is more of an emphasis on wealth. The weather is better (if you like sun) in L.A. than it is in in S.F., but the traffic is worse.

I've lived in the Bay Area my whole life and I love it. I  think most people who live in California love it. However, I have never been to NYC, so I can't tell you how Cali is "better."

[Lgirl]

When I visited LA over the summer (no car) I needed to get from one side of town to the other (from North Hollywood to Venice Beach) and all the people I knew there, who had been living in LA for 10+ years knew NOT A SINGLE bus route! I figured out the buses myself and they are great and reliable. Why the hell does nobody use public transport in the US? Well, in some areas? In Europe it's the only way! All of this to say that LA is underrated.

As for SF - I love it. I didn't know money was such a factor for people. I'd have thought the opposite was the case. Please elaborate? I'm looking forward to being in the area!

[V00Jeff]

California is the most incredibly tubular place in the world.  I've never been to NYC, but let me say this: California is 1) super-laid-back, 2) weathertastic, 3)wealthy, 4)full of attractive people, 5)closer to Mexico, which is much more cool than being close to Canada, 6) and generally the best place in the world.

[Lgirl]

Yay to that! Woooooooooooooooooo! my new home!!! 

[Shira]

When I visited LA over the summer (no car) I needed to get from one side of town to the other (from North Hollywood to Venice Beach) and all the people I knew there, who had been living in LA for 10+ years knew NOT A SINGLE bus route! I figured out the buses myself and they are great and reliable. Why the hell does nobody use public transport in the US?

Well in Los Angeles the buses are okay if you're just trying to get maybe 2 blocks away, but the problem is that Los Angeles is HUGE, and most people drive, and the buses have to compete with that traffic -- we don't have cable-cars or subways so the buses are considerably slow; it can take you 25 minutes to get a few blocks in rush-hour traffic -- and that's just in regular traffic, not counting any accidents or rain or anything. So I think people figure if you have a car, you might as well drive, because the bus isn't getting you there any faster. We also have about 8 different bus lines (okay like four or five) and they don't play well together -- one of them doesn't even offer transfers to its OWN buses because they want you to buy a day pass. Meh. Public transit in LA needs some serious retooling.

[AllisonAzee]

Well my dad lives in Northern NJ and I've been forced to live there a few summers and that sort of thing and I lived in Monterey, which is near, but nothing like San Jose and now I live in Santa Barbara.  California is definitely a lot more laid back and that goes from everything from what you wear to work to wearing pajamas to coffee shops in the morning (I don't do it, but plenty do).  The biggest difference I would say is the little things.  The girl at Starbucks is actually pleasant and competent, as opposed to in NJ where they were annoyed I was there and screwed up my drink at least half the time.  The food is generally a bit fresher and lighter than in the tri state area and a lot less Italian.   You don't really get the strong ethnic group in CA like you do in NYC, by this I mean the large Italian and Jewish communities who have very distinct identities.  However there is of course a huge Hispanic population who will provide you with all the cheap and huge burritoes you can eat, I don't want to leave