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I don't really have many good stories but one that comes to mind is when i grew my hair out (down to the middle of my back) and stopped shaving for a short film I wanted to shoot. I was hanging out at my friend's apartment and she didn't have anything to drink so I wandered out with my skateboard to find a liquor store.

I ended up standing at a street corner on Van Ness waiting for the light to turn when three separate groups of people left a relatively nice restaurant (I think it was Stars) and stood waiting with me, and a homeless guy came by. He went up to the three groups, one by one, and asked for some spare change, but when he came up to me he kinda looked me up and down, gave me that 'sup head bob, and walked away.

I asked my friend when I got back to her apartment and apparently I'd been looking pretty damn homeless for the past few months and hadn't really been aware of it.

One thing I do tend to like about the bay area is that people tend to be casual about appearances and during this homeless-looking phase of mine I never had a problem eating at nice restaurants (I tend to eat out a lot). I mean the maitre d' might not be totally sure why I'm there when i first show up with my skateboard, bike messenger bag, shorts, t-shirt, reefs, and generally unkempt appearance, but when I mention that I have a reservation I'm normally treated like any other customer. The one exception was when I was in the mood for garlic and went to the stinking rose and the waiter (not the maitre d') gave me attitude.

Um, another relatively boring story (sorry, I don't really have many good ones) was when I was bar hopping with some friends and we ended up in some dive bar somewhere in the tenderloin. My gaydar is horrible and when one of my friends casually mentioned that we were in a gay bar I asked how the hell she could tell 'cuz as far as I could tell it was full of blue-collar workers. She replied, "I mean I could be wrong but those giant framed posters of naked men on the walls was my first clue." I was all, "oh, huh, didn't notice them."

As I mentioned earlier, I tend to eat out a lot so I tend to think in terms of places I like to eat when I'm in the mood for something specific. Like U Lee for chinese, little star stuffed spinach and mushroom pizza when i want something a bit different from the zachary's version (i hate the ambience here tho' - too loud), kara's cupcakes for filled lemon or passionfruit cupcakes (or chocolate velvet if i'm in a chocolate mood), la taqueria for tacos, el farolito for after-midnight burritos, and little orphan andy's for 24-hour diner food. Blue, or the completely unrelated blue plate, both for mac & cheese, in-n-out for animal-style burgers, the roli roti rotisserie truck at the saturday ferry building farmer's market for their porcetta sandwich (they appear other places, i just only know them from that farmer's market - also note that they sell out of said sandwich by noon or 1pm), suppenkuche for german food, minamoto kitchoan for fancypants japanese desserts or benkyodo for a cheaper mochigashi, memphis minnie's for some tasty (albeit a tad pricey) bbq, stars used to have good desserts but their dessert chef left plus i don't even know if that restaurant exists anymore. Firefly had decent grub and a very date-like atmosphere, boboquivari's had a good (but kind of overpriced) bone-in filet mignon, boulevard was also decent, one market had okay food but the clientele was a bit stuffy for my tastes, zuni cafe is okay but a little overrated, belden place is a kind of cool little blocked-off one-block street with a bunch of nifty restaurants (b44 is one i went to recently that my friends loved, me, less so), little delhi may not look like much but i dug its indian food, and for persian i go to alborz on van ness.

Oh yeah, one more lame story I have took place the day before I moved to mexico for a year or so. I was out with my friends bar hopping and we ended up in this place in chinatown and I saw a drink called a "mexi-me-crazy." I was like, "holy shit, a bar with a drink called mexi-me-crazy the night before i fly out to mexico city? that's totally a sign - I have to have that drink!" I took a sip and it was disgusting (keep in mind that I don't really like the taste of alcohol). My friends made me finish it anyway.

Oh wait, another story - I was flying in to sfo from eastern europe and brought along a shit-ton of crystal stuff (cups, plates, vases, whatever) 'cuz it was cheap and i was gonna hand 'em out as gifts. Because it was so cheap the dollar amount I wrote down on the customs form was pretty damn low but hoped i could squeak by the sfo customs people without any problems. Unfortunately, they took notice of me and wanted to check out my 2nd suitcase of crystal.

Fortunately (sort of), once the opened the suitcase they saw my two ultra-realistic-looking prop desert eagle handguns I'd bought in vienna, they ceased to give a single fuck about the shit-ton of crystal I'd bought and inspected the toy guns. Note that these guns looked real, felt real, cocked like a real gun, had real heft to them, had a safety like a real gun, shot bb pellets, and could be disassembled like a real gun. They looked so real, in fact, that all the customs guys in the room came over to take a look (not for work, but 'cuz they all seemed to be kind of into guns).

I told them the relatively funny story behind buying them, then one of 'em tried to take one of the guns apart. That was easy enough but then he couldn't get it back together so for about half an hour they all stood around taking turns trying to put it back together, until a supervisor came by and told 'em to break it up and send me on my way. I was all, "uh, no, you guys took it apart, you need to figure out how to put it back together". I spent about two hours in customs that night but ultimately the gun was reassembled and they didn't give a shit about all that crystal I was bringing in to the country. I've got another decent story about sfo customs from when I flew in from el salvador but that one requires me mentioning my name so I think I'll pass on telling it.

Anyway, I doubt that I could convince you that living in SF would be better than (or even as good as) living in boston, but it's a nice town, and small enough that most things are within walking distance of each other, but at the same time large enough that you can get most anything you need in terms of things as well as culture and sports and whatever else you can think of. I've lived and worked in a few different cities (sf, berkeley, santa barbara, mexico city, and, prague) and stayed for extended periods of time in several others. They all have their good and bad aspects, and it's kind of up to the individual to, y'know, focus on the good things.

Oh yeah, and if you wanna read some good stories about the east bay (like berkeley and oakland), you should check out back issues of a 'zine called "cometbus". It's a pretty famous 'zine so you can probably find it in a city like boston - in fact, i think cometbus just came out with a compilation book that gathers his best stories from the past couple of years.

tl;dr: sf is nice, mellow weather (some people think it's too cold and overcast but I like it), decent food, and with plenty of things to keep you busy and/or entertained if you look around. If you really want to read good stories about things like love and loss in the bay area (although not necessarily sf), check out cometbus.

It may not be fitting for today's city, but it recognizes San Francisco's historical importance as a strategically located military base while still acknowledging its more well-known peaceful and progressive nature.

There's a great map, Right Wing of the Dove, that depicts "The Bay Area as a conservative/military brain trust" from Rebecca Solnit's Infinite City, which I highly recommend. Each map has an accompanying essay, and it's a great way to learn about the different layers of Bay Area history. I'm on the progressive/liberal end of the political spectrum, but I still find this aspect of the Bay Area really fascinating.

Hah, gotta love that enthusiasm. There is a certain feeling of euphoria when you realize you are a-okay after an accident.

My coworkers tease me about the electric yellow skater helmet that I wear when I bike to work, but I just laugh it off. When I was hit by an SUV last week, I was especially happy that I hadn't taken their comments to heart.

I was also grateful for the gloves I was wearing when my palms hit the pavement. (I didn't even chip a nail.)

Safety first. :D

I am kind of agnostic on land value tax vs. land + building tax at the moment. William Fischel lists several downsides of land value taxes in Zoning Rules!:

• Property taxes are easier to administer because land + building sales are easier to observe than land only sales.
  
• Property taxes are more popular because people do want mansions to be taxed more than small houses on an equivalent lot.
  
• With zoning that limits development potential, property values often reflect the value of the land and what you are allowed to do with it anyway. In other words, “What should the land be zoned for?” is the bigger question than “Land tax vs. property tax?”
  
  Adam Ozimek also listed Some Advantages Of Property Taxes Over Land Value Taxes:
  
  
• Since buildings tend to last a hundred years, old buildings are more like land than capital. The creation of a land value tax instead of property tax on old buildings would just be a tax cut on old buildings. It would not do much to incentivize building.
  
  So I would be fine with a land value tax, or a split roll that taxed buildings less than land, or a property tax that exempted new buildings for a number of years.
  
  But the reason that I mentioned all those other alternatives to property and land value taxes is that local voters could actually impose them, whereas Proposition 13 prohibits any state or local government from reassessing property or raising a land tax.

A camera and a tripod. Doesn't need to be anything fancy.

This little guy will set you back $6. It'll fit into a jacket or cargo pocket easily.

I've got this or its twin, about $15. Collapsed it's a sturdy bracer, extended, you can set it up on a wall, car, table, rock, etc. I've got some amazing shots at Aquatic Park just after sunset bracing against a light pole.

I've got the granddaddy of the Olympus Stylus waterproof camera. It's got its limitations (I'd really prefer a more configurable and replaceable lens DSLR), but along with the tripod, it slips into a pocket or shoulder bag. Nothing beats being there with a camera for grabbing shots. It's got some manual control as well as a bunch of pre-set modes, including some long-exposure settings (4 seconds).

Shoot lots and lots of pictures. Most of the secret of getting the perfect shot is taking a lot of bad ones. You'll learn framing, exposure, composure, lighting, shutter speeds, film speed (or sensor speed) as you go. And yes, you can do a lot post-processing too, Photoshop or Gimp (free software).

Most smartphones are actually surprisingly good cameras, again a tripod (and some sort of mount for the phone) help for any long exposure.

And for night photography: it's amazing what leaving the shutter open for a few seconds will do. There's a lot more light than you realize, color and saturation will fill in, anything in motion will blur. The sky often has some color even well after sunset that long exposures will fill in.

Hey everyone, you may have seen me raging or telling people to be nice around the subreddit now and then, but you may not know that i am a mod on /r/bicycling and started /r/nycbike.

So this is a decent article about locking, but again... like always, it misses several critical aspects of bike locking.

• U-Locks: Smaller is better, buy quality, buy quality!!!
  
  Why is smaller better? Because the way you break a u-lock is with a jack, and if you can't get the jack into the lock, you can't break the lock.
  
  
• Cable locks are garbage!!! They are fucking garbage, do not buy them... do not buy a cable lock! They are worthless and you can break them with a simple pipe without making any noise.
  
  >The front wheel will always be easier to take off then the rear, so knowing how to lock it is a valuable skill.
  
  This is wrong. Back wheels come off just a easily as front, and cost more to replace, and i want to punch every writer that says to lock your front wheel because it's "safer" cause it's fucking not and never has been, ever!
  
  Which reminds me, the sheldon brown method doesn't work, btw.
  
  >Using two locks is the most secure method.
  
  No, well maybe, but no, not really. The most secure method is to lock with 300 individual locks in your apartment, and never leave the house. Any intellectually honest person will tell you that you need to be smart, and prepare yourself for when you are lazy, and want to leave your bike out for "just one second" and don't want to bother to lock it, and that's when it gets stolen.
  
  This is a psychological problem. The solution is locking skewers.
  
  
• Buy locking skewers. Please for the love of god, buy a small u-lock, a tiny seat cable, and locking fucking skewers. Please, i'm begging you.
  
  This is the method i use, because i'm lazy, and if i have to do anything that makes me do real work (like carry around a bunch of u-locks, or a bullshit cable lock), then i just very well may act stupid and not properly lock up my bike, as it stands, it takes me 2 seconds to lock my bike perfectly securely.
  
  tl;dr: Ideally, you want a small, quality u-lock. This locks your frame and will also lock your seat if you buy a seat cable. Just remember to make a slipknot through the seat's rails (nobody really want's to steal your crappy seat anyway). Next, buy locking skewers!!!. If your front wheel is bolt on, then just wait and see if it ever gets stolen (it probably won't unless you're unlucky), then buy a new front wheel with a skewer, and add a locking skewer. If your back wheel is bolt on, buy a longer u-lock and lock through the rear triangle and rear wheel together. Now, if you really give a shit about your bike, buy a locking top cap. This will save your fork if you come across any jerks that want your sweet, vintage, peugeot chrome fork.
  
  Also, never leave your bike outside over night, ever!

If you like this, you might also like this book:

• http://www.amazon.com/Cool-Gray-City-Love-Francisco/dp/1608199606
  
  49 short stories about San Francisco from different points in time. It helps give context to different years.. for example, in 1853, SF largely (I think 80%?) male workers who moved had here recently, and were living dozens to a room and surviving on the popular lunch special: free soup if you buy your beer there.

Exactly, whenever I'm not at work I'll carry oc or more. Sabre sells some that clip into a pocket well for only 7$. There's also products that can attach to keychains. Or if you want the extra liability Taser sells the pulse for 400$ which you can conceal in a waistband pretty easily (it's very small). Alternatively martial arts is an awesome resource -- if you're smaller in stature check out Wing Chun. Hope this helped.

https://www.amazon.com/SABRE-3-Pepper-Spray-Protection/dp/B0007VM8UC/ref=mp_s_a_1_5?ie=UTF8&qid=1540363243&sr=8-5&pi=AC_SX236_SY340_FMwebp_QL65&keywords=sabre+pepper+gel+spray&dpPl=1&dpID=41xpRcMBzKL&ref=plSrch

https://buy.taser.com/products/taser-pulse

Incredible shot! The book by the same name as the title, Cool Gray City of Love is an outstanding read! Highly recommended if you love San Francisco and learning about it's history and spaces, spread out of 49 chapters.

Not a history book per se but I got great entertainment and insight out of this one:
http://www.amazon.com/Infinite-City-San-Francisco-Atlas/dp/0520262506/ref=sr_1_5?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1334859545&sr=1-5

May I recommend getting an airhorn? http://amzn.com/B000ACAMJC

As a motorcyclist that has been hit twice by motorists not paying attention, I feel like I've got some hard earned wisdom on this topic. You really have to let the pride of right-of-way go, get out of their way and let them know of your presence. Right-of-way doesn't matter anymore when you're in the hospital.

eh, i'd recommend this instead https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00WIH1OVM/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1

same n95 qualities, but it allows more air OUT (instead of pushed back into your face) due to a smart flap, and unlike the paper masks, it actually SEALS comfortably to your face

Seems like staying inside, trying to keep the dust off the floors, and using an air purifier is a good idea at this point. If you have a car, you can get a cheapish place on Hotwire.com and spend a night in Monterrey - where the air is much, much cleaner. If not for my family (who can't leave), I would be getting out of here myself.

FYI - this is a top rated air purifier for $205 + tax on Amazon, with prime 2 day delivery.
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00BTKAPUU?tag=thewire06-20&linkCode=xm2&ascsubtag=AgEAAAAAAAAAAOF0&th=1

Reviews of several purifiers:
https://thewirecutter.com/reviews/best-air-purifier/

Would highly recommend this book to those interested in this sort of SF history. VERY entertaining and quick read—written by the same guy who wrote the book Gangs of New York was based on.

You'll be fine. The Metreon has a movie theater that is open late most nights, there is plenty of foot traffic in the area between the Metreon and BART.

While on the topic of the intersection of foot traffic and public safety, allow me to recommend Jane Jacobs' classic book.

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01HWKSBDI/ref=dp-kindle-redirect?_encoding=UTF8&btkr=1

i use those and even bought charcoal, i am looking into buying another humidifier, i have the aera max 100 and i just changed the filter after 4 months. i should've changed it faster! that thing was gray AF. i moved it to the living room and now will run it in there. when I get a second I will run it in the bedroom too. I live near a dollar tree so i often walk over and buy the damprids and change them out often.

i do clean the walls and hats with white vinegar. the guitar and dresser were in the living room so it wasnt dark but sometimes the windows are foggy so i make sure to open them when i get home. the hats were in a box in the closet and i look through them and whipe down what needs to be whiped down. kind of worried about photography gear so in my bag i do keep a damprid and a charcoal thing too.

i kind of want to change the blinds to drapes because those will be easier to clean than the blades.

Here are the products ive bought:

Activated Charcoal Bamboo Deodorizer

Aera Max 100 filters: replacement filters

DampRid FG90 with replacement bags, although these tend to fill with water really fast.

I try to leave my closet doors open and a fan in there to create circulation.

Yeah it’s great! You want this particular book though. https://www.amazon.com/Golden-Gate-Gardening-3rd-Year-Round/dp/1570616175

I have two of the smaller versions for my house and really like them. The filters are easy to change out. I run them all year, except when I have the windows open. Obviously the house is closed up now so they are running 24/7.

https://www.amazon.com/LEVOIT-LV-H132-Purifier-Allergies-Eliminator/dp/B071D58ZY5/ref=pd_bxgy_201_img_3/140-5962037-7447867?_encoding=UTF8&pd_rd_i=B071D58ZY5&pd_rd_r=93afa121-f95d-4550-891b-d08ef9479313&pd_rd_w=LoEWN&pd_rd_wg=gEkVJ&pf_rd_p=09627863-9889-4290-b90a-5e9f86682449&pf_rd_r=7VK4MTQKQMJ087QJ54JY&psc=1&refRID=7VK4MTQKQMJ087QJ54JY

Get a pair of these sound cancelling ear muffs, you will be grateful to have them on hand when you need them: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00009LI4K/ref=oh_aui_search_detailpage?ie=UTF8&psc=1

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Getting a good loud horn also helps.

https://www.amazon.com/Delta-Cycle-Airzound-Hooter-Rechargeable/dp/B000ACAMJC/

Looks like it's replacing the Rainforest Cafe.


I hope they take stories from books like[ The Barbary Coast] (http://www.amazon.com/The-Barbary-Coast-Francisco-Underworld/dp/1560254084). History here.

I found the chapters in this book "The Now Habit" around perfectionism to be very helpful.

https://www.amazon.com/Now-Habit-Overcoming-Procrastination-Guilt-Free/dp/1585425524

Linking for anyone like me that needed a search to see what book you meant. Though I'd recommend buying from your local store if possible of course: https://www.amazon.com/Cool-Gray-City-Love-Francisco/dp/1608199606

I'd recommend a small cannister of pocket pepper spray. Ultimately harmless and some are accurate up to 8 feet away.

https://www.amazon.com/SABRE-3-Pepper-Spray-Protection/dp/B0007VM8UC/ref=pd_lpo_vtph_bs_lp_t_1?_encoding=UTF8&psc=1&refRID=4HJH6P8DKH9TYQRCQ73G

7 bucks and can go on a keychain.

This may be a useful resource:

https://www.amazon.com/Golden-Gate-Gardening-3rd-Year-Round/dp/1570616175

I haven't been wearing a mask, though I agree with you on the usage of them. Luckily, I've had very limited exposure to the outdoor air. Still, this shit is bad.

For the indoor filter, I can tell you the Coway AP-1512HH works well.

https://smile.amazon.com/Coway-AP-1512HH-Mighty-Purifier-True/dp/B00BTKAPUU/ref=sr_1_4?s=home-garden&ie=UTF8&qid=1542301845&sr=1-4&keywords=coway

I have 2 of https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B071D58ZY5 in my apartment, they work well enough for me.