I haven't lived in NYC so not really qualified to comment on the comparison, but when did that ever stop anyone on ETThe ethnic food, especially Asian and Latin American, is really good. When I lived there I was either on a military salary or a student, so we tended to hole in the wall spots and there were a lot of good ones. I'd guess that when you talk Michelin Star spots NYC would have SF beat, and the Peninsula for sure, and if you're a true foodie you could probably find reason to complain. But you'll never be searching for good food, and more importantly good wine and beer are a much bigger thing there.
Pretty much everyone in my B-school class never left, so if you can afford it and you probably can, like NYC it's a great place. It is odd how run down so many houses are, it's not uncommon to see a 70's house with original shag carpet and avocado green tiling, sink, and toilet...for $2.5M! I think the housing bubble is relatively recent (80s on), which coupled with Prop 13 means that people who bought their houses pre-bubble don't leave their house until it's a terminal move to FL or Seattle. So the new owners do put in the luxury stuff, if they can afford it after paying $3M for what would be a $200K house anywhere else. Apartments, which also start at over $1M, tend to have more of that stuff than the mid-level houses. Of course the over $5M places will mostly be fully decked out unless it's an old Atherton place that's being rented out to 10 Stanford students.
I just read Prop 13. It seems like a tax cut that has caused a housing shortage!
I can't move to the Bay area as my business is in the east and Midwest. But I have always wondered what the allure is that it's become so bid. I was in Miami a few weeks ago and I get that - it's just a playground and asset haven for the rich.
