Re:Ask HN: Australian considering moving to SF with a few qu...
by mirsadm on Saturday October 06, 2012 @01:13AM
(#4619865)
I agree with you on the relative tolerance/perceptions of dodgy areas. I stayed at a hostel in the Tenderloin area in SF and found it to be pretty reasonable. Was a bit shady but compared to some of the areas where I grew up it was not too bad.
It depends on what exactly you want to do: 1) Meet tech folks, learn about interesting technologies? Go to meetup.com, find a bunch of talks held at companies, go there, meet other folks, go to their company events, rinse, repeat. 2) Meet interesting folks who may not be tech: Do a bunch of bar crawls, go to interesting music festivals etc.
> 4. How much should I expect to pay for a room or a studio in a decent area (I have no idea what a decent area is, so any advice would be very much appreciated)
I would advise staying away from the Tenderloin or some sketchy parts of the Mission. Sketchy is a personal tolerance level discovered only by physically visiting these places and figuring out your comfort zone. Noe Valley, The Haight, Pacific Heights and parts of the Mission (Close to Dolores Park) are great places to live. Prices here are expensive: You are likely to pay anything between $1500 - $2500 for a studio.