Haha... Ratt that was indeed funny.
Very true about San Francisco. I've been to a lot of the major music cities around the country (Nashville, NYC, Chicago, Portland, Minneapolis, LA, Las Vegas, etc.) and I've never found one to fit my vibe like SF (NYC comes close and Nashville is wonderful). Playing Biscuits & Blues on the corner of Geary and Mason in the heart of downtown last weekend will be a memory to keep, that's for sure.
So I suppose I should brag about my own city a bit just to contribute.
Quality of Life: 8
No crime, tons of things to do, you can be anyone you want and not have any prejudice against you, mostly friendly people. Incredible restaurants, great shopping, nice parks, the beach, etc. The problem is horrific traffic and parking, and the city can be really dirty in many parts.
Low Cost of Living: 2
It's waaay too expensive here. If you want to buy a house in the city, you're looking at $500,000 to START. I kid you not, many of my friends have gone through it. My g/f lives in a cramped, noisy studio apartment in gang-land and pays $800 rent. To top it off, with the dot-com bust, there are no jobs here.
Outdoor Activities: 10
I don't think there's a better place on the planet in this regard. We're right on the ocean (I live a few blocks down from Chris Isaak's surf spot of choice). You can walk out your door and suddenly be on a hike in the woods. We have the Sierra Nevada a 3-hour drive away. It's a mild climate. People love the outdoors so there are always new measures protecting wildnerness and building new trails. Rock climbing, kayaking, bike trails, etc, etc.
Good Nightlife: 9
You can find everything here. Every type of music, theatre, movies. A wide variety of venues from stadiums to major clubs to intimate coffee houses. The only problem is parking and high cost of events.
Good Music Scene: 5
Answered a bit with the above in terms of appreciation, but as a musician, it's pretty rough. Lots of different types of music to see. But there isn't any kind of scene or movement. The dot-commies destroyed the creative music scene by buying out rehearsal space leases. It hasn't improved since that all collapsed. Making matters worse, there aren't any major studios here. The 3 big ones have all fallen on hard times. Not much broadcasting is done here, so no jingle work. The best option here is the cover scene, in terms of making a living at it.
A Relatively Liberal Young Vibe: 10
We're the capital of the world in this regard, I think. There are lots of young people with an overwhelming preponderance of liberals. Haight/Ashbury is a bike ride away for me and hasn't changed in 30 years. Above all, I love the fact that there are so many freaks here. I walk out the door and I'll always see at least one thing I've never seen before in my life.
Having said all that, I still think I need to get out of here. The cost of living is just too astronomically high. And when it comes to work, whether it's music or job potential, it's pretty much dead.
