tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8866846643539471716.post1843706535643166765..comments2023-10-16T05:53:10.116-07:00Comments on LandShark Adventures: MorningVincehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10425235408878948258noreply@blogger.comBlogger3125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8866846643539471716.post-11007671861342597132013-08-27T04:21:56.856-07:002013-08-27T04:21:56.856-07:00Do you think the fact that SF's on a major ear...Do you think the fact that SF's on a major earthquake fault line might be part of the reason for lack of an extensive underground system or maybe the hills make it difficult for an above ground system? I agree DC's system is pretty basic/lame; that being said, Sean likes it better than Chicago's... Chicago's CTA is pretty extensive, but just too slow; the trains are fast, tho. I don't think you've been out much lately because drinks in Chicago easily cost $12-15 each :)Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05044104699613974465noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8866846643539471716.post-65539304501927888222013-08-26T12:14:05.097-07:002013-08-26T12:14:05.097-07:00I had always thought that the Washington DC metro ...I had always thought that the Washington DC metro was an excellent metro system (and deeply funded), but actually experiencing London v. DC was shockingly different. I agree that San Jose/San Francisco is a somewhat unfair comparison, but I wonder why? San Francisco has a density approaching that of London, and the bay area itself likely reflects that of a 100 mile radius from London. I'm not expecting perfect coverage to the middle of the Mojave Desert, but when there are 9M people in a metro area, something better than buses running every 10 minutes should be the expectation, not the best-case scenario. And I do believe there is a build it and they will come factor. The fact is, in the 20's and 30's most metropolitan rail lines were bought out by companies who had a deep interest in the growth of the automobile (Goodyear, Ford, et), and they created "incentives" (according to the GE sponsored exhibit at the National History Museum in DC) for their users to transition to autos (ie, they tore up the rail lines and replaced them with pavement). Yes, some change would be good re mass transit...<br /><br />And yes, prices are really high here. Especially for property. Apartments are quoted per week rather than per month, and I think 395 is the cheapest price I have seen for a studio and I regularly see prices approaching and exceeding 1k pw. Pounds. So, multiply by 1.5 to get to dollars (assuming the currently good exchange rate). 3BR+ Freehold flats seem to run from 900k-2M. And we're not looking in the realestate windows in a chi-chi neighborhood. It's more just a yuppyish neighborhood. Moving beyond apartments, Adam (housemate from school) took me out for a couple of martinis at 17.5 GBP each. That may not be unusual some places in SF, but I know I can't recall ever seeing a cocktail more than $12 (which was shocking enough). I don't think I even saw a real estate office with posted housing prices in THAT neighborhood. Just two mega-yacht dealers where I suspect that if you have to ask the price, you cannot afford it.<br /><br />We just watched speakers corner. I was curious to see if Paul joined in, but maybe that will come later... :)vcrhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01070977145139802697noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8866846643539471716.post-8331872655810383252013-08-26T11:31:04.051-07:002013-08-26T11:31:04.051-07:00Gosh Vince,
You need to compare apples to apples...Gosh Vince, <br /><br />You need to compare apples to apples, like London's mass transit to NYC, not San Jose's. USA is the land of cars and highways. Our country is much larger, and the population is much more spread out; cars are plentiful, roads easily usable and gas has cost less, although in that regard, we're getting closer to Europe than ever... Please watch your generalizations... That being said, I do think Chicago's public transit system could be improved--to be faster & more efficient like NYC's--but you're stretching pretty far to compare transit life in Northern California to life in London... Maybe you'll come back to the USA and get involved in helping to improve it...<br /><br />Also, are you saying that as bad as prices are in Silicon Valley, they're worse in London???<br /><br />Did any of the kids want to try the Speakers Corner??? At Brown, we sometimes had a speaker speaking on a soap box on the main campus...<br /><br />MarAnonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05044104699613974465noreply@blogger.com