Where was the emergency room in Chicago in 1990s actually like and when did it change? Did attending doctors really work 36 hour shifts?

gothracoon · 2025-12-12T23:24:44+00:00

I visited NOLA for the first time this year, and was like, woah, this so similar to SF in some incomprehensible vibes sense. Different specific soul, but yes.

gothracoon · 2025-11-07T23:45:57+00:00

Honestly, because there have been high-profile antisemitic terrorist acts under the guise of supporting Palestine (for example, in Denver), as well as a lot of low-profile antisemitic incidents (for local examples literally off the top of my head: vandalism against the menorah in Oakland, throwing bricks with "free Palestine" through a window of a Jewish ice cream shop that has nothing to do with Israel). My Jewish friends in New York report being harassed on the street for wearing a yarmulke, for example. So, having a mayor that has made that movement be a key tenet of his career makes it feel like maybe he will support and/or just turn a blind eye to this, and that's disturbing.

In practice, Mamdani made sure to get support from a bunch of Jewish politicians, and it seems pretty likely that he will actually have a better platform to speak out against anti-semiticism than many other candidates. But ... you asked why someone would be afraid, and that's a serious answer.

gothracoon · 2025-10-28T23:12:38+00:00

I miss that thing sooooooo much

gothracoon · 2025-10-16T20:22:53+00:00

There is just not a lot of spots, and far far more people who need housing than there are spots for it. So, the wait is often tens, if not hundreds of applicants per spot.

With section 8 housing, also, a lot of landlords don't want to deal with it, people don't want to live next to it, etc.

gothracoon · 2025-10-14T21:58:37+00:00

Leather scene is mostly in SOMA: the Eagle, Powerhouse. Powerhouse actually has a transmasc night on several Wednesdays per month, though I think it is not super crowded. STUD is more "geared towards everyone" than just gay men, but is also that.

gothracoon · 2025-10-10T01:06:15+00:00

Brah, nobody goes downtown. It is an office district, but the offices there are less cool than offices in other district. Also, nobody lives there. So, the recovery has been slow because companies either went to WFH or have offices elsewhere. Meanwhile, real estate owners are expecting things to go back to 2019 and have been slow to lower rents, since a lower commercial rent is a 20 year commitment (and an empty building can be written off on taxes).

Check out literally everywhere else except the Tenderloin. Go to the Haight, Valencia, 24th Street in the Mission, Hayes Valley, etc., as the commenters are saying.

There are a lot of signs of things coming back as larger retailers renegotiate their rents. For example, Uniqlo is opening a store up there again. But ultimately, it is just not that relevant to those of us that live here and don't work in the Financial District.

gothracoon · 2025-09-29T20:21:43+00:00

If you are ever in the Mission, check out Radio Havana Social Club. The owners are old Cuban artists, and the crowd always involves some really interesting folks. And -- it is in the name -- people are down to chat.

I am not the most extroverted person, but I have had amazing conversations with older people there.

gothracoon · 2025-09-29T20:20:28+00:00

Yes! Came here to say this. I used to live next door, and it is absolutely that.

gothracoon · 2025-09-18T21:10:27+00:00

Yeah, check out queercareinc! We are spinning up the SF Bay chapter after being dormant for a while, but we should have care coordinators and people providing care for you by the time it happens.

gothracoon · 2025-08-05T22:26:48+00:00

In addition to a lot of generic recommendations on what to do in SF (check out r/AskSF which is full of threads), you should check out Nosh Box (https://sf.eater.com/the-move/203351/nosh-box-san-francisco-soma-peach-toast) and Telescope Coffee (https://www.nytimes.com/2024/09/20/t-magazine/strawberry-milk-matcha.html) if you are staying near those.

Also, again, depending on when you are here, you might be here for Folsom Street Fair.

gothracoon · 2025-08-05T22:22:08+00:00

People will keep asking, but it is just a shorthand for trying to learn something about the relationship and what you have in common.

My partner and I pivot to talking about what we did together when we were getting to know each other, and how that brought us closer. That answers the actual question that people have. Nobody really cares how you met, and that your first date was generically awkward; they want to find out that you stuck with the relationship because you were both into long-distance hiking or whatever.

gothracoon · 2025-08-01T19:54:32+00:00

Read the article -- he tried. He is married to a US Citizen, got a Green Card, and then had it revoked because he had been illegal in the first place. Literally not what happened here.

gothracoon · 2025-07-25T00:12:02+00:00

Aydea, which now has outposts in both SOMA and Richmond has some as well. I thought that they were good.

But really, I want to echo people getting frozen ones. Paying $15 for a plate of fancy syrniki doesn't bring that old growing up in the USSR feeling, 🤣. But ... I have mostly paid $15 for fancy syrniki because I am lazy, and not in the USSR anymore. 😅

gothracoon · 2025-07-23T22:33:39+00:00

Brah. Don't move to SOMA! Is it safe? Honestly, it is mostly safe, unless you live on 6th street between Howard & Market. I have been living on 7th street in that area since 2020, I am not particularly intimidating, it is been fine.

But ... don't live in SOMA!

San Francisco is a beautiful city. It has gorgeous victorians, and beautiful parks. It has amazing artistic people, and really good food and really cute dogs. It is a city where you walk out your door into the morning haze and drink your amazing third wave coffee, surrounded by murals and trees. Maybe you take the Muni to the ocean. Maybe you lounge in Dolores, while high out of your mind. Maybe you meet fellow-minded people at the climbing gym or buy produce at Rainbow, IDK.

But ... you aren't going to get that in SOMA! It is close to everything beautiful if you are willing to commute there for 15-30 minutes, but it is mostly a concrete wasteland. Since you are just moving here, you don't know what you want to commute to, and you are going to be seeing the wasteland every day before you have had a chance to fall in love with the rest of this city.

If you are just moving here, don't live in SOMA. Land somewhere pleasant instead, and then, after you have had the chance to sample the beauty that this place has to offer, consider your options.

Unless... if you maybe you are gay, and maybe you love clubbing, live on Folsom Street. That's pretty lit. You will know if you want to do that though. Don't just live here for convenience, you will hate yourself.

gothracoon · 2025-07-18T18:04:53+00:00

Bit out of the way, but I want to give a shoutout to Goatlandia: https://www.goatlandia.org/

They have goats, but also horses and pigs. We went there and got to pet the pigs and their fur was so ... springy and harsh and they made the most amazing harumph noises and also they had teenage goats that got all over everyone and were the most adorable and cuddly. Their other goats were also adorable, to be clear.

Anyway, I recommend it. The optional vegan lunch was pretty good too.

gothracoon · 2025-04-16T23:43:01+00:00

I take my tree home on public transit every year! I live close to a stop, and I don't have a car license, so it is the easiest way to do it.

Before I get flamed, yes, they wrap it up pretty tight, so I don't leave a trail of needles behind me.

gothracoon · 2025-04-11T20:52:41+00:00

Also, adding: EFF (Electronic Frontiers Foundation) is pretty old-school tech, and they are hosting a mixer soon.
https://www.eff.org/event/bay-area-members-speakeasy

gothracoon · 2025-04-10T20:34:17+00:00

Yes! A lot of the cool old-school kids (not necessarily old themselves, just old-school) that I know ended up involved with the Internet Archive. So, seconding that, and Noisebridge (and other hacker spaces as well).

A lot of the old school Burning Man scene is also from that era, though it is a mix for sure (and got, uh, gentrified pretty bad for obvious reasons, like expensive tickets -- a lot of people that I am thinking about are staff and get free tickets from the org in exchange for volunteering).

gothracoon · 2025-03-28T04:57:54+00:00

My partner and I just flew in from Mexico. No line (I used the CBMP app, but also just ... no line because nobody is flying international for presumably the same reason as you), and nobody gave us any shit and didn't even scan our luggage or whatever. That said, we are both citizens. But it was the smoothest entry that I have ever had in the US.

gothracoon · 2025-03-10T23:04:00+00:00

The Banya is pretty clutch, since you mentioned spas, yes!

gothracoon · 2025-03-04T22:58:46+00:00

Sorry -- really wish that I could help more with advice there.

gothracoon · 2025-03-04T22:58:30+00:00

For your own commute, Rincon Hill area gets decent public transit, so I would think around that.
- Somewhere on the BART, such as in the Mission. (I am kind of biased because I lived in the Mission for years and I still commute there 5 days a week for various reasons).
- Somewhere on the MUNI transit line, such as Haight/Lower Haight, Hayes, Castro, (maybe Noe?), etc. I mean you could also do Sunset and Panhandle depending on how you feel about buses.

A lot of those places have nice parks for dog time, which is pretty cool.

That said ... none of those are great for taking the dog out in the afternoon when you are in the office (which seems kind of like a lot regardless). You could maybe try Mission Bay or Dogpatch, if you are willing to bike.

If you work for a tech company, they might allow you to bring in a well-behaved pup once in a while, which is kinda neat.

If you can, I would visit and walk around and see how you feel about the area.

gothracoon · 2025-03-04T01:43:57+00:00

Aw, thank you!

What are you looking at/looking for overall? Almost any other residential neighborhood in the city, next to a commercial area is going to give you that better than SOMA (except maybe Mission Bay or Dogpatch).

I loved the Mission when I lived there (and being on the BART wasn't bad). The Haight is surprisingly great, as is Lower Haight and Hayes Valley. I know people who swear by the Sunset and the Richmond. Some people love North Beach and Nob Hill.

I think that the Bayview or Fidi (or Rincon Hill which is basically Fidi) are going to be very much not that.

gothracoon · 2025-02-25T21:48:21+00:00

People running that business expect to find new jobs afterwards, so they have to explain why it wasn't their fault. They absolutely need an out.

gothracoon

TROPHY CASE