I don't know if I've shared this yet, but I don't want to go back and read through my posts. Whether I've previously said it or not, it still rings the bells of truth.
New York is like Walt Disney World and San Francisco is like Disneyland.
If one "goes" to Walt Disney World one is stuck paying Disney prices, for Disney service while operating on Disney time, but if one "goes" to Disneyland, one can leave the park at night and eat dinner at any one of the many restaurants outside the resort for regular prices. Why? Thirty thousand acres consisting of four parks, two water parks and twenty-three on-site themed hotels make the Walt Disney World a geographic monopoly. While, Disneyland is only 510 acres and is snug because of close neighbors like the ocean and Angel Stadium.
The relationship between New York and San Francisco is similar. If one "lives" in New York, one is stuck paying New York prices, for New York service while operating on New York time. If one "lives" in San Francisco, one can leave the City and shop, recreate and enjoy prices of the many, many bay-area vendors. Both San Jose and Oakland are not that far away. New York is an entire closed-off island while S.F. is a peninsula
You can still buy food at regular prices around S.F. You can still own a car in S.F. If you want to take a weekend break to somewhere, it's not a huge hassle. Driving through S.F. is an enjoyable experience; New York driving doesn't look that fun.
I'm not saying that I disapprove of New York or Walt Disney World, but if I plan to be at either of those places, I need to make enough money to afford it. At this point, I think I'm more partial to the City-by-the-Bay than I am the Big Apple. But depending upon the professional offer, I could live here.
Friday night Marcus and I went to find something to eat and it was really difficult because we were looking for value. If we were going to spend around $10 for dinner, we wanted the most bang for our buck. We were originally looking for a fish-n-chips place, but Yelp! let us down and suggested a place that didn't have a single piece of fish. It was lobster, crab & shrimp only, and seeing as how we didn't want to pay for a $21 dinner, we took our business elsewhere.
But I don't know if the place we went was much better.
Around the corner was a taqueria that had a very inviting feeling. Super-large open windows gave a Monterey-style vibe and the colorful Luchador theme seemed amiable (notice the masks above the bar tenders in the photo). I can't remember what it was called, though.
The service was good, the food was fabulous but I don't think the dollar-to-portion ratio would warrant another visit. I spent $8.50 on two pescado tacos. They were good tacos with fresh fried fish, green olives, hearts of palm and other assorted spices and dressing, but I don't know if my budget allows for food like that. I thought it would come with rice and beans, but it didn't.
Again, I felt like we were only left to pick through the expensive Disney World options. We couldn't leave and find something better.
So far the best value I've found is that massive slice of really good pizza at Mariella's Pizza.
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