forums : Jungle Scene

Shall I move to LA or San Francisco

Help!

I have the opportunity for work in either city. Moving from London....I love my DnB, run a regular night here and DJ around in a couple of clubs.

I feel the time for change and the opportunity to move to California has come up. Love San Fran as a city but lacks a certain buzz. LA has the buzz but lacks the beauty of San Fran.

Can people advice me and give suggestions. Advantages / Disadvantages.....maybe good buzzing areas to live etc in either city?

I have to decide within a month !

Re: Shall I move to LA or San Francisco

yeah totally agree there... SF is lovely, great food, wonderful people.

every time my wife and travel up to the bay area (sf) we don't want to leave.

that being said, LA has the best dnb scene in the nation. Downtown LA (where I live now) is going through an amazing rebirth. It's great down here. If you don't mind slightly rough urban living and a transitional neighborhood, Downtown is the spot.

=]

hope this helps.

Re: Shall I move to LA or San Francisco

Move to LA! This city has it's own beauty and originality. And SF is only a 4-5 hour drive so you could take a weekend trip or something...Also, LA has better weather and beaches!! I heart SF, but I LOVE LA!!

Re: Shall I move to LA or San Francisco

yeah, that could be a tough choice. of course most of the people on this forum will chant LA, LA, LA...

SF is beautiful. LA's got it's own style of beauty. SF has more of a similar climate to London that you might be used to. Food is amazing in SF. All around - music, arts and culture, as well. I'd personally say SF...but I'm not sure how strong the dnb scene is there compared to here. You've got the experience of running a regular night there...well, i say you get it going out here too, if you aint totally satisfied with what you see when you get here (as far as dnb goes). *shrug*

Re: Shall I move to LA or San Francisco

Yeah mate, coming from Nottingham I had to make a similar decision, SF has weather similar to the UK, but the scene is not as prominent as it was in the late 90's.

LA right now has to be the busiest hot spot for DnB, basically you can party from Monday to Sunday, and LA has the big headliners roll thru every week.


SF is a nice landscape, but then again, if you live in LA, you could venture to SF which is 4/5 hours away or SD which is only an hour and a half away, which is where I live, its gorgeous down here, so weekend retreats might sort you out.

I would opt for LA, especially if you wanna sort out club nights.


Innit!

Re: Shall I move to LA or San Francisco

Thats a tough choice. LA definitely does it bigger, having just moved to SF that's one thing I miss. Bigger events, bigger sound. LA's 4million+ population dwarfs SFs 700,000, and more people come out. SF on the other hand is much denser, everything's accessible without a car which may or may not be an important factor in your move. I can walk out my door any night of the week and find something amazing. The culture is more pedestrian and humble, somewhat mellower than LA. With less sun people layer more and the fashion is a bit different. Having lived in SoCal all of my life SF has been a welcome change and I haven't stopped smiling since I got here. My vote would be SF, but if the DnB scene is your defining factor LA is the place, it really just depends on what you're looking for.

Re: Shall I move to LA or San Francisco

you obviously dont have the right tour guide. LA in beautiful in its own way.

Number one thing I'd say, its less expensive to live in LA, but the mass transport sucks, so you'd have to have a car.

**********
According to insurgence ...
LA has the buzz but lacks the beauty of San Fran.
**********

Re: Shall I move to LA or San Francisco

actually if you live in downtown and work in downtown or somewhere near the rail lines you won't need a car. there are a ton of folks in downtown who live nicely without a car.

Re: Shall I move to LA or San Francisco

"LA has the buzz but lacks the beauty of San Fran"

I would disagree with that wholeheartedly. LA is bigger, so some parts aren't as beautiful as SF, but other parts are unparalleled in beauty.

Plus in LA you are close to Orange County, San Diego, and even Ventura and Santa Barbara.

SF is great - but LA FTW! Especially if you are lookin' for a good dnb culture - as SF unfortunately has been slumpin' in that department (where it used to be massive in the late 90's).

Although my vote would be LA, with either choice, you really can't lose!

Re: Shall I move to LA or San Francisco

How can I say it L.A is just Better you can only do so much in S.F i have been there and 2 days into my stay i had island fever. Too restrictive for me and after 15+ years of Jungle music L.A still has new spots and fresh underground locations. No where else in the country can you go to 2-3 different virgin clubs or warehouses in one weekend. And when it comes to life outside of Drum & Bass your options are endless biking,ski,surf,paint,skate,rock climb you name it can be done in L.A county we have desert,forest,sea and snow.

Re: Shall I move to LA or San Francisco

Go post the same thread on San Fran's board (groundscore.com) and see what answers you get, hahaha.

Re: Shall I move to LA or San Francisco

Haha, words of wisdom! Good call Colonel! =] See what the people from both cities say.

Its all good, from Diego to the Bay!

**********
According to thecolonel ...

Go post the same thread on San Fran's board (groundscore.com) and see what answers you get, hahaha.
**********

Re: Shall I move to LA or San Francisco

if you like London style weather, then SF for sure.

Re: Shall I move to LA or San Francisco

Stay in L.A. if you like DNB, move to SF if you LOVE DUBSTEP

Re: Shall I move to LA or San Francisco

Wow......cheers for the great response.

Not bothered about weather too much. San Fran still has better weather than London.

Not the sunbathing type either.

LA does sound really appealing and i'm sure it has it's beautiful parts too. Just don't like the driving aspect of getting everywhere. If i go out.....i wanna be able to drink, not be worried about drinking limit to drive back etc.

Also i won't know anyone there so do you think it will be easy to meet people and make friends?

What time do clubs etc stay open till in LA?

Re: Shall I move to LA or San Francisco

"Also i won't know anyone there so do you think it will be easy to meet people and make friends?"

You'll have no problem in either place, that is for sure. Especially just hop on the message boards and set meet ups with people at the clubs - and once you meet a few people, it will start multiplying like crazy.

Clubs stay open til 2am anywhere in California, there are after hours clubs here and there...

Re: Shall I move to LA or San Francisco

PS - here is the link to the SF board...

http://www.groundscore.net/board/

booya.

Re: Shall I move to LA or San Francisco

i vote for san francisco. you def don't need a car to live there and there is so much vibe to it. the choice of restaurants is amazing and the city feels alive!

true the dnb scene is a lot better in LA (note that hive and gridlok have moved to LA recently) but overall the quality of life is better in sf

there is so much to do in LA and it is wicked... but it depends what you are looking for

Re: Shall I move to LA or San Francisco

my take:
i am from los angeles but i have been up in sf since 2004.
i will flat out say that the dnb scene in sf is dead. not dead a in not happening at all but its just not crazy like los angeles is. from my experience, there is a whole world of people here that LOVE dnb but nobody goes out unless its a big night. I go through times where i do go out and for the most part its been mellow, but when a big name like dillinja comes around its NUTS.

The food here is great, if you have money and an appetite you will always eat well. The food in LA is good but there is a disproportionate amount of fast food.

Then there is the transportation/perimeter issue. you NEED NEED NEED a car in los angeles, however you dont really need a car in sf. I went from full on driver to full on multiple bike owning cylist when i moved to SF. If you do need a car then you can subscribe to ZipCAR which is completely dope. SF is TINY however and you have to get used to feeling like you live in a box. Where you live is where you work and where you party. LA is the opposite where where you live is different from where you work and where you party. You can be a member of different social circles based on the fact that LA is really a string of cities tied together.
with sf its just sf and oakland. you do have other nearby cities, but f**k all, its either suburbs or super middle class/upper class spendy places-napa/sonoma/etc.


If you want somewhat of a feel for sf I would try to make it to bay to breakers MAY 18th. Bay to Breakers is a giagantic race that happens every year, people get dressed up on a sunday morning and walk the streets of sf. its a cross between mardi gras, aids walk, and a rave.

so uh....pictures from past bay to breakers:
http://flickr.com/search/?q=bay+to+breakers

Re: Shall I move to LA or San Francisco

Just as I thought.......people on groundscore say the opposite....lol

Re: Shall I move to LA or San Francisco

Is downtown LA the place to live if i wanna be away from stuck up
d!cks?

I've heard its started to kind of have a bohemian feel about it...

Re: Shall I move to LA or San Francisco

i wanted to move to sf originally when i was in la, but after visiting it really just didn't feel like it was me. but then again i now moved to ny so go figure.

downtown to me had a lot of yuppie culture to it, especially with the revitalization and overpriced lofts. my favorite neighborhood in la was korea town, because it was central to downtown and hollywood, served by lots of mass public transportation and the food everywhere was f**king awesome.

but its all a matter of opinion. i vote ktown if you're going to live in la.

**edit....and rent was much more reasonable to me in that hood. but you can find a reasonable place in almost any neighborhood if you look hard and long enough.

[ chrisk - 7 May 2008 10:27 ]

Re: Shall I move to LA or San Francisco

@insurgance: if you want to be away from stuck up dicks downtown is pretty good, there are probably some places there are better, but more ghetto. all in all it's much better than the west side, hollywood or beverly hills if you want to be away from superficial hollywood type people, but you'll find those types everywhere to some degree.

in my experiences in downtown, most of the folks living here are really cool.

Re: Shall I move to LA or San Francisco

btw here is the thread on groundscore:

http://groundscore.net/board/viewtopic.php?p=485372

=]

-dave

Re: Shall I move to LA or San Francisco

I love both cities!! I love SF because it feel more like a city and you can walk around etc., and because it is so damn beautiful. The people are friendly and it has a very relaxed feel. On the downside, SF has more bums than you can imagine and it is filled with crazy. But I love it all and don't miind a little crazy here and there.

LA is awsome too and I have really enjoyed the time I have spent there. Everyone seems very friendly and the weather is awesome.

Good luck, either choice is great and both cities rule.

Re: Shall I move to LA or San Francisco

Having lived/partied in both cities I would suggest thinking up what it is you really want to do. If you still want to do DnB move to LA for sure though...maybe set up shop in one town, party in the other. It's a tough call. LA has areas that are pretty cheap areas to live in v. SF can be pretty darn expensive especially if you plan on living downtown, might wanna consider that.
I kinna live in between the two so I get the best of both spots.

Re: Shall I move to LA or San Francisco

The ONLY part of living in SF that I don't like:


I NEED ME SOME HEAT!!!!!!! (110 degrees FTW!)

Re: Shall I move to LA or San Francisco

If you love your dnb stay in London. :P I have been living here in LA since 04'. I honestly would not be here if it was not such a media hub. LA is one of the most superficial cities in the world, so expect that. I was going out frequently when Bassrush(a promoter) were active in the scene, but they seem to do only big parties now and its once every four months or so(with the exception of bringing Dieselboy this month). I only visited SF and never lived there, but I remember it being more beautiful as far as scenary goes. The people also seem more laidback and more open compared to LA. I find that the majority of people in LA are not that friendly and approachable. I vote for London!

Re: Shall I move to LA or San Francisco

damn. it's taken my eyes like 10 minutes to adjust to the light and color after staring at groundscore's forum and then making the switch back to JS.

Re: Shall I move to LA or San Francisco

Im from the Bay and I love LA to the death since alot of my homies are in LA but this person above is right, people have been straight up rude when Ive gone to LA, for the simple fact im from Norcal... I guess we are too laidback for LA. From my understanding, Most people think that LA is better than SF. I really dont care. To the homie who started the thread, Stay in LONDON FTW!

Re: Shall I move to LA or San Francisco

I just posted this on groundscore....

Let me make my self clear........

I would never move to LA or SF for the dnb alone. Like people have said especially from London where there are actually events that venues reach full capacity of 2000 to 3000 people.

I have a choice to move between LA and SF and I would like to continue to some extent my dnb dj'ing or night. My actual job is an Architect....I just love the sound of dnb, dj,ing and producing.

I do love the sound of all you Cali people though......big up! Can't wait whatever I decide....

Cheers for all your responses so far and will hook you peeps up when I arrive ;-)

Re: Shall I move to LA or San Francisco

barcelona

Re: Shall I move to LA or San Francisco

Well, I say if you are going to move to Cali - go visit both cities - spend as much time as you can spare in each of them....

See what vibe you like best!

Re: Shall I move to LA or San Francisco

^^^ yes that is a good idea.
It would be worth your time. I love The City but it gets to feel to small to me.
I prefer LA where it is larger. Downtown is a great place to live. Super chill on the weekends when the Biz crowd is out.
I think it is easy to meet new folks at DnB shows and art shows as well.
get yourself some Mace for after dark and your all good. There are some really great lofts there 2. Great for the creative process.
Good Luck and Have fun with your move.

Re: Shall I move to LA or San Francisco

I am originally from the Bay area. I love San Fransisco!! I think it is beautiful, artistic, and super mellow. Its totally user friendly...as in no car needed and there is always crazy s**t to be seen carry camera at all times. You definetly have to be comfortable seeing naked bodies of every sex/gender cause when the street festivals happen people bare all. the biggest trends up there are scensters hippies or house heads. Oh yeah Hyphy to YEEE. you can occasionally find some cool IDM shows as well if you think outside of the DnB box. But DnB aint big at all. I didnt really appreciate the LA area until about 2 years into it when I really got to exploring and found the under world of the musicc and art scene. You have get past the presumptious douchebags and find the real peeps that are doing real things. Most people come to LA with a purpose and a dream which I love! The weather makes you never want to leave. Both are good just it depends where you are in your life. x

Re: Shall I move to LA or San Francisco

why is no one giving TORRANCE or DIAMOND BAR props??????????

YE SHALL DO SO AT ONCE!!!!!

Re: Shall I move to LA or San Francisco

((((((Go to S.F.)))))). . . . .if you even have to ask your gay. Teehee

Re: Shall I move to LA or San Francisco

Just move to Santa Cruz and split the difference.

Re: Shall I move to LA or San Francisco

LA your 20min from everywhere, give or take that hour in the morning or between 4:30 and 6:30 gridlock. SF is like a second home, It's beautiful...you gotta cross the bridges too much though, I think the traffic is worse. It's way more expensive...A 2 bedroom apt. will cost you at least 1500-1800 a mo. That is legitimate my cousin pays that much. That's in the hood, Daily City to be exact. LA is more spread out and easier to assimilate. Beaches, Snow, Sand and Concrete all in the same day baby! The culture is a little different in SF, especially in the Haite, which is mad dope. Personally LA is where you wanna be. SF-Cali...great place to visit.

Re: Shall I move to LA or San Francisco

sorry, that is the $ for 1 a bedroom. If I'm not mistaken a 2 bedroom is about 2000-$2500(1022.04lbs-1277.45lbs - sorry no sign for lbs on American Keyboards) a mo.

Re: Shall I move to LA or San Francisco

I have a three bedroom with a living room on Upper Haight and we pay about $2000 a month. Its a fairly lucky situation but it goes to show that if you really put your nose to the grindstone you can find incredibly quaint and affordable places in SF. I found the pricing rumors to be pretty false, actually. I come from West LA and the Fairfax District and compared to those areas SF is totally reasonably priced.

Check out metrorent.com Its a $50 pay service for serious renters looking to find spaces NOT advertised on Craig'sList. It can be a serious advantage.

Re: Shall I move to LA or San Francisco

if you're a hot girl, move to L.A.

Re: Shall I move to LA or San Francisco

It really depends on what you're into. You're a bit closer to good snow skiing, snowboarding, and rock climbing spots in LA. You have more options as far as decent scuba diving spots in the vicinity of LA. But the surf from SF to Santa Cruz is more consistent and typically bigger.

You'll experience more sun and a generally warmer climate in LA. Personally, I prefer the cooler temperatures of SF.

Music-wise, DnB isn't very popular in SF, but other genres are strongly represented. If you're an idea person with some creative promotional approaches, you would probably find greater satisfaction attempting to stir a resurgence in the SF DnB scene versus becoming another fish in the brimming LA pond.

The people in SF tend to be friendlier than in most big cities. As far as the people of LA, well, I've been all over the U.S., Europe, Mexico, the Dominican Republic and Haiti, and I have to say LA is a hotbed of the rudest f**ks on the planet, even more so than New York, London or Le Paris, in my experience. The good news is that the .001% of greater LA population that go to Jungle parties tend to be chill and friendly though. lol

If an already bustling DnB scene is a main priority and your only concern is inebriated transportation issues, well, depending on how much you go out and just what your housing criteria is, your expenses in LA might still be cheaper if you had an economy car and made use of taxis and/or carpools for partying purposes versus the crazy cost of housing in SF (although pretty similar to that of London, if I'm not mistaken). Just another option to consider.

Re: Shall I move to LA or San Francisco

From one Brit to another, San Fran was the first city in Ca I visited many moons ago and like the song "I lost my Heart in San Francisco!" Immediately I was taken with oldschool vibe, lay-out, cosmopolitan peeps, the ocean views and architecture of the place. San francisco is a very romantic city for sure.
It's undeniable that the city has mad history and an impermiated psychadelic atmosphere, especially when you're on the Haight, but over the years visiting, Djing and staying with friends I came to realise that it is how matey Beltishazzar above me on this thread said...."LA is where I live. San Francisco is a great place to visit."
No dis-respect to my San Fran crew, to each there own, i'm glad you guys are up there so I have reason to visit, but personally thats how it is for me.
American cities are each unique and have their own charm and character, different places draw different people. I presently live in Hollywood, been here 10 years now, it's a love/hate relationship. I lived in Santa Barbara by the beach for nearly 10 years b4 that and L.A is quite the contrast. City life is what you make of it, what ever decision you make it'll be a hell of a lot better than being back in the U.K, just come with an open mind, be willing to meet new friends and where ever you decide will be the time of your life.

Re: Shall I move to LA or San Francisco

Couldn't agree with samxl more...Mad love for the SF Cru. The whole fam lives up there, going back this June or July. Read earlier in thread that DNB was not a deciding factor for the move, that's def smart. Just some feelings bout it though, LA has a solid DNB culture that is epic, kinda like hip-hop but a little more suttle. Get ready for the Revolution...Seriously, some may say it's regressing, but I think it is a thriving sub-culture. 10 years ago, I didn't think I would call myself a junglist before I said I was a hip hop head and the only albums I've completed so far have been hip hop...just my thoughts, at work bored.

Re: Shall I move to LA or San Francisco

just to clarify, hip hop is my first love and I think the LA scene and hip hop concur. They mesh so well.
It's just comes out naturally to be considered a junglist who evolved with hip hop.