Monday, November 17th, 2008

I’m returning to my old neighborhood in Sacramento for a two day company workshop.  That means renting a car.  More significantly, that means DRIVING and PARKING in San Francisco.  I specifically left my car in Denver because I HATE driving in San Francisco.  It’s one of the reasons I’ll never move here.  The ridiculous hills, the angry drivers, the relentless traffic, the unpredictable gay parades… I can’t take it.

Los Angeles has huge traffic problems but its wide open landscape allows parking.  New York has huge traffic problems AND huge parking problems but its impressive subways, buses, and taxis make transportation palatable.  San Francisco has huge traffic problems… period.  Public transportation is comical and three sides of the city are confined by water forcing cars to pile on top of each other.  Fortunately, you can rent a personal parking space ‘near’ your apartment for $450 a month.  Then you can pay for garage parking ‘near’ your office for $1200 a month… but only if you get to the office before 7:30am and leave by 5:00pm.

I grew up driving in California.  On the road I’m one part aggressive, one part angry, and all parts impatient.  I speed, swerve and honk while simultaneously eating, talking on my phone, and adjusting the radio… as I run red lights that I don’t believe are applicable to me.  And yet, I can’t handle SF driving.

Many will be offended… even disappointed by my statements here.  They have been driving in SF with great success for many years.  They have become accustom to its unique attributes and simply aren’t bothered by the things I find challenging.  Given the opportunity… I will ram my rental car into them.