Ask MetaFilter questions tagged with bay

moving to san francisco

bananaskin — Sat, 12 Dec 2009 11:09:34 -0800

Is there anyone who has experience living in San Francisco and can give me advice about moving there? I live in rural midwest. I have dreamed of moving to San Francisco, CA for several years. I am sure I could find a decent paying job there, as my job is in high demand.

I am a single middle aged woman. No children. I have to do this all alone. I have no one to help me, and I am a little fearful/anxious about making such a big move, making a mistake and moving to a place I may not know is a dangerous area.

My questions are:
1. How much would rent be on a house/apartment? I want a decent sized apartment (not a studio).
2. What are safe areas to live, and dangerous areas for a single woman?
3. How do I research an area to find out if it is safe/crime or not?
4. What are the fun things to do there....cultural, musical, food, etc. and where?
Thank you everyone.

Where can I find robotics classes/teams/clubs in Bay Area?

typography — Tue, 25 Aug 2009 18:39:17 -0800

I am looking for robotics classes/teams/clubs in the Bay Area. I am a recent college graduate working as a co-op in a medical device company. I plan to return to graduate school in the near future majoring in robotics. Though the work at the company isn't boring, I am looking forward to working with robots. After finishing my first robot in my spare time, I have come to realize the amount of resource needed to scale up to bigger projects.

I am now looking to meet people of similar interest to tackle bigger projects. Ideally there would be some sort of team/club that's looking to build something. Alternatively I imagine certain mechatronics or similar classes would also fit the bill. I am simply looking to meet people of similar interests and established resources to allow me to tackle more complex projects.

I checked the community college (De Anza) near me and nothing related to robotics was being offered. Other suggestions are welcome. Thanks.

Boxing events in Bay Area, CA

prior — Thu, 13 Aug 2009 15:26:16 -0800

Where can I see professional or amateur boxing and/or fighting in the Bay Area? My googling has led me to some listings and ads for past fights and some fairly expensive pro fights in San Jose, but what I'm looking for is a list of upcoming boxing, muay thai, mma, etc. fights in the Bay Area. Where do those generally take place? Anyone know of a site that aggregates that kind of stuff?

Camping in Green Bay, WI area

zzazazz — Mon, 03 Aug 2009 06:19:42 -0800

Going to be in Wisconsin this weekend around the Green Bay area. Can anyone suggest a good campground around there? We are going to be tent camping but would like a campground that has a shower since we are road tripping.

suggestions for celebrating my 40th birthday?

roxie110 — Sun, 02 Aug 2009 22:36:08 -0800

suggestions for celebrating my 40th birthday in san francisco? i'm turning (*gasp*) 40 in a couple months and would love to plan something incredibly fun and distinctive to celebrate. each year i have a party at a bar, but would love to do something a bit beyond that this time. i've lived in san francisco for ages and know there are many cool places to go and things to do, but so far i haven't come up with anything that seems right. ideally the event would be accessible to a wide range of friends, and not outrageously expensive.

would welcome any and all suggestions--really!

where to stay in casco bay¿

maca — Wed, 01 Jul 2009 09:10:57 -0800

Portland, Maine filter: Planning a trip to Portland this mid-August and would like to know 1. About how much does it cost to take a cab from the amtrak station to the old port? and 2. Is it possible to stay two nights on one of the casco bay islands serviced by the ferry somewhat affordably?

How do I find a live-aboard slip in the SF Bay Area?

loquacious — Sat, 02 May 2009 16:46:21 -0800

I need help finding an inexpensive live-aboard boat slip in the Bay Area. General boat-living hints, anecdotes and tips are also welcome. I'm considering accepting the offer from a friend to use a small (25 foot) sailboat as a quiet residential place to get some downtime, quit smoking and work on some stuff. The boat has been stripped of galley and some other furniture in preparation for a refit. The bilge is dry, the boat has no leaks or minimal leaks.

I'm having trouble navigating the hundreds of marinas in the bay, most of which have mostly uninformative websites, and I've never had to look for a "live-aboard" slip in my life.

Location isn't so much as a concern for me, but things I'm looking for are:

1) decent access to BART and transport.
2) Electricity and Wifi access
3) Showers on site, sewage pump-out and hopefully laundry
4) Hopefully in a low-wake zone. Those container ships throw a considerable wake as they pass.
5) Hopefully quiet, IE, not a scurvy party dock.
6) Damn near as cheap as possible.

Any expert suggestions on where to look? Any tips for living aboard a small boat?

Spectating the Tour of California

clearly — Wed, 04 Feb 2009 23:35:09 -0800

I would like to watch Stage 2 of the Tour of California. What can we expect? Where would the best places to spectate from? The stage begins in Sausalito, crosses the Golden Gate, and basically follows the coast all the way down to Santa Cruz on Highway 1.

I've never been to a bicycle race before, but I'd assume that the best place to watch would be on one of the steeper climbs. There are two climbs, one just south of Half Moon Bay and one just north of Santa Cruz. Would it be possible to watch the beginning on the Golden Gate and then make it down to Half Moon Bay for the climb?

Tour of California/France/whatever race veterans, please help get the most out of spectating my first major race.

Recommend a Tex Preparer in San Jose

JDC8 — Mon, 05 Jan 2009 09:47:01 -0800

Please recommend a local tax preparer in the SF Bay area (San Jose preferred). I have a fairly straightforward situation: single, 401(K), charity donations that need to be itemized and some interest income from a money market account.

Owie, my boots hurt

laradar — Fri, 02 Jan 2009 19:10:31 -0800

I'm looking to get a new pair of ski boots in the SF Bay Area, preferably in the South Bay/Peninsula area. Since boot fitting isn't an exact science I'm looking for suggestions for great, not good boot fitters. I bought a pair of boots at REI about 3 years ago and they have been nothing but trouble. A little too big and at the same time, too tight in certain spots making my foot fall asleep. So here's what I'm hoping to find:

- A great fitter who will put me in a boot that will give me comfort and control
- A store that won't overcharge me
- A store/fitter that will give me unlimited adjustments as necessary (boot punches, inserting foam, etc.)

If you can highly recommend somebody, please let me know. Uncomfortable and uncontrollable boots are no fun to ski with!

CPA in the east bay

NGnerd — Tue, 30 Dec 2008 21:02:50 -0800

Does anyone have a recommendation for a good CPA in the east bay (San Francisco) area. We don't know many locals who don't use turbo-tax and have a complicated year's worth of taxes. We live in Hayward california, and i've searched google, CL, Yelp, and metafilter, but have yet to find a good site recommending local CPA's. We've got some wierd stuff in our taxes this year and therefore i'd like a professional to check out our issues. somehow i don't think turbo tax will have good info for the following:

*Moved from DC to SF december of previous fiscal year (should have been covered with last years taxes). My wife's company paid for the move and temporary housing into the new year, but we're not sure if we count it as income

*Bought our first house, as part of a new job my wife's company paid our closing costs and a point, i'm not if this counts as income either

*Put about 4K into an IRA, but now i'm not sure if we made too much income to use it tax free.

I want to get a human to look at all this, but i don't trust the H&R block type stores. I know a real CPA will cost me some more money, but i'd like to keep it less than $250 if possible. We could also use a financial planner, but i'm not sure if most CPA's do double duty as that as well. Any suggestions would be appreciated.

Where is there a large outdoor staircase in the SF bay area, similar to the Spanish Steps in Rome?

Ekidnagrrl17 — Sun, 30 Nov 2008 23:16:29 -0800

Where is there a large outdoor staircase in the SF bay area, similar to the Spanish Steps in Rome? Needed for wedding proposal I have decided to ask my partner to marry me. We both are not really into the whole "smoogly-boogly" love-y dove-y thing, so I want my proposal to be a bit funny. We have been together for almost 6 years and we are not the traditional couple which is why it is important for me (as a woman) to be the one doing the proposing.
I want to jokingly reenact this retched advertisement that he hates . So I need to find a Roman-Spanish-Steps-esque outdoor staircase in the bay area. Ideally there needs to be space for our friends to hide (especially the friends with the video cameras) and there needs to be a reason I am taking him there!

The future of entertainment in the Bay Area, yesterday.

eschatfische — Sat, 22 Nov 2008 17:32:25 -0800

Let's say that I love Audium, the Tonga Room and Lucky Juju. Where else in the Bay Area has that same kind of fun, atmospheric, anachronistic vibe? Also, Forbidden Island and Trader Vic's are awesome in their own ways.

One caveat: the Musee Mechanique seems like the obvious addition to the above list, but I find it a little depressing these days. The location at Fisherman's Wharf lacks atmosphere, and the tourist traffic seems to be destroying the machines.

Where can I get edible flowers in the Bay area (USA)?

CommonSense — Sun, 02 Nov 2008 22:43:12 -0800

Where can I get edible flowers in the Bay area (USA)? Hi there, MeFites. I'm getting married on Saturday (11/8), and I've got a "signature cocktail" on the menu that involves edible flowers. I was jumping a bit ahead of myself, though, because I don't actually know where to find said edible flowers. I live in Baltimore, and am marrying a Bay area native, and she's not been able to shed much light on this.

I found this thread asking the same question, but it applies to NYC. (I actually am up there now and again, but sadly, I've come across the thread too late.) But I see that Whole Foods is mentioned, and they're like . . . everywhere. Perhaps a West coast location will have them?

My fiancee mentioned the SF Flower Mart, but since she lives in the East Bay, and the wedding's in Oakland -- and we're tight on time as it is this week -- I'd really prefer to keep our travels to that side of the Bay, if at all possible. Still, if SF is our only bet, we can have a friend/family member who lives over there pick them up for us.

Many thanks in advance.

Guide me to San Francisco

dcrocha — Fri, 26 Sep 2008 23:36:40 -0800

Single (straight) foreign guy in San Francisco, on his early 30s. What are some good places (watering holes, night clubs) to go people-watching without feeling down on being there alone?

Which theaters offer quality improv classes in the Bay Area?

ebness86 — Tue, 16 Sep 2008 17:20:35 -0800

Which theaters offer quality improv classes in the Bay Area? I'm planning on moving to the Bay Area and am an improv junkie - taking classes concurrently at UCB, iO, Second City, The Groundlings and The WE in Los Angeles. So far I've only had BATS recommended to me... any others?

Know a Berkeley/Oakland mechanic who can give a car "pre-purchase inspection" tomorrow (Saturday)?

unclezeb — Fri, 12 Sep 2008 19:08:29 -0800

Bay Area Mefites, do you know of a Berkeley (or nearby) car mechanic who could inspect a used car for me tomorrow (Saturday)? I found a great deal on a 1997 Honda Accord, but before I buy it I want to have it inspected by a mechanic who can check the timing and give it a once over for problems that my untrained eye cannot catch.

I'm looking for a mobile mechanic on Craigslist now, but these seem to be fly-by-night operations and I cannot get any reviews on them. I love my mechanic (Grandma's Garage, owned by Nancy near 4th and Gilman) but she's not open weekends and I need to move on this quickly as it is something of a screaming deal (super low miles, good carfax report, all classical and talk pre-set radio stations = old lady-ish, etc).

Thanks a million for helping me out - anyone gives a helpful answer can probably get a beer out of me at Hotsy Totsy later tonight, I'll be the fat white guy with black hair by the shuffle board table.

ZomBay Critical Mass

Ambrosia Voyeur — Wed, 13 Aug 2008 17:51:17 -0800

AquaticNecromancyFilter: Combined, the cities of San Francisco, Oakland and Berkeley employ about 3500 uniformed police officers. Do they outnumber the army that could be raised by dark magic from the floor of the San Francisco Bay? Approximately how many entire sets of human skeletal remains are there in that body of water, considering disasters, shipwrecks, bridge jumpers, tidal movement of sediment, etc.? Yes, I'm sure a reanimated skeleton warrior with a missing digit or patella could probably still serve well in the zombie army, but I'm going for an approximate head count, here, so that the skeletons can mix and match parts to create as many complete horrors from the deep as possible.

Need a wedding officiant in sf bay area

benzenedream — Tue, 15 Jul 2008 01:42:04 -0800

Need a wedding officiant in the sf bay area. I've looked through google ads, craigslist, and celebrantsusa.com listings but haven't found anyone who seems sane yet has a sense of showmanship. We're not interested in deputizing a friend.

Cell Phone for Emergency Use in Bay Area/Sacramento?

chengjih — Mon, 19 May 2008 03:47:24 -0800

What cell service should I get for my in-laws in the Sacramento/Bay Area, for use in emergencies? I got a call from my in-laws the other day. They had a flat tire near Davis, and were fortunately near a gas station so this was an inconvenience, not a disaster. They don't have a cell phone, and started to think it was a good idea to get one.

This phone will only be used for emergencies, so per-minute charges won't be that much of an issue. My in-laws are also not technically inclined, so complicated phones may be counterproductive.

I'm looking at pre-paid plans from the major carriers. T-Mobile is the least expensive, with $10 refills every 90 days to keep existing minutes from expiring. Verizon is the most expensive, with $30 refills every 60 days. AT&T is in the middle with $25/90 days.

The problem is that I'm not sure about coverage. Verizon appears to have the most extensive coverage, T-Mobile the least, AT&T in the middle, as expected. My in-laws will typically be traveling by highway from Sacramento to, say, the Bay Area and the coast near Santa Cruz.

How is T-Mobile coverage on the highways in those areas? Also, even if the coverage maps are relatively minimal in those areas, will the phone still be able to reach emergency services?

Note that I'm on a T-Mobile standard plan, so I suppose I can always add a line for them, but that'll be more expensive than the prepaid plan and it won't solve the coverage issue.

Thanks.

East Bay Drum Sander Rental

zeoslap — Thu, 20 Mar 2008 08:54:32 -0800

Does anyone know of a place where I can get some time on a drum sander near Oakland, CA?

Any Family Law Recommendations for California Bay Area?

brool — Tue, 18 Dec 2007 15:28:03 -0800

Any recommendations for family law attorneys in the California Bay Area? This is for a friend of mine. This isn't for a divorce, but a dispute over a name change for a child that is in dual custody. Any recommendations or meta pointers are appreciated (and especially if I missed any relevant previous threads -- searched around but did not see anything)

Cheddar Bay Biscuits >>>> FOOD

spec80 — Fri, 14 Dec 2007 14:28:36 -0800

Help me find the right cheese to make Red Lobster's Cheddar Bay Biscuits. A few nights ago, I tried to recreate Red Lobster's Cheddar Bay Biscuits with this recipe. The topping came out great, but the biscuit wasn't quite right. I used extra sharp Tillamook cheddar and I used a little more than the recipe called for, but neither myself nor my guests could taste the cheese. We saw it, but couldn't taste it.

Should I try using more cheese? Or a "cheesier" tasting cheese like Velveeta? Or cheddar mixed with other cheeses? Has anyone successfully recreated these?

It'd be great not to have to go to the Red Lobster in Times Square to get my fix. Yeah, I admitted it.

Help me find a dentist in the SF Bay Area.

fishfucker — Thu, 06 Dec 2007 15:01:22 -0800

I am looking for a dentist recommendation in the SF Bay Area, preferably Oakland. My entire family has been seeing the same dentist in Sacramento for the last 20-odd years, but I have a bit of distaste for his personality and some experiences I've had there have resulted in a deep dislike of dentists -- I always leave the office feeling like I'm some kind of asshole because I don't floss regularly, and even sometimes forget to brush. I've found an excellent solution to this problem: I don't go to the dentist. Surprisingly, this has caused my dental health to decline further.

I had a filling fall out a couple months ago, and it feels like it's getting to the point where I can no longer ignore it. One of my front teeth also needs attending to, as it was chipped after someone knocked me out at a party over 2 years ago.

Yeah, I haven't been to the dentist in about 3 years. And before that, I took an 8 year break -- which is pretty ridiculous for an otherwise fairly responsible adult, but I guess that gives you an idea of how much I dislike dentists.

Does your dentist have the type of personality that can turn a dentist-hater into a dentist-lover? Can I visit him in Oakland?

Extra points for accessibility from transit, as I don't have a car. Also, it'd be cool if they don't treat children. Not a big fan of the kids when I'm at the dentist.

Money isn't quite to the point of no object, but I'd rather have a good experience than save a few bucks. If it's important, I'm in my late twenties.

Help Me Plan Our Trip into & Out of Chicago

thebarron — Sun, 17 Jun 2007 17:14:21 -0800

We're flying into & out of Chicago in mid-July. We want to head north possibly to: Macinaw City/Island, Thunder Bay, Duluth, somewhere neat to see in Wisconsin, and back to Chicago. We'll have 15 days. Will want 3 days in the end in Chicago. Is this doable? What are the "must see" places & how much time at each? Travel clockwise or counter? Thanks for all suggestion of what to see & what to avoid.