I don’t say this lightly: Moving to San Francisco was the best decision I’ve ever made.
I’ve lived in many of the world’s great cities— New York, Tel Aviv, Atlanta, Lisbon, Barcelona; and even went the nomad route and spent months living in places like North Macedonia, Serbia, and Albania.
All this travel taught me that the most important choice you can make is who you surround yourself with.
There’s no doubt in my mind. SF has the best people of them all. It is the best place I’ve ever lived.
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I’m writing this post from the SF Commons, a community space built for the intersection of tech, humanities, and creatives. This is just one of many
Every Sunday, they host writing club— a 1 hour session to go heads down and write down whatever’s on our minds or in our hearts. Writing club is a ritual to me, and I’ve been going almost every week for about a year and a half.
I’ve met poet software engineers, philosopher energy grid scientists, and historical novelist startup founders. SF is a magnet for these kinds of people.
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Every stereotype about this place is true. The hippies, the homeless, the high prices, the hilarity, the horror.
But the geniuses, the great weather, the grand Victorian townhomes and the glassy skyscrapers, the ambition, the competitiveness, the sense of life that things actually matter.
This place is also ridiculously accessible. BART + Muni are actually really good. But the real superpower is the bikes. This place is stereotypically hilly, but the truth of the matter is most of the city is quite flat. The real superpower unlock is BayWheels— the public bike service. $15/mo unlocks every bike in the city for free. There’s tons of them. I rarely pay for Uber or need to take public transport anymore.
It’s also a chance to find little treasures and take in the surrounding beauty. The environment is a reminder there’s always more beneath the surface.
***
San Francisco is not for everyone. And if it were, this place would cease to be what it is. It’s necessarily exclusive. If you want a normal life, go somewhere else. It takes grit to live here. And people with grit thrive when they’re with their kind.
We’re driven here because of the promise of a lucid dream, not the never ending hedonic treadmill of mimetic desire. The people who live here have a joy for life and the agency to seek it.
Last Friday, a thief hijacked my friend’s motorcycle. It happened in front of us.
Of course, the police were supremely unhelpful. 20 minutes later, the bike was across the Bay Bridge. Out of SFPD’s jurisdiction and in Oakland’s fog of war.
This is where most people give up, call insurance, and hope the police figure out where it went.
We’re not most people. We tracked down the bike to a sketchy neighborhood in East Oakland and got it back ourselves. We don’t surrender our fate to other people. We live here because we have agency.
***
You are a reflection of the 10 closest people around you.
Ask yourself this, which people in your life do you respect the most? Who do you think you learn the most from? Who pushes you to be the best version of yourself?
I took stock of the people I met and realized they were all moving to one place. I followed them to San Francisco.
Little jokes turn into enterprises. Memes turn into dreams. Nights out together turn into moments that last a lifetime.
It’s not about tech, or power, or intelligence, or fame. It’s about finding people who will join you in creating a shared legacy.
***
Dating here is actually really, really good.
A lot of people struggle with dating in SF. I get it. Especially for women. (A lot of men here are straight up weird).
But honestly? Skill issue. Be authentic, be passionate, and do things with lovely people. Things will find their way to you.
This city, for all of its hazards and eccentricities, is a beacon to beautiful souls. They’re smart, they have dreams, and they’re hot. I wouldn’t say I’ve ever had an easy relationship here, but they were all cherished moments.
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Professionally, my time here has been nothing but upward trajectory.
I went through a lot. I started a startup from scratch, found cofounders and lost them, fundraised millions, fell in love and saw it slip away, found opportunities to travel the world, graduated from hackathon hacker to community organizer, went from a normal partygoer to throwing ragers so intense the police had to shut it down. I grew from someone who chose to be influenced by great people to a great person who influences.
San Francisco is the place where you become famous just by doing the things you love.
***
There’s no better place in the world to work on the most ambitious projects of your life.
One of my personal goals is to get as many talented, high agency people here as possible. I hype this place up a lot. I have a surprising amount of public influence, and in my core I believe the world needs more people to come here.
I always do everything I can to get people out here, especially immigrants who I go out on a limb to support. So far, I’ve helped 8 people get O-1 visas.
Do amazing things and rally people to join you.
***
My near term goal is to make enough to move my parents here. I rented an apartment for them to stay 1 month, but I’m not wealthy enough yet to keep them here.
I hate going back to my hometown in the sleepy suburbs. It’s not my home. I’m not convinced it ever really was.
Will I stay in SF forever? I’m not sure. But when people ask where I’m from, I proudly say:
“San Francisco.”
“We’re driven here because of the promise of a lucid dream, not the never ending hedonic treadmill of mimetic desire.”
Great writing, keep it up!
" SF has the best people of them all. It is the best place I’ve ever lived." Yes, the people! This is the point of SF, as you said. The city has a vibe that not many people like, but the people, it's what draws me to SF!