I found out a few weeks ago that I am being sent to work in San Francisco, CA. Apperently I will be living in Alameda, and my daughter and I will moving there in July. I have lived on the east coast for my whole life, mostly in MA and for the past 10 years here in sunny FL. I really don’t know what to expect from the area except that I should probably go buy some sweatshirts. I really don’t know what I am asking, or what I am getting at except, maybe, how do you like it? I guess I just wondered if there was anyone on the forum from that area. I feel like I am moving to a different country.
I USED to live there. ( I used to live damn near everywhere. I have also lived right where you are now! 
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Will you be living in Alameda county or Alameda city? Sweatshirts yes, but it’s not as cold as MA. Traffic will be bad, but you’ll learn to love the BART, IF it’s near you. If not, oh well. The Bay Area can be spotty - good and bad places right next door to one another, industrial bumps up against suburbs. It’s got great character though. 
It’s VERY different from Florida. There will be a culture shock. In general, people are more friendly and open, but there is a different vibe to the place.
I’d be happy to help answer any questions you have.
Unfortunately, I haven’t lived on the east coast, or florida, so I can’t tell you how different it’s going to be. I can tell you that the weather is generally moderate, as far as extreme temperatures go. I definitely always carry around a jacket if I’m walking or taking public transportation. During the winters, it rains a good deal. During the summer it’s not going to be as hot as FL, but it can get pretty sunny at times. Lots of wind, there’s almost always a breeze of some sort.
I’m wondering the same thing as Tigerlilly. Alameda county or city? I’m assuming you mean the city. I can’t speak for the city itself, but as for the general Bay Area, people are generally laid back and open.
There are definitely areas you want to avoid at night, not necessarily specific cities, but specific parts of every city. San Francisco, Oakland, Berkeley, San Jose, etc.. all have their nice parts and not so nice parts.
We like to have our fun and we do our own thing. There definitely may be some culture shock. There is a lot of grass roots political activity, though I might have that impression because I grew up in Berkeley.
Maybe you have more specific questions about schooling or leisure activities?
My ex-wife lives there. I spent some time there in college (Berkley) in the late 60’s, think “Summer of Love”. The food and wine is great. Don’t forget to get out your “liberal” mind set, e.g. “The People’s Republic of Berkley”. If you spend any time in The City think fog. To quote Mark Twain, “The coldest winter I ever spent was a summer in San Francisco”.
I also lived in the Miami area (Homestead & Florida City) in the early 70’s and believe me the vibe is way different than NorCal.
Just to clairify, ‘the city’ I was referring to is Alameda city. ‘The City’ is San Francisco.
Ahhh… memories. The City vs the city… fog… summers are brown and winters are green…
Definitely a different vibe from Florida. Much more laid back, but at the same time, not. it’s like a coffee bar all over the place. A smooth, almost elitist intellectualism prevades many parts of the region - then there’s the counter culture element, and the counter-counter culture element.
A unique place.
I got a buddy living out there - he loves it… the culture agrees with his sensibilities…
However he happens to be a fairly socially aware person and made these observations:
San Fran is a friendly city however its culture is very one-sidedly liberal… there is a real feel of intellectual entitlement a kind of “we are the smartest city in America” feel.
IF you don’t hold a liberal viewpoint you’ll find yourself being ganged up upon dinner parties… if you hold to your guns too strongly you’ll probably find yourself not being reinvited.
In other words… if you hold a strongly conservative viewpoint you will probably have a hard time meeting people with whom you can make strong bonds…
Of course my buddy is white collar and hangs in intellectual (read: academic) circles… it could be just that those circles are like that.
He also said that Southpark “Smug Pollution” episode was unnervingly accurate
I lived in Berkeley for a while, about 5 years. I also lived in NYC, NJ, and my brother had a house in Daytona. Frisco was a lot of fun and the weather was nice too.
I don’t remember much though when I lived there. WAY TO MANY Grateful Dead shows
Thanks everyone for telling me your views on San Fran. I will be moving to Alameda city and working on Yerba Buena Island. I am a HUGE food and wine fan, so I am told there is whole hell of that happening there. I would consider myself a non-club going person so night life is something I will be eager to explore. If there is such a thing as a bar/cafe there I would be happy. You know, like a Starbucks that serves alcohol. And dive bars, I love dive bars. If you have ever been to Down The Hatch out in the Village in NYC, thats my kind of spot. I will miss all the little bikini’s here, so I hope the women are just as beautiful there as they are here. I wont miss the hurricanes, but now I get to look forward to earthquakes. I am kind of excited, and scared. I love FL, but one of its biggest drawbacks is no scenery and not alot of culture. I do look forward to that part of my move.
… Oh wow. Well, you left out your political leanings, but if they’re leftist, you’re going to love it there!
San Fran is the closest I could find to the Village or South Philly anywhere on the West Coast. Once you get there, get the tourist crap out of the way, then dive into the local scene and you’ll be in hog heaven. You can’t avoid the overarching culture there. If you dont get it through osmosis, they fling it unwanted towards you at every turn. Then there’s all the neighborhoods and the differing local cultures and international cultures, which are awesome awesome awesome. Food and Wine is HUGE there.
Women are pretty, but there is LESS emphasis on beaches and bikinis… so they’re larger. It’s a coat culture - they can cover the muffin top!
Earthquakes are overrated. The first day I moved from the West to East coast, some one asked me how I lived each and every day with all those earthquakes. I lived through the '89 one in the Bay. Other than that, they aren’t biggies. (Watch, The Big One strikes as I write this…)
The biggest thing you’lll have, honestly, is remembering that the Ocean is now on the WEST side… it will f’up your driving for a while.
I have less experience with Alameda city… but maybe the others can chime in. As I recall, it’s not the greatest place to live… there’s good and bad parts of every city, so maybe someone can direct you to the good parts of it??
By the way, you are aware that Alameda is an island in San Francisco bay, right? Big military presence, Alameda Naval Air Station.
Wrlpchnx brings up good points on the one-sided liberalism. Some would say they’re toeing the line, I say some are crossing the line into being hypocritical. Closed-minded towards opposing views, but claiming to be open to all. For the most part, as long as you can agree that race and sexual orientation aren’t issues to you, you should be okay 
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Like Tigerlilly was saying, there is tons of culture in the Bay, especially San Francisco. If you’re a food and wine fan, you will love it. I’ve been good food deprived since moving to SoCal. 
I miss my food, most of the food down here is corporate chains, and the few really good places are also really expensive…
AFAIK, Alameda city isn’t one of the nicer places to live, but it’s better than East Oakland, Richmond, or Hunter’s Point, among other places. Just be aware of your surroundings and you should be okay. I used to walk around San Francisco late at night on weekdays as a freshman in high school. I was never once bothered or frightened for my life/getting robbed. However, I have been nervous in certain parts of Oakland, then again I was hanging with the wrong people, and going to the wrong places.
Earthquakes aren’t a big deal at all, most of the time, they come and go so quickly, you’re left wondering “What that just an earthquake?”. If a big one comes around, you’ll definitely know. You feel like you’re standing on a waterbed.
Definitely less emphasis on beaches and bikinis out there. Women show their attractiveness in ways that don’t involve showing skin. Meaning, they’ll dress up and look hot, but they aren’t wearing the skimpiest clothing they can find.
As for bar/cafes I don’t know of any in particular, but I’m positive you can find a place you’re comfortable with. There are so many, you’re likely to have a couple favorites. You just need to take the time to discover them all.
Clubs aren’t the biggest thing here. At least, you can have a good nightlife w/o going to clubs, unlike some more club oriented cities (cough, LA, cough..). Plenty of local music scenes, there’s something going on every night. Spoken word, poetry slams, exotic dance, salsa, etc, etc..whatever culture floats your boat, you’re likely to find something at night.
I’ll be going back home in a few days, I’d be happy to do a little researching on your behalf.