Originally Posted by ahpook
BTW while your post is titled "bay area" most of the replies have focused on the city of SF itself. there's much more to the bay area than just SF, and depending on your lifestyle / career / personality, you might be happier (and left with more $ after paying rent) in the East or South Bay. Just sayin'.
(eric, south bay partisan)
I'm a South Bay refugee, and I'll never go back. Like what's her name said, there's no "there" there. San Francisco, Sausalito, Marin are all more pricey (although San Jose is getting *very* expensive), but you get what you pay for.
East Bay, there's Berkeley. That's it.