Bloods, Crips and Various Coastal Conflicts
Moving to California was a major cultural shift for me. It wasn’t that I was scared, or even timid; I was deeply excited for a change of scenery. As a preface, I grew up on the east coast, with my business operations always occurring in New York. I was a city dweller, and the great American west always felt out of reach.
But, I had a mission pursuing an emerging startup in the information technology and software space. I knew immersing myself into the heart of Silicon Valley would be character building and experience driven, but my expectations were open ended. Needless to say, I had to make the move.
These are some of the cultural subtleties I’ve observed while working and living out of the Bay Area:
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Homeless
There are plenty of them…everywhere. They build street nests out of card board boxes and travel with odd collections of goods in stolen shopping carts. There also seems to be a unique relationship with Bay Area locals.
Story: I was eating lunch and a homeless man eagerly asked for money from the table next to me to buy “just one joint.” The patrons politely declined and said sorry. The homeless man then returned the apology for interrupting their meal, and continued to walk away with his head down.
Story (New York translation): The patrons response, if any, would have been a quick “fuck off.”
Drugs
I walk through clouds of hazy marijuana smoke almost daily. This is probably because my office is in Berkeley, but it has happened in and around San Francisco as well. Although I don’t smoke, I’ve noticed the regulation seems to be soft, which I’m assuming has to do with the abundance “medical” usage.
Story: One afternoon I was walking through Golden Gate Park and overheard a gang of hippies proclaiming their “sickness” (marijuana reliance) and discussing where to get the best “medicine” (drugs). I laughed at the irony.
Weather
I left for California towards the end of August, just as summer was cooling on the east coast. Venturing here was like a permanent extension of summer as I know it. It’s been nearly 75 – 80 degrees every day, with zero humidity and bright sunshine. I have been enjoying it, but I understand why (some) California residents proclaim they get sick of the lack of climate variability.
Travel
In the two to three hour radius of the San Francisco Bay Area there is Napa Valley, Yosemite, Lake Tahoe, Mount Tamalpais and plenty more scenic attractions I’m still unaware of. I have been attempting to travel every weekend, and I’ve been blown away each time. The natural scenery on the west coast definitely trumps that of the east coast.
People
I sense a feeling of altruism in San Francisco that I haven’t found in the bustling city life of New York. Granted, sometimes I’m simply not in the mood for it. On the contrary, the New York culture is a “mind your own business” mentality. And, people also look at me like I’m crazy or plain impersonal when I jaywalk or cross the any street at a quick speed. I really just like being efficient.
Work
The entrepreneurial culture in the Bay Area is dense. It exists on the east coast, but it’s spotty in pieces of New York and Boston. Everyone in the Bay Area seems to be starting something. Startups are part of normal conversation here and require less explanation than they do out east, which is actually the best part. I find myself repeating myself less than I did back home.
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My attitude is obviously slanted because I’m focused on the positive differences between where I am now and where I was. I do love New York and the east coast cities, but I’m in awe of the scenery and outdoor culture of the west coast. I realize it’s due to the freshness of the city.
From a work stand point, I find myself having to keep a careful balance between my personal tenacity and this new arena of cultural calm, especially in dealing with my investors. But, this is the joy of relocating. A new area, culture and splash of people can do wonders for moral and enthusiasm towards projects, even if you need to write about it to make sense of it.
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