Making the decision to move to San Francisco isn't a small choice.
After all, apartment rentals in San Francisco are notoriously expensive, and even the so-called "cheap" apartment rentals can be nearly double what you'd pay for similar living in another city, but as you know, San Francisco offers so much in terms of culture, activities, gorgeous views, and quality of life that the steep price of that apartment rental is well worth it.
So, congratulations on making your choice to pursue your apartment rental.
Before you make the big move, however, we want to take a moment to help you get acclimated to local life.
We're an eclectic, quirky city in every way, and we want you to fit right in as soon as you arrive.
After your apartment rental is done, you'll find that there's a lot to learn about the City by the Bay, and we hope this guide will help you get settled into apartment life.
Pronunciation Guide.
First of all, don't let anyone hear you call the City, "Frisco.
" It's either San Francisco, "the City" or SF.
Now that that's out of the way, let's look at some other ways you can avoid outing yourself as a newbie (although to be fair, this is San Francisco, so outing yourself isn't too shameful).
Gough Street doesn't rhyme with "cow.
" Gough is pronounced like "cough" with a G at the beginning.
GOFF street.
Kearny is "kerny" and not "KEERny," and we say the "L" in Polk Street.
How to Give Directions.
San Francisco is a small city, as far as area goes.
It's only 7 miles on each side, so everyone who's been here for a bit knows all the street names by heart.
As a result, we don't use addresses when we explain where things are, we simply use cross-streets.
"Haight-Ashbury" would be an example that even non-residents would know.
Mind the Muni.
Here in SF, we're pretty proud of our public transportation system.
Called the Municipal Railway, or just "Muni" to you & me, it combines bus, train, light rail, and yes, trolley traffic around the city.
After you have finalized your San Francisco rental, ask around and you'll soon learn the best way to get from one spot to another via Muni.
Getting Around.
Of course, public transportation isn't the only way to get around in SF.
We're one of the most walkable cities in the country, as long as you don't mind hills (there are 50 of them, and if you walk anywhere you will walk up at least one).
If walking's not your style, you'll be in good company on a bike, and if you need a car for the day, the city has a zip car rental service for those who don't need to own their own.