Culture Shock (Hayward, Redwood City, Pleasanton: real estate, foreclosure, credit card)

[DMenscha]

I just returned from 10 days in Redwood City dealing with a death in the family and I'm sort of numb on several levels, but I found a few things fascinating.

1. EVERYONE has a smart phone. Interesting to watch people walking down the street (and unfortunately in their cars) totally engrossed in the device in their hands.

2. Economic activity. Sure seemed to me that there was a lot of visible economic activity, from carpenters doing building improvements, to landscape maintenance folks, even just patrons at an incredible number of diverse styles of restaurants.

3. Traffic. Probably goes without saying that just to navigate around and avoid the above-mentioned folks on their phones was thrilling (and not necessarily a good thing).

4. Air quality. It sure seems like the air quality has improved substantially since I lived there, but it may have just been the way the wind was blowing.

5. Real estate prices. No news here, but boy oh boy, every real estate person picks up one of those glossy ad magazines wherever they go and I think you could buy every property in our MLS for what one luxury home was going for. Rents seemed outrageous too, the dumpy place I had to stay was a 600sf one bedroom on a 4 lane street for $1000/month.

IN short, the bay area looks like it's humming right along and I'm guessing that the rest of the state isn't too far ahead or behind. I hate to quote John Denver, but "thank god I'm a country boy"

[Fontucky]

Regarding point #1: I somehow manage to get through life with no smartphone, nay, not even a cellphone.
In fact, I'm still using rotary dial Western Electric Model 500s.

[Phil306]

I agree. I've said it too: What recession? I just came back from Italy. Flying out of SFO every single seat on the plane was FULL; both coming and going. Business class and First Class too.

Ford is making record profits; someone is buying cars. Apple? Again, record profits. An iPhone 200-600 bucks a pop, plus 60-100 bucks+ a month in phone charges. Men/women lined up around the block, buying SF Giants t-shirts, caps, and jerseys. One guy I heard said he was buying $500 bucks worth of jerseys.

Any restaurant I go too, on a Friday/Saturday night, I have an hour plus wait. I sure as heck don't see people losing weight; in fact, America is the fattest nation in the world.

People on welfare, who are supposed to be using that money to "feed their children," spending it at casinos and strip clubs in Las Vegas, cruise ships in Miami.

Yes, sorry, I don't see it. I'm sure the economy took a downturn, however, I believe it was blown out of proportion, so people can get out of paying their bills.

[Fontucky]

In the land of dollar menus at fast food places, fatness isn't a very good indicator of economic soundness.

[wellyouknow]

I don't see any of this, erm, 'activity' as a sign of the state recovering. It's mostly trite and trivial, and not backed by any positive fundamental change. People yammering on their smart phones (made in China) and painting their roofs (with toxic paint also made in China) and welfare folks buying dope and booze on welfare checks and foodstamps (courtesy of the Chinese buying US Fed bonds) and shifty folks hanging around Home Depots in ever increasing numbers does not an economy make.

[Charles]

Originally Posted by DMenscha

I'm sort of numb on several levels,

I wonder how you'd feel if you visited Manhattan or Alabama or Mexico City or Tokyo or the Congo.

[BRinSM]

Did you consider that those who are unemployed might actually be at home looking for jobs? Sure, the folks that have jobs are doing okay, but those who don't (in excess of 12% in CA) probably aren't the ones you saw while out and about.

[Phil306]

Originally Posted by Fontucky

In the land of dollar menus at fast food places, fatness isn't a very good indicator of economic soundness.

I just had to go shopping. Target in Dublin: PACKED with people buying all sorts of things. Safeway in Dublin: PACKED with people buying all sorts of things. Buffalo Wild Wings in Dublin: Parking lot PACKED with cars; oh yeah, forgot about that pesky World Series thing going on. I'm sure people in there were paying large sums of money for all the food and alcohol they were consuming.

Go to: PF Chang's or the Cheesecake Factory, in Pleasanton on a Friday or Saturday night. You will be waiting for a minimum of one hour to get in and probably more like two. Go to ANY decent restaurant in Pleasanton, Dublin, or San Ramon. Again, a minimum of one hour wait times.

Oh, but Phil. Those are high income areas. Ok, go to the Olive Garden, Elephant Bar, Applebee's, Buffalo Bill's, or the Marie Callender's in welfare recepient Hayward. Again, one plus hour wait times.

These aren't fast food, dollar cheap emporiums; not they aren't a 5 star Michelen rated establishments either. But they aren't footlong for 5 bucks either.

People have alot more money then they are letting onto. Most people are using this recession to walk away from their homes, etc and get out of other bills, without a social or financial stigma.

3 years from now, no bank is going to care if you were foreclosed on, walked away from your house, defaulted on your credit cards, and/or even declared bankruptcy. So many people have and will do so, the ones that do will be in the majority, not the minority.

[slo1318]

So what, people are shopping for groceries and going out to eat. You speak partial truths. Many many people were affected by the downturn in the economy, generally its the bottom 20%, but not necessarily. You dont have to have empathy for people affected, but that doesnt mean they're not struggling. I would guess most people know someone who went through bankruptcy or foreclosure.

[DMenscha]

Originally Posted by Charles

I wonder how you'd feel if you visited Manhattan or Alabama or Mexico City or Tokyo or the Congo.

LOL I'd probably fall over trying to look up at the sky in Manhattan, rural parts of Alabama I'd be fine with, Mexico City would be the same as Manhattan but I speak passable Spanish so I'm thinking I'd have better luck communication with the locals, Tokyo forget about it! The Congo might be interesting.

I lived in that area long ago, and it just seemed like things were substantially bigger and better.