If you are not Bay Area fellow chances are high you really want to visit us here. And yeah, sure, we are lucky ones to be in the most interesting cities in the world and you should definitely give us a visit. But don’t ruin your trip by thinking of sunny California. When people say it is crazy expensive here and cold – they are not lying at all!
What’s the deal then?
Depends on where you are coming from. I am Russian and find local temperatures mild and very comfortable. It rarely gets out of the 55 to 65 degree range (12 to 18°C), summer or winter. So please bring your jacket and jeans. Regardless of chilly air you will still see people casually going to work in shorts and t-shirts. I get brain freeze just form looking at them.
Dress up in layers! You will get annoyed hearing this from people but you will thank us later. Layers just like an onion, yes.
The Bay Area is unusual in the wide variety of climates that exist just within a few miles of each other. Even San Francisco, only 7 miles square, has microclimates within its city limits. Even forecasts come in two parts: the coastal area and the rest. I work in the financial district and leaving the office can be freezing in my sweater but after 15 min walk towards Nob Hill I start sweating and have to take the sweater off, turn around the corner and I am cold again. Fog is fun though 🙂
Good news we get seven dry months from May to October. But you better to not forget your umbrella if you are visiting in November-April. It was seriously raining every day when I arrived in February. Heavy, yes.
The best time to visit?
September and October are warm and sunny, so come on over 😉
P.S. Locals also referr to the fog as Karl which got started a few years back when someone created the hashtag #karlthefog on Twitter and it took off for some reason. Karl refers to Karl the giant in the film Big Fish; why, I don’t know.
