Three main places in California through the eyes of a Russian investor

Renata Akhunova moved to California in 2011 and founded the Formula VC venture capital fund. She said Forbes woman why move to California and about the three most famous places in the state.

Photos from the personal archive of Renata Akhunova

California is perhaps the most famous state in the United States, which is glorified by all three of its centers of gravity: San Francisco's disco city, the entrepreneurial Mecca of Silicon Valley and Los Angeles with its Hollywood surroundings. Everyone can find a place to live to taste.

San Francisco

Having moved to California, I carefully watched the life of a global center for technological entrepreneurship, communicated with startups from all over the world and, as a business angel, shared my experience with entrepreneurs free of charge.

One year later, our team raised a venture capital fund. Formula vC, and I stayed here to live and work. At first, I wanted to find an office in San Francisco by all means: most of the young IT companies are located there. However, by four o'clock in the afternoon, she abandoned the idea of ​​living in this city: in July, by the end of the day, you would have to wrap yourself in a leather jacket and a cashmere scarf, in the summer it was just as wet in October as in Moscow. There are areas (of course, prestigious), where it is almost always warm and windless, but this is more the exception than the rule. I settled in the south of Silicon Valley - in the warm city of San Jose, our office is located in the very Silicon Valley on the "Investor Street" Invest Hill Road, and in the City (The City is the name of San Francisco in the Valley) I drive special occasions: for meetings, events and to have fun.

San Francisco. Photo: Depositphotos

Most business events certainly take place in San Francisco. The concentration of entrepreneurs and investors is huge. The city itself is small, so you can schedule more meetings in a day than in Silicon Valley. And in the evenings you can count on a cultural program: there are always various exhibitions, operas, concerts, scientific conferences. Personally, I reduce parties to a minimum, preferring home-made dinners with my colleagues and partners. In addition to selected business events about a quarter of a year, I go to any grand concerts or parties. Pop stars often perform in California, and the brightest in my memory while there was a concert Pink. Most nightclubs are boring for me, but theme parties of the festival Burning Man rarely leave me indifferent. As for sporting events, the “America's Cup” regatta is obligatory to visit - it amazes me year after year.

San Francisco is a restaurant paradise: a rare gourmet will remain indifferent to it. Without exaggeration, you will find here the cuisine of all nations of the world, and the prices will pleasantly surprise with their adequacy. There are high-class restaurants with stars in San Francisco Michelinin which you need to reserve a table for two or three months. Of those that I managed to visit, I prefer The French Laundry (in Napa Valley), Baume (in Palo Alto) and Madera (in Menlo Park). But wherever you decide to have dinner, you can rely on delicious food and friendly service everywhere - in an expensive restaurant and in a Chinese eatery.

Famous hills and ocean shores, skyscrapers and gingerbread houses closely standing - in San Francisco you are constantly discovering breathtaking views! Most of the guidebooks list the top 10 major tourist destinations, but in fact there are many more. I, perhaps, agree with the number 1 of this list - the famous viewing platform Twin Peaks (Twin Peaks), from where a view opens up literally to the whole city and surroundings, but then my preferences diverge from the guides. I love the view of the bay from Vallejo street (Vallejo), near the Russian consulate in San Francisco. My other weakness is the view of the city from the bay when you are sailing along San Francisco on a boat.

San Francisco is a rave, eclectic, multicultural city. Sure, there will never be boring, but if you need to focus on something, perhaps San Francisco is not the best option for that.

Silicon Valley

Visitors are very important not to confuse San Francisco with Silicon Valley: the “towns” with some disdain are called the towns of the Valley in the village. And although in terms of economic and business indicators, the “town” of San Jose is ahead of San Francisco, the Valley is rightly considered to be the “sleeping area” of the bay.

Starting from the southern suburbs of San Francisco to the very south of San José, you can choose your own climate: if you want coolness, living south of Menlo Park or Palo Alto is not recommended, and if you want real Californian heat, choose San José. The valley is not as rich in views as San Francisco, but the ocean coast is very popular with surfers and golfers.

Palo Alto. Photo: Depositphotos

The whole local “get-together” is concentrated in Palo Alto: here are famous cafes, for example University and Coupa Cafein which investment transactions are allegedly concluded constantly, here and numerous “mit-ups” (meet-ups) for start-up entrepreneurs, and even a higher intellectual component of everything around due to the proximity of Stanford University.

Living in the Valley is somewhat cheaper than in San Francisco, so many people rent housing closer to the south. It’s hard to imagine living in California without a car. And although it is quite possible to replace a car route to work with electric trains (which operate all the way from San Jose to San Francisco), it is still easier to go to the mall for food by car.

Los Angeles

If San Francisco and Silicon Valley suppress your libido and you experience negative emotions when you cannot distinguish the woman in front of you from the man (personal comfort in the style casual brought here to the point of absurdity), then your choice is the City of Angels.

Constant party “friends at home” are popular in all of California, but only in Los Angeles they look in reality exactly like in the movies: blue pools, girls in bikinis, men in white pants in convertibles - that's all true. And the truth is almost daily. Of course, in such conditions you can only do a very specific “Hollywood” business, but if you are not a novice entrepreneur and can afford to live every minute with pleasure, Los Angeles is waiting for you!

It is the country's second largest city, the industrial and economic center of the Western United States. At the same time, the cost of housing here is lower than in San Francisco, and the number of sunny days a year is higher, which is why I myself often have thoughts of moving to Los Angeles.

The fitness culture on the Los Angeles coast is the ultimate dream of all fans of a healthy lifestyle. Palm trees, waves, sand and the proximity of Hollywood motivate you to stay in shape. California is generally an ideal place to be healthy and beautiful: here even I became a fan of fitness and healthy eating.

Wherever you move to the United States, remember that for all the benefits that this country gives, it requires a lot more in return than is visible outside. And this is nothing bad for those who know how to make deals and act in accordance with the agreements.

Read also on ForumDaily:

Why is it helpful to go to the USA at least once?

How Russian woman was disappointed in the fight against corruption and went to New York

The criminals of the year: our people arrested in the US in 2017

Where do people from the Russian-speaking community disappear: the story of one disappearance in New York

10 reasons not to move to the US

How the wives of programmers live in Silicon Valley

Marry an American: Marriages of Our Immigrants

Do you want more important and interesting news about life in the USA and immigration to America? — support us donate! Also subscribe to our page Facebook. Select the “Priority in display” option and read us first. Also, don't forget to subscribe to our РєР ° РЅР ° Р »РІ Telegram  and Instagram- there is a lot of interesting things there. And join thousands of readers ForumDaily New York — there you will find a lot of interesting and positive information about life in the metropolis.