Amy Koch

Living in San Francisco has its advantages, but owning a car is definitely not one of them. With a seven-by-seven-mile radius and an increasingly dense population, there are quite a few challenges to driving around the streets of the city. Here are 17 things only those who own cars in SF will understand. 1. Street cleaning is the worst thing ever invented. 2. The hills are as intimidating as they look, but you’ve become a professional at two-foot driving. 3. The ability to find street parking is rare. So rare, in fact, that you’ve begun to accept spending 30 minutes circling around for a spot. 4. You feel a sense of defeat when you have to settle for a spot with a parking meter. And you're even more defeated when you realize there’s a two-hour parking maximum. 5. You know to avoid driving in downtown and SOMA at all costs. 6. The Bay Bridge has often been called a parking lot, and the traffic helps it lives up to that nickname. 7. Parking tickets are inevitable. You might as well let SFMTA take a monthly stipend out of your paycheck. 8. Left turns are pretty much non-existent, but one-way streets are plentiful. 9. Paying $30 a day for parking has started to sound normal. 10. Getting stuck behind Muni is the bane of your existence. 11. You’ve become really, really good at driving in the fog. 15. Backing up against traffic to nab a parking spot is an asshole move... but often necessary. 16. If you have a parking spot or garage, you might as well have found the Holy Grail. 17. Y

San Francisco is expanding its population at a wildly rapid pace. A sizable portion of the city's residents didn't grow up in the Bay area, which can make it hard to tell how and when you can truly call this city your home. Here are some signs that you've started to earn credibility as a real San Franciscan. 1. You avoid Fisherman’s Wharf like the plague 2. The tech bubble has burst at least once since you moved to SF 3. "Hella” has become a regular part of your vocabulary 4. Fernet has become something you truly appreciate—and you make everyone you know try it at least once 5. You're offended when there isn’t compost available or when people don’t use reusable bags at the grocery stores 6. Burritos are now the center of your life and La Taqueria is your holy grail 7. Avocado doesn’t always cost extra, but even if it does you know it’s worth it 8. You will make fun of $4 artisan toast and subsequently purchase it. 9. Whether walking, biking or driving, the steepest of hills no longer bother you 10. The beauty that is craft beer and microbreweries has become an integral part of your life 11. You understand that Bernal Heights has a better view of the city than Twin Peaks 12. Muni/bart “surfing” has become your forte 13. The number of picnics you've had in Dolores Park is too high to count 14. You’ve chosen a side on the battle between Bi-Rite and Humphry Slocombe ice cream 15. The word "gentrification" regularly comes up in your conversations, and you have an opinion 16. You u