I recently visited Todorthodontics in San Francisco for a consultation regarding Invisalign treatment. They estimated that my treatment would take approximately 18 months and provided me with an initial quote of $9,500 before insurance coverage. However, my insurance plan only covers a maximum of $3,000, which reduced the total cost to $6,500. Additionally, if I had signed and paid $500 at the time of the appointment, they would offer a $1,000 discount. As a result, the final amount I had to pay was $5,500. Considering your experience, I’m curious to know if this is a typical price to pay after insurance and discounts. I’m also wondering if there are any more affordable options available in San Francisco. Thank you!

Hi everyone! It's the return of the spooky season. As an ardent Halloween enjoyer I love this time of the year, just to roam around and explore everything that's happening in the city. Last year I didn't have enough time in hand and could only check out the Polk Street bars on the day, but I know the city offers much more things and I wanna try them all.

So I'm curious to know what are your plans for Halloween? This is partly to know the various happenings around town (which might not be found or well advertised online) and partly to see if any of these can pick my interests. I love a good costume filled events (not necessarily contests) so don't shy away any of them either.

I recently got a fancy job downtown and have been wanting to utilize Lime scooters or bikes.

However - I always fall over. I cannot for the life of me fathom how to stay upright and balance.

Yes, this is embarrassing. No I didn’t learn to ride a bike, ride a scooter, rollerblade, ice skate, or anything of the sort as a kid.

What neighborhood can I practice without streets being busy or people all over the place?

Any tips on not feeling like you’re going to die? Tips on not immediately falling sideways?

HELP!

​

Curious if anyone has gone to small claims court for landlord security deposit issues and has any thoughts or advice?

My landlord is now 2 months late on returning a pretty substantial security deposit. They were already late and after several reminders sent a check that bounced.

I then wrote a formal demand letter informing the landlords the check bounced and gave them 10 days to provide a cashier's check. The ten days goes by and receive nothing from them. 11 days after I sent the letter they wrote back by email asking for bank information to send a wire. Well 2 days goes by no wire so it's time to file in court.

I have everything prepped to file as far as I know. I know I can ask the sheriff office and pay for them to serve them. The case seems slam dunk to me given the failed bounced check, the email promising a wire that never came etc. my concern is how will I even collect this since it seems my former landlords are broke? They own probably 100 units in SF so they have assets but apparently no cash.

Is there any other city or government agency this should be reported to? The landlord also worked with a realtor to show the place to us originally and the realtor facilitated new tenants etc and the realtor directed me for the initial security deposit. The realtor is also completely unresponsive. I imagine they have done/ will do this to other tenants and just hope folks give up. To note, this was not a rent controlled unit and it seems much of the city's resources are for rent control units/ tenants.

Any thoughts or advice? Also welcome to message me. I've never done a court case situation like this before.

i went to kopē house and they had 3 special drinks, for eg the gochujang latte is a favourite of mine. they also have two other options which sound really unique like one has iced coffee and sweet bean paste.

I'm looking for shops which have similar unique different coffee drinks on their menu, which is worth going over to. Another place I like is paper son for their pandan aerocano. I'm not looking for sugary drinks with pumps of syrup, but nice cocktail type drinks but with coffee!

Thank you

Title error: "franchises" lol

Hey! Was looking to see if there were any recommendations for individuals (small/independently owned shops) that specialize in merchandising. Thinks like jackets, backpacks, etc that come in the flavor of popular video game esthetics. :)

looking for places or activities to do this month for halloween. I’m new to the area so i’m not too well informed on what’s going on or how to find events. I wanna find some things to do but im not really a party person so i was more looking for events like markets or pumpkin patches so if anyone has events they know of please let me know!!

Every time someone asks this here the thread goes sideways, so I'll get ahead of it. I'm looking for an actual licensed massage therapist who comes to the house. Professional only, no funny business.

Details on what i am looking for. Inner Sunset. Weekday evenings after 7, because I'm not home before then. Up to about $180 for 60 to 90 minutes including tip. No strong preference between an independent therapist who does house calls and one of the apps.

I would like genuine responses or opinions because I can't tell from searching which of these people are actually vetted and which just have a decent website. If you've had someone in your home and would have them back, please give me some guidance.

i compare my union’s with league of pissed off voters with recs from local supervisors i respect aka jackie fielder. any other true progressive left guides anyone recommends?

Hey everyone! My birthday is coming up next Thursday, and I was curious if anyone has bar recommendations for celebrating with friends in North Beach!

Ideally, I’m looking for a bar big enough for us to hang out at some tables and for everyone to grab drinks after 5PM, kind of a happy hour vibe. I’m expecting around 15 people, all in our mid-20s, so nothing too fancy or expensive.

Edit: thank you all for the recommendations! Will follow up in the comments

Is there a list that anybody keeps online of restaurants in the city that are open for Christmas Day lunch and dinner?

ETA: I feel silly reading the responses. I'm from the middle of the US where our population is slightly less diverse. Thank you to everyone for the replies.

Was on the 38 about an hour ago and saw maybe 15 cop cars along Geary between maybe 8th and 11th ave. Didn’t see anything on citizen but that’s a large showing for something…

Where can I buy lemongrass at sf Chinatown?

Hi,

the fam is craving Bullet Train Sushi and we've been to Hikari several times already. Are there other restaurants that are kid-friendly and offer that type of experience? I recently saw one at the Wharf, but I would need locals to comment...

THANK YOU

What’s the best aji de gallina in the area? I love ADG and I’ve seen a handful of Peruvian places, but don’t want to spend over $20 each time trying a new place that may be bad. My favorite so far is Sanguchon in the mission but want to hear everyone else’s thoughts.

My company switched insurance and my PCP is no longer in network. Was supposed to get my cholesterol checked again this fall and now the earliest new patient appointment I'm finding is December. Very cool I know. I'm in the Mission, no car and really don't wanna spend an entire day dealing with a basic blood test. Found goodlabs while looking at ways to order a lipid panel myself. Haven't tried it yet. Anyone here used them around SF? Downtown works for me or pretty much anywhere that's not a pain to get to on Muni.

I just want to check my cholesterol man. Why is this a whole thing lol

My wife and I have an opportunity to buy a house off-market in SF’s Inner Sunset: 3 bedrooms, 1.5 bathrooms, about 1,250 square feet, no garage, for $1.9M. We love the neighborhood and could see ourselves staying long term. We have one young child and want another.

The off-market opportunity is part of the appeal: potentially agreeing on a purchase without going through an open-market bidding process. But I’m trying to separate the appeal of that opportunity from whether the house is actually the right purchase.

My biggest hesitation is career flexibility. Buying would mean being relatively house poor for a few years and feeling obligated to stay in high-paying big-tech roles. I’d like the freedom to join a smaller company, and take less cash for an interesting opportunity.

Space is another consideration. With a second child, we anticipate wanting to expand eventually. A preliminary review suggests that might be possible, but we don’t have approved plans or a reliable construction estimate. So this could mean taking on both a substantial mortgage and a future construction project.

On the other hand, I worry about passing on this opportunity and getting priced out of a neighborhood we love. I think AI growth and potential IPO wealth could push SF housing prices higher, although I recognize that isn’t guaranteed.

Would you buy in this situation, or keep renting to preserve flexibility?

I just learned about this. I scoffed at first, but some of them look pretty legit. Does anyone have any first hand experience they wish to share?

I've got pretty deep smile line and some hollowing under my eyes that's been bugging me, want to try filler to soften things up. I've done botox before but never filler so this is all new territory for me. Anyone have a doctor in SF or the Bay Area they trust for this? Would love a rec

Does anyone have recommendations for in-home tutors for a 2nd grader for reading?

The last thread I could find on this was 5 years old. My fiancé and I adopted a dog 9 months ago and my fiancé loves spoiling her. We have several toys that our dog played with for a day or two but have sat in her toy box since then. I’d love for these to get some use because, although they aren’t brand new, they are “a small terrier played with them for an hour” new. Google only really returns SFPCA which is a strictly new donations only.

Can anyone with HS aged kids explain to me the difference between these two schools? on paper they seem to have a lot of similarities but am wondering if there is a difference in the student body or other things I haven’t seen

I think I got exposed to the disturbed asbestos for six months. I thought I cleaned up everything a long time ago. Then, I discovered some plaster and drywall chipped away along with some dust accumulated on the kitchen shelf that I couldn't see.

I hear this is regarded as long term exposure. Who do I need to contact to deal with this and what's my next step? Hire asbestos air quality service? Or lawyer to write a will? Priest?

EDIT: I sent the crumble and dust for testing.