Top 8 'New to the Valley Survival Tips'

Isn't this written by the same guy who worked for a Sequoia backed startup? I work for a Sequoia backed startup - the pay is great! Therefore I don't understand the pathological cheapness described in points 1-7. $150 for a cab, but renting a SHARED studio apartment? The supermarket is expensive but Quiznos and $2 tea at Starbucks? If Safeway is expensive the author is getting the worst compensation deal in the history of Sequoia backed startups...

The part about bikes is weird. Bike stores don't sell a lot of $3000 bikes. Well, maybe in Menlo Park they do. There are a lot of price points in between an $80 walmart junker and a $3000 Colagno. I've owned many bikes throughout the years and never paid $3000 (or $80.)

The final point about office space is bizarre and I am calling bullshit. No startup in the history of Silicon Valley has started a "bidding war" between VCs for free office space. The paragraph doesn't even make sense.

How is the grocery store good for water? Water is free if you rent. Bottled water is a marketing scam.

Instead of the $80 walmart bike, I'd recommend buying a simple, robust, used one for the same price. Bikes in walmart are incredibly low-quality, not properly assembled, they will let you down when you need them the most.

The restaurant is noted at the bottom with the comments. Thanks to Kulveer and Jonathan Abrams for pointing that one out, I couldn't think of the name when writing.

I'll probably be eating there tomorrow ;)

What's the cost of an apartment in that area? He's paying 500 to share a studio apt, at a 50/50 the cost is 1k for a studio? That's pretty expensive...