Moving to San Diego

[sam79london]

Hey..

I need some advice on re-locating to Cali from NYC...

I am from london originally and ahve been living in NY for the past couple of years - Myself and my gf have decided to move to the sunshine state and see how it goes.

We like to bike / walk a lot and not be forced drive everywhere - LA seems too much of a car orientated city and I have visited several times and not so keen to be honest...

San Diego is top of the shortlist at the minute. I have floated around the web and seem to pick up a positive feeling for the city - Just wondered if anyone has any thoughts or advice for me - It would be much appreciated!

thanks!

Sam

[englandmj7]

I like San Diego but prefer L.A. Whilst it may be a "car" city as a whole, if you live in say Santa Monica, Venice, or Marina Del Rey, you can find ANYTHING you want in a short 10 minute drive, plus you live right on the beach and can bike everywhere around Venice with ease.......I miss LA.

Then again, if you are just moving to be in the sun, you are possibly better of going to SD as rent is a little cheaper.

[TheFly]

San Diego is a pretty car oriented city also.

For everything within walking distance you'd want to live Bankers Hill/Hillcrest. Everything you need is within walking distance around there, they are nice neighborhoods with great places to eat/hang out/drink/shop. It is pretty much right on the hill north above Downtown, but far enough away where its not constantly busy. Its also is/was considered the 'gay' neighborhood in San Diego which shouldnt really matter, but just FYI. Also the rent is a little more expensive than a lot of SD, but its still cheap compared to NY. This is the most centralized place to live in SD, and I think the most desireable. Parking isnt even that bad here also.

If you want a little more relaxed neighborhood there is South Park/Golden Hill which is north/east of Downtown (seperated from downtown by Balboa Park). Its a young (age-wise) neighborhood with a little strip of places to eat and a nice bar or two. Everything else you need is within easy biking distance. The rent will be fairly cheaper than the above neighborhoods but its also a little less upscale. Although its a 'hip' place to live so rent wont be dirt cheap.

You can also live downtown which is neat but not really 'that' nice.

Another neighborhood thats pretty self contained is Pacific Beach/Mission Beach. Rent is pretty crappy, so are all the bars and a majority of the people. There is all the stuff you need close but its also the biggest hangout for college age kids to get smashed and act stupid. Theres a few good places there, but its not too centralized and takes a good while to get anywhere on public transportation. Its not easy to ride a bike downtown or really to anywhere else from this neighborhood. But if you want to be next to the beach this is pretty much the only decent choice.

Of course you can't really get a feel for a neighborhood until you visit it.

[prufrock]

dont walk around the gaslamp quarter, downtown hotspot, past 10PM unless you want to beat up young stupid kids. always bar fights around that time and on wards.

san diego is a great place to hang out. if you like sun, being lazy, and wearing flip flops year round - its your kind of place. downtown has some pretty sick shops to do shopping, pretty new - it was that popping when i left for san francisco. san diego is turning into a great city, i just hate how my suburb is getting flooded by people like you! stay in NYC! haha.

also, san diego has great mexican food. one of the best places is super sergios! if you know where its at, you are sick. another great spot is Lolitas. ooh and can't forget Los Panchos. los panchos is coming up, they got all these new spots opening up. i think they have a place in hillcrest.

-later days.

keep it real and eat mexican food. peace.

[drgitlin]

There's also North County to think about. I lived in Encinitas for a while, and then Carlsbad/San Marcos. I'd avoid the inland bits, but living by the beach has a lot going for it.

[edwin]

san diego is a great city if you like to relax. if you are looking to party i would go to la.

-beach communities such as encinitas, oceanside and del mar would be great if you want to disappear into a vacation-esque lifestyle with the beach so close.

-downtown is good. growing by the minute. there about 10 cranes up within that square mile for expansion. the east village would be a good investment while its still relatively cheap.

-northpark/hillcrest/normal heights is good for the artsy/musician types. lots of great places to eat/drink. biking to downtown isn't that bad f rom here. its about 3-5 miles each way at most.

[Cynlix]

North County is much more car-oriented than downtown itself. You pretty much have to drive anywhere. Very suburbian type living in North County.

Hillcrest is a nice neighborhood. A nice medium between the city and quiet life. Its only a close hop, skip, and a jump to downtown!

Downtown has alot of nice high-rise condos. The OMNI condos are really nice. (I think it's called The Metropolitan now).Shopping is really great too. Lots of small boutiques, and then theres always the mall.

But like everyones said before, San Diego as a whole really is a car-city. I really couldnt imagine living here without one.

Oh, btw. The "Sunshine state" is Florida. California is "The Golden State"

[jstockton858]

I have to say from growing up in san diego I think it is very car oriented. However, I grew up in Poway, a family-oriented suburb. I would also recommend Hillcrest. Great atmosphere and there is tons of good places to go. Stay away from North County. It is pretty boring and you can do a lot better for only a little extra money. I would focus near the coast for more laid back atmosphere but hillcrest and uptown I think are the best choices.