Santa Barbara, Santa Maria or San Luis Obispo? (Santa Rosa, Atascadero: movers, house)

[deeptrance]

Originally Posted by LDDiamondGirl

You are one lucky guy to have grown up in the Upper East of SB. Do you realize that you have lived the American Dream? I hope you appreciate it.

Oh, I sure do. I sometimes feel GUILTY about it because it was even better than you might imagine. It was truly heaven and I had no awareness of the fact that most children couldn't safely ride their bikes to the mountains, go for a hike and swim in a creek, then ride to the beach and hang out there for a couple hours, all in the same day without any worries other than being home by dinner time.

Yeah, my childhood didn't suck. In fact, I think part of why I'm a fairly depressed person is that I was spoiled rotten and I know I'll never be able to have the kind of life I enjoyed way back then... My fondest hope is to be able to create a great childhood for a new human being, but I'm getting kind of old to start a family so I mostly do what I can for the children of my friends.

Originally Posted by LDDiamondGirl

Must be tough to see the changes, but that's how it is all over the country in the beautiful places.

SB hasn't changed much compared to most other places. The building codes are strictly enforced and many things look just as they did when I was young. In fact, I think a lot of it looks BETTER now, with more creative architecture and landscaping (for example.) I love that they did with lower State Street. The sad part is what's happening on the west side of Goleta, the sprawl, but that's NOTHING compared with most places.

Originally Posted by LDDiamondGirl

Well, wherever you are now....I hope you're happy.

Thanks, I am . Well, aside from the depression issue, which is internal and not caused by living in my new favorite place (Austin) since 1990. I cannot recapture childhood, but I do my best to remain as childlike as possible in this perpetually-stuck-in-adolescence place known as the Live Music Capital of The World, AKA The Velvet Rut, AKA Slackertown.

I absolutely LOVED your post that starts with the line "You know, EnlightenMe makes a very good point about gangs etc." I won't even bother to respond because it was a stand-alone mini-essay that was simply a delightful read, and somehow when I clicked the "positive rating" button for you your rep went up 3 points Maybe 3 different people were giving you positive ratings at the same time? Well, you deserve it!

[greatbasinguide]

My deranged sister in law, raised in upscale Palo Alto, figured she married beneath herself when she married the President of a large Ag business. Tall Blonde,, snotty,, loves San Luis Obispo, aside from the lack of a Nordstroms. She knows the small fine restaurants the small fine boutique clothiers..

My brother,, golfed frequently, lots of golf courses in the area. He also surfed every Sunday morning, played a lot of tennis and did the town leagues in basket ball and soft ball

[LDDiamondGirl]

All I can say is, I am amazed a snobby or snooty person would love it here. Where in the world does she wear expensive boutique clothes if, as you say, she knows of where they exist? We just went to what would be in any other city a hugely "chic" fundraiser where one would see people really dressed up and I heard a guy in a nice jacket and turtleneck say to his friend, "Boy I am really overdressed here." And he was. I'm stunned. Anyone here with a very upscale, expensive look about them really stands out. I mean like a Vegas hotel.

[LDDiamondGirl]

Are you out of Pennsylvania? Well, I'm OutaOhio. I wish I knew about this website a year ago before we moved. I realize I am probably in a minority here, because I am in a minority in the country, too. I grew up in Shaker Heights, Ohio and it was wealthy, beautiful, had the best schools in the country at the time and although my family was at the lower end of the wealthy, I could take advantage of all those beautiful things paid for by the others in much larger proportions than we could afford. I moved from Newport Beach back to Ohio after the 94 quake ruined my life for a while and I had to regroup. I only returned last year and we are living in this area now mostly because that is where we could afford to live if we wanted back to California. I am doing as well as I thought I would. I am not able to "Bloom where I'm planted" as I thought I would be. This is precisely why I am writing what I am writing here and why I think this website is so important and so invaluable an asset to anyone who is contemplating a relocation. Honestly, I was so hell bent on getting back to the beauty of the west coast that I am probably incorrect in saying I would have been swayed not to come to this area had I been better informed. This and only this is where the opportunity was. And just like the person who, I read, moved from Santa Monica to Bakersfield (not a typo), we needed to go where the opportunity presented itself. But now, I am carefully strategizing our next move, which I swore I wouldn't do. I said I'd rather have my fingernails extracted one by one without anesthesia rather than move again. But boy was I wrong. So, I am glad someone found something good about what I had to say. It's honest. It's not meant to offend. It's meant to be somewhat entertaining and creative (otherwise why would I waste my time writing all this?).....but most of all it's meant to help. so good luck.

[greatbasinguide]

You may find there is a difference in the lifestyles in SLO, between the old money and the new comers. Those our family socialize with tend to have been in the area a while,, a hundred years or so.

[deeptrance]

Originally Posted by LDDiamondGirl

...I am amazed a snobby or snooty person would love it here. Where in the world does she wear expensive boutique clothes if, as you say, she knows of where they exist? We just went to what would be in any other city a hugely "chic" fundraiser where one would see people really dressed up and I heard a guy in a nice jacket and turtleneck say to his friend, "Boy I am really overdressed here." And he was. I'm stunned. Anyone here with a very upscale, expensive look about them really stands out. I mean like a Vegas hotel.

You've accidentally answered your own question. The elites of Central California wine country have no need for the outward expressions of their success that you refer to. They're tastefully understated in their apparel, mannerisms and lifestyles. It's called "old money" and there's plenty of it in the SLO-Paso area. Many of those wonderful small wineries are owned by people who only have them as toys. Where you're looking for signs of success, they're way past that stage of life and are comfortably ensconced in the "casual chic" of being gentleman farmers who blend into the masses with ease. They have no need to express themselves in the ostentatious manner of those who live in the upscale McMansion neighborhoods that proliferate throughout the nation in nouveaux riche enclaves in the more trendy parts of the country. They're BEYOND success.

To borrow the closing of Dennis Miller's rants:
"Of course that's just MY opinion, I could be wrong!"

[LDDiamondGirl]

Wow, you sound like one of the angry judgmentals. I beg to differ, however. I know people who live in Paso and Atascadero and Templeton, and it ain't so chic. And truly, it is denial to think that the truly un-ostentatious wealth is so understated that they don't dress in expensive clothes, drive expensive cars, live in expensive houses or stay in 5 star hotels. Balderdash. I have some pretty rich friends who are not snobs, "ostentatious" and were to-the-manner-born. They would never vacation here. In fact, most of them never heard of the area we were moving to because they wouldn't be likely to come here for any reason. They have nothing against it, but they just wouldn't. They would rather stay at the L'Auberge du Soleil in Napa than any place in Paso Robles. And they are not horrible people.

[deeptrance]

Originally Posted by LDDiamondGirl

Wow, you sound like one of the angry judgmentals.

Any anger you read was provided by your interpretation. I have absolutely no anger about these topics, I'm having fun. I'm sorry you are taking it negatively, I don't get why but I apologize for whatever I said that offended you.

Originally Posted by LDDiamondGirl

I know people... And they are not horrible people.

I truly don't understand what this is about. I'm playing with stereotypes and you know by now that I've got plenty of experience with the rich-and-famous so I'm not just talking out my a$$ about the topic. So we know some different types, stereotypes are based on personal experiences and a grain of truth, and we've had different experiences which we each interpreted differently. I accept your point of view as being AT LEAST as valid as mine! And again, I apologize if something I said was offensive, please let me know specifically what it was so that I can avoid doing it again.

[LDDiamondGirl]

McMansions are big boxes for the Wanna Be's. It is an oxymoronic term that combines "McDonalds with Mansion." These are big (the bigger the better) cookie cutter tract-homes with nothing custom at all on the inside. They have no appeal at all in the "ostentatious" neighborhoods you speak of. The "ostentatious" want the real thing. The best architects, the best landscape architects, the best interior designers, and pretty much the best of everything. McMansions are found in the neighborhoods of people with money and absolutely no taste....

[LDDiamondGirl]

Hey, I'm not offended. I just sensed something I guess. But it's okay. One time my friend said his mom went to his grandmas and wouldn't eat the soup. Grandma was so upset, she took it very personally. But his mom said, "Look mom, I love you, I just hate your soup." I guess that says it all.