[Foxx]

Originally Posted by Stylo

It's different in areas like NYC and SF where, in order to get more affordable rents, a certain lifestyle, or purchase property, people of all pages commute further. They're also among the cities with the most opportunity. There's a reason they're so expensive, and why many will sacrifice time commuting.


Those are terrible, terrible examples in SoNo and NHV. Especially if your experience in NHV was on St. Patty's Day at Brother Jimmy's. Cringe. You said you wanted a city with 6-12 good bars in close distance. Let's see, in New Haven that's easy: Beer Collective, Barcade, 116 Crown, Firehouse 12, Ordinary, Cask Republic, Elm City Social, Anchor Spa, BAR, Geronimo's, Cafe Nine, Vanity, Barcelona, Owl Shop. There's 14 within easy proximity, most of which are pretty "upscale". I left out the dives, but the dives are divey in a good way, not in a Johnny Utah way. If you venture out the downtown core just a little, there's places like Rudy's, Three Sheets, Heirloom, Harvest, Anna Liffey's, etc. There's even more on Upper State Street, including some really nice wine bars. Lots of variety, all within safe walking distance.

SoNo is smaller, but it wouldn't be too hard to make a similar list.

Nothing against you wanting to move for better career opportunities, but your examples for both cities say that you have no clue about either area.


Again, that exists in CT. What you describe does exist in SF. Austin is much more lively. Austin/SF certainly have better job opportunities.


What he said. Both those bars are a joke to anyone that's got taste.

I replied to the other poster that answered some questions here. I am not super familiar with NH so I'll check out the spots you mentioned (I think I've been to maybe 3-4 of them)

When you say "lively" regarding Austin I think that's a big part of what I'm looking for. I hate winters in CT. It seems like everything pretty much dies from November-April. My friend even closed down his restaurant one winter because it's borderline not worth the profit margins during that time. In summer they can't staff enough workers to keep up.

Since I haven't traveled west I don't know how Austin/Denver/SF/Seattle etc compare. But the friends I've spoken with have really hyped them up to be in another league. For nightlife, scenery (apart from Austin), and generally just a wide variety of things going on year-round. Maybe that's all implied since they are larger cities with arguably better climates. I've always wished that's what Hartford could have been for CT.

[GeoffD]

Originally Posted by CTartist

I know, it was actually easier back then. The cost of living and houses/rent is so high in the San Francisco area you would need to have a job making tons of money to live there now.

That's been true for 40 years. Housing has always been really expensive in the stretch between San Francisco and San Jose. I've done a ton of business there. It's always been "you don't buy a nice house here with W-2 money". The market run-up over the last 5 years has been extreme but it's always been a costly market both for single family homes and for rental housing.

[Stylo]

Originally Posted by Foxx

When you say "lively" regarding Austin I think that's a big part of what I'm looking for. I hate winters in CT. It seems like everything pretty much dies from November-April. My friend even closed down his restaurant one winter because it's borderline not worth the profit margins during that time. In summer they can't staff enough workers to keep up.

That's true in some areas. The cities on the coast stay pretty active, especially NHV since it's a college town. It's just as busy, if not busier than summer.

If you hate winter that much and aren't into snowsports (skiing is how I tolerate winter), you should move. You may grow to tolerate winter in the future, but if it's bothering you that much it's a good reason to relocate. Who knows, maybe the heat in Austin will change your tastes. One benefit of SF is the always pleasant weather, though the fog can get old.

[Raider111]

Originally Posted by Foxx

The Westport example was extreme but I thought that was implied. Of course there are places in FFC (Norwalk for example) that are far far less. But I have also found reasonable housing costs in San Jose/Diego and even San Fran. My point was that they can be more comparable than some think.

Yeah, 1/2 the price in Norwalk and Stamford for a 1 bed and a closer commute. Go up to the far out never never regions of Fairfield and beyond and it's even cheaper. 4K for 1 bed in Westport doesn't make any sense unless you're a single parent sharing a bedroom with one kid and want to use the schools there.
Dont know about any Room 112 or Tableau, but Cask, Harlan Publick, and Washington Prime are fantastic. Go a hop skip and jump up to downtown New Canaan or over to donwtown Westport or Riverside Ave for more fantastic places.

[Stylo]

Originally Posted by Raider111

Yeah, 1/2 the price in Norwalk and Stamford for a 1 bed and a closer commute.

Will never get those prices in SF. Unless it's in a marginal area.

[Raider111]

Originally Posted by Stylo

Will never get those prices in SF. Unless it's in a marginal area.

yeah, no way.
Just saw an article the other day some small modest ranch house in Sunnyvale sold for $2.5M, 700K over asking, crazy.

[hvexpatinct]

Originally Posted by Foxx

I'll check out SoNo and NH more soon. The handful of times I've been down that way it just didn't do it for me. It wasn't just JU's or BJ's. For SoNo I think it was Room112 and one other on Washington I've been to. IIRC the layout in 112 sucked, super narrow and impossible to move. Haven't had a chance to go into Tablao but maybe that's a better spot. Didn't see much else over that way that looked interesting. I think there was a sports bar nearby we almost went to. For NH, the Barca there was ok, love Prime 16 for food and earlier in the night. I still need to check out BAR and some others

I do like some of the "dumb drunken college crowd" scene. I'm still mostly a kid and not too far removed from college. I don't go to the bar to have a drink for happy hour then head home. I typically get together with 4-6 friends, pre-game, play pong, Uber to downtown and have a good amount of drinks. I've found WH to be a great mix of loud/fun bars (Elbow Room, Bartaco) and upscale (Barca, Grant's). There's also some places that closer resemble BJ's/JU's like Mcladden's but I tend to prefer the former examples more.

I can see you not liking SoNo under any conditions, but give New Haven another chance. BAR is definitely more your scene

[JayCT]

Originally Posted by Raider111

The developers and City are doing a great job thinking forward and planning ahead for all that low income housing that will be needed in about 15 years.
Too bad the state wasn't as smart as Stamford was when they started building i95.

You did not answer my question. And the buildings in Harbor Point are hardly low income housing by any stretch. Not sure what you are saying about I-95 or what relevance it has to the topic. Jay

[Raider111]

Originally Posted by JayCT

You did not answer my question. And the buildings in Harbor Point are hardly low income housing by any stretch. Not sure what you are saying about I-95 or what relevance it has to the topic. Jay

Didn't say they were low income housing now, but they will be in 15 years. It's a prediction. Stamford is doing a wonderful job of planning and preparing for the future.

The horse's mouth = 2 millenial co-workers and one long time hometown friend who live in 3 new buildings down there right now. Rents have since dropped since they all moved in, not happy about that.

[JayCT]

Originally Posted by Raider111

Didn't say they were low income housing now, but they will be in 15 years. It's a prediction. Stamford is doing a wonderful job of planning and preparing for the future.

The horse's mouth = 2 millenial co-workers and one long time hometown friend who live in 3 new buildings down there right now. Rents have since dropped since they all moved in, not happy about that.

I highly doubt that they will be low income in 15 years, if ever. Rents may have come down but I doubt it was that much (if at all). Still does not mean they are empty. I just checked the rents in one of the buildings and they are pretty steep (starting at $1,900 for a studio). If that is a lower rent, I would hate to see what they were. Jay

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