Is Los Angeles Magical? (San Diego, Long Beach: lease, movers, condo)

[EscapeCalifornia]

Originally Posted by Userdavey

So according to you, there are no pros. The weather, diversity, food, culture, entertainment, beaches, and palm trees just aren't good enough? I'm just sayin....

weather - yep its nice and mild. I wish it rained more though. Living somewhere with weather will take a lot of adjustment, I know.
diversity - its overrated when you can't talk to half the people around you
food - yep, lots of good food here. I'll miss it for sure.
entertainment - I really don't take advantage of it much so I won't miss it
beaches - haven't been in years
palm trees - I've never really cared for them except for the Canary Island Palms. But I'll miss In N Out 100x more than palm trees.

[goodgirl49]

Do your wife and kids want to move to LA as much as you do? I think where you are is probably a better place to raise children (though conservative). Also the economy is very bad right now in LA and the state budget is in terrible shape. They are predicting a considerable number of teacher layoffs in the fall, which would result in larger class sizes across the board. I've lived in the San Fernando Valley of LA now for 30 years, and if I didn't have to move here for family reasons, I don't think I'd move here. There are other places to go which have decent weather.

[nmnita]

Originally Posted by EscapeCalifornia

Spend 10 years fighting the traffic and congestion and high cost of living and tell me it doesn't matter. You've made a few trips to LA and think its a paradise. This is why there's so many people here. They make a trip in January when its cold and icy back home, move here without knowing what the day to day reality is like, then turn into one of those miserable people TheRealAngelion wrote about. You moving to LA for the palm trees and billboards and saying that none of the bad stuff matters would be like me moving to Colorado Springs and saying the icy roads, no ocean (if I were a beach person), no freeways, lack of ethnic restaurants, etc are completely irrelevant as long as I can see Pike's Peak.

and don't forget the great pics on TV during the Rose Parade and game. It seems to be as clear as a bell: best time of the year plus great filtering system on those cameras.

Nita

[Userdavey]

My wife is more realistic and less passionate about moving, but she lived in San Diego with the kids for 6 years and she misses the beach a little. Yes, the kids love it out there. Of course they're just kids.

I have a question too. Everyone says that their commute is 2 hours. WTF? In bad traffic it took a little less than that to get from Disneyland to the Getty Center. Do people really commute that far? Surely you could work within a half hour's drive. My commute here in the Springs is 30 minutes by the way.

Also...how much does the subway help?

[buckeyenative01]

Originally Posted by Userdavey

I have a question too. Everyone says that their commute is 2 hours. WTF? In bad traffic it took a little less than that to get from Disneyland to the Getty Center. Do people really commute that far? Surely you could work within a half hour's drive. My commute here in the Springs is 30 minutes by the way.

Most people try to live relatively close to where they work, but that's ridiculously hard if your office is in West LA and you can't afford to live there with your family. Hence the awful traffic.

Originally Posted by Userdavey

Also...how much does the subway help?

Only if your place of business is near one of the stops. For as big as Los Angeles is, the rail service is abysmal.

[ZenMaster2008]

My commute is 30 minutes each way by foot

5 minutes if I drive!

[Userdavey]

Originally Posted by ZenMaster2008

My commute is 30 minutes each way by foot

5 minutes if I drive!

So is traffic ever a problem? I mean a serious problem like it seems to be for everyone? What are the cons there? What are the pros?

[ZenMaster2008]

Originally Posted by Userdavey

So is traffic ever a problem? I mean a serious problem like it seems to be for everyone? What are the cons there? What are the pros?

Traffic is never a problem for me since I work 2 miles from where I live. That is the key to not dealing with traffic here. Like others have said though, if you work in west LA and can't afford to live there then yes, you will have to deal with crazy traffic.

Cons here for me is expensive apartments, smog, parking/traffic whenever I go outside of my area and crime in certain areas.

Pros are weather always sunny, no harsh winters, awesome food, nice scenery, close to beaches, mountains and deserts, plenty of entertainment options etc...

[Snort]

I really hope this thread inspires spinoffs. I can't wait for: "Is Gilroy Magical?", "Is El Cajon Magical?" and "Is Lompoc Magical?" These are going to test my writing skills.

[nmnita]

Originally Posted by Userdavey

My wife is more realistic and less passionate about moving, but she lived in San Diego with the kids for 6 years and she misses the beach a little. Yes, the kids love it out there. Of course they're just kids.

I have a question too. Everyone says that their commute is 2 hours. WTF? In bad traffic it took a little less than that to get from Disneyland to the Getty Center. Do people really commute that far? Surely you could work within a half hour's drive. My commute here in the Springs is 30 minutes by the way.

Also...how much does the subway help?

commute will depend on where you live and work? If you work in the city and live in the burbs, it can be awful, if you work in Pasa and live in say, ARcadia it is a snap...same if you live in Glendale and work in Burbank..As for most commutes being less than 30 minutes, probably not terribly likely..
Nita