Orange County: Depressingly BORING (Anaheim, Merced: construction, inspection, income)

[fashionablecowboy]

You mean OC didn't provide you with the simulation, stress, crowded public transit, and terrible parking you needed!

Go back to Zoo Yawk.

[Angel Bear]

If you're bored, there's lots of fun things to do that are within an hour of driving

The mountains, ocean, and nature are all that I need to make my heart sing

OC is a lovely place with gorgeous, friendly people...I can't wait until we move!

[andrewfitz]

Let's not say all NYers are bad. Just like CA, not everyone is from LA or NYC. While I'm not a native NYer, I did live there most of my life, but we lived in farm country, where you didn't walk anywhere and there was _REALLY_ nothing to do. Then I go visit SF, and that's totally different. You really can't drive anywhere because there's no place to park, and there's actually people walking around! That was/is such a shocker to me, seeings how nobody "just walked around" where I came from.

It's in our nature to compare everything, but when we stop, and just take things for what they are, we can enjoy them. I bet if you spent more time focusing on what you CAN do to have fun, and how exciting OC is, rather than comparing it so much, you may find you might actually enjoy it, albeit in a different way. If not, then it's just not for you. No big deal.

[Sal Monella]

Originally Posted by andrewfitz

... I bet if you spent more time focusing on what you CAN do to have fun, and how exciting OC is, rather than comparing it so much, you may find you might actually enjoy it, albeit in a different way. If not, then it's just not for you. No big deal.

That's actually a conformist approach to the situation. And perhaps that would work fine if I was totally ignorant of the existence of other options. But I'm not. You're asking me to learn to accept & get by on the meager offerings available. There is very little -if indeed there is anything- one could consider exciting about OC.
You mention SF but that city is the only major urban area in CA that even comes close to the NYC lifestyle ..and precisely therein lies its attraction. The topic here is OC.

There's a saying about NYC that applies quite aptly here;

Other cities in this nation say, "This is what we have to offer". NYC asks, "What do you want?. It's ALL here".

[Angel Bear]

NYC asks, "What do you want?. It's ALL here".

But, what's the surfing like?

[dtran103]

It's not conforming. It's called adapting.

When I traveled to Vietnam last year, I didn't go there to complain to the vietnamese people about how I couldn't find a good slice of NY-style pizza, the lack of multiculturalism, how there are no skyscrapers or artists. You seem to be the type that would, but I'd like to think most of us would enjoy it for what it is, not for what it's not.

[Sal Monella]

In response to some comments, I'd like to say I'm not 'complaining' about OC. I'm simply comparing it to NYC based on the fact that I know both areas extremely well.

The major difference between the two goes way beyond "surfing, beaches, pizza" and other recreational activities. I'm trying to focus on the major cultural differences between the two.

For example, in CA the focus is on the body; its physical care and well-being. In fact, health-consciousness is practically an obsession here. Physical beauty is the parameter against which all other aspects are measured. No small wonder OC is the capital of breast enhancements, liposuctions, cosmetic surgeries, dental veneers and gym memberships. Tanning salons abound, as if 361 days of constant & withering sunshine did not suffice in order to achieve a year-round orange glow. The mind is considered only as an afterthought and even then only insofar as to its entertainment & recreational needs. No deep rivers of thought here, that's for sure.

And you'll notice this in some of the responses posted so far by native OC'ers. They'll talk about the beaches, the Anaheim Angels and of how the mountains are just 2 hours away. They'll mention the 'glorious' weather.
And that's because that's all it has.

Socializing & diversity. I guess that's perhaps what I miss most about NYC. The ability to meet & engage in meaningful conversations with people who are sufficiently cultured and world-wise enough to discuss a broad range of topics. I was at a Greenwich Village cybercafe a few months ago and noticed the clerk had copy of Sun Tzu's Art of War. I asked him if he had read it (I hadn't yet) and what he thought the practical applications of it were in daily living. We talked about it animatedly for about 15 minutes and I walked away feeling enriched and broadened. Short, interesting exchanges like this example are the norm in NYC.

In CA, with over 8 tears of residency, I have not had one single similar exchange with anyone. Ever. Not that I haven't tried. But the sad fact is people in OC seem to lack the intellectual references that allow such conversations in the first place.

Also, wherever I go in OC, I constantly overhear references to NYC or people mentioning the city. On the other hand I have never overheard anyone in NYC talking about or even mentioning OC.

I'm just posting this for the benefit of other NY'ers who may have a faulty perception of what life is like here in OC or even CA in general. I myself believe life is a one-way trip meant to be lived to the fullest. Although OC is extremely clean, organized and beautiful, it suffers from a bone-numbing lack of cultural & social development.

I'm outta here.

[Mel2882]

First let me say that I love New York, I really do...more than OC. But people mention things we have here in OC that don't exist in New York, and all of the sudden, "those things don't matter." I guess I just don't get the point of complaining about OC...that will not change it. I have a friend who moved to OC from New York, and you know what? He loved it. He loved the fact that it's not as busy, there is not as much crime, etc. Some people prefer that, and to them, it's relaxing, not boring. I wouldn't go to South Dakota and start complaining that there is no beach or nightlife...it's not the same place. OC is not New York, and I don't know many people who would assume it is.

[5FLgirls]

Originally Posted by Sal Monella;848059 Socializing & diversity. I guess [I

that's[/i] perhaps what I miss most about NYC. The ability to meet & engage in meaningful conversations with people who are sufficiently cultured and world-wise enough to discuss a broad range of topics. I was at a Greenwich Village cybercafe a few months ago and noticed the clerk had copy of Sun Tzu's Art of War. I asked him if he had read it (I hadn't yet) and what he thought the practical applications of it were in daily living. We talked about it animatedly for about 15 minutes and I walked away feeling enriched and broadened. Short, interesting exchanges like this example are the norm in NYC.

In CA, with over 8 tears of residency, I have not had one single similar exchange with anyone. Ever. Not that I haven't tried. But the sad fact is people in OC seem to lack the intellectual references that allow such conversations in the first place.

Good Luck in your next endeavor. OC is definitely not for you. My husband reads many non-fiction obscure books and he always manages to find people to talk with. You obviously haven't met the right people. You might consider going back to NYC for culture and intellectual pursuits and don't leave the confines. OC is not NY and you just can't compare the two without one coming out lacking. Some of the things you love about NYC, I actually can't stand. It's a personal preference and you definitely picked a topic that heats people up.

[dtran103]

Originally Posted by Mel2882

First let me say that I love New York, I really do...more than OC. But people mention things we have here in OC that don't exist in New York, and all of the sudden, "those things don't matter." I guess I just don't get the point of complaining about OC...that will not change it. I have a friend who moved to OC from New York, and you know what? He loved it. He loved the fact that it's not as busy, there is not as much crime, etc. Some people prefer that, and to them, it's relaxing, not boring. I wouldn't go to South Dakota and start complaining that there is no beach or nightlife...it's not the same place. OC is not New York, and I don't know many people who would assume it is.

And these diatribes about OC are so cliched and so lacking in actual thought. I love visting NYC as well, but there is a certain smugness and rudeness and sense of priviledge about their own position that certain "dyed in the wool" NY-ers have when visiting other cities.