Thinking of moving to San Diego (from Atlanta) (Oceanside, Carlsbad: real estate, rentals)

[PeachtreeCornersMike]

Originally Posted by sdlife619

Isn't ATL more rural compared to SD? I knew a friend that lived in ATL for 2 years, but he's originally from Orange County, and he told me that Atlanta felt very "Country" and rural compared to cities in California.

You have the core of downtown of Atlanta which he said is very urban, but anywhere outside that zone (suburbs) is basically wilderness.

I don't know what the nightlife is in ATL, but if I know here in SD, the Gaslamp can get insanely packed on certain weekends. Come summer it will become more intense!

No, I wouldn't call it rural. The suburbs are pretty suburban looking. There aren't any farms or anything. I could see how it would look like wilderness though to someone not used to how much tree-coverage there is.

[DirtMagurt]

I was just going to say that somebody from Southern California might have thought that because of all the foliage, if they're not accustomed to it. ATL is massive. You have to drive a loooong way to get out in the country.

[PeachtreeCornersMike]

Originally Posted by ickingfudiot

No worries, I can clarify. The general mood is definitely "carefree and chill" as you mention and most people are pretty easy to talk to (though I can't vouch for super drunk bros at 2AM in PB...). It's not all HS dropouts. But there's definitely more a presence of people who are just coasting for awhile. It's a sensitive subject so I don't exactly ask a lot of the people I meet "what's your career plan?" or "did you go to college?" but I meet a lot more people in their mid 20s working at Starbucks or somewhere like it who might go back to school "some day", that kind of thing.

It doesn't mean they aren't smart and you can't relate to them, it's just a different mindset - I feel like back east you're expected to either be going to college or pursuing a job in your chosen field. People that aren't are looked at differently, you don't see many people just "coasting" I guess? I found it easy in NC/GA to relate to people based on their life plan, what they were passionate about, what their career was, and how world news or things around us tied into that. When your new buddy works at Starbucks with no real career plan, he's still your buddy and you can bond over experiences and entertainment and sports and whatnot, but he might not be able to give you a lot of insight on your job troubles or broaden your horizons professionally or make you think about something in an interesting new way, if that makes sense?

That completely makes sense. I had some friends like that in college, but you are right on - in the east there is a definite stigma to "coasting". I guess because unlike out west, where there is ski bums and surf bumbs, not sure what you would do in the east.

But I am totally fine with that, since it's only for a year. Actually, that may be a plus, since I want to change it up. I just had in my mind the people who dropped out here in Atlanta, and I thought of rednecks, haha. Thanks for clearing that up though.

25 is definitely not too old - I've known guys well into their 30s that still go out to places in PB and live that lifestyle. Once you're that age doing it people might judge you a little (haha) but it's doable. I don't frequent PB (I live in University Heights near North Park) and tend to prefer more laid back places - in my area I like Toronado, Bar Pink, and Hamilton's a lot for reference. They tend to be more neighborhoody beer/food bars where you can have a conversation with your friends on a Saturday - it gets busy but no blaring music, etc. But PB can be fun with the right crowd and is a great place to meet 20-25 year olds when you're new.

I think I was struggling with the whole concept of PB. It must be different in SD where the college party district is mixed in, instead of its own seperate district. That is pretty cool! I think PB is where I want to focus on if I visit.

Sadly, NO!!!! It's horrible. Nobody serves it. The initial core of my company moved here together from NC and we used to devour Queso from Moe's or cheap Mexican sit down joints and we still feel the withdrawal sometimes...

Ah!! WTF!!! I don't know what I am going to do about this. Maybe I can bring some in my suitcase or something.

Definitely. I really like it, I've met some great people, and the weather changes your routine in ways somewhere like Austin never will. Any given weekend I have no excuse not to be outside doing something fun. In Atlanta I dreaded going outside a lot of the year - it was either cold or wayyyy too hot and humid.

Yeah, the weather really must make a difference.

It's definitely a good change of pace from Atlanta and you can hit the town and the beach and have a great time. I just know I've had friends who were a lot more attracted to places like SF or Austin due to the greater focus on careers, networking, general diversity, and the arts in general (SD isn't exactly a mecca for fine arts since everybody's outside being active I guess)

At this point, I am not really worried about career (since I won't even be starting mine until I move back to ATL), networking, diversity, or the arts. I am more focused on change, good nightlife, and good weather!

Thanks for your post! it was very helpful.

[PeachtreeCornersMike]

Originally Posted by DirtMagurt

I lived in Buckhead for a couple years and I think the closest neighborhood for the sake of comparison might be Little Italy. Gaslamp reminds me of Midtown and from what I saw of North Park, South Park and Kensington reminds me a lot of Virgina Highlands.

Little Italy? That's interesting and not what I was expecting. In what terms are they similar?

Also, does PB have an equivalent?

Jmo, but I think a southerner would be quite comfortable with the general attitude and pace of life in Southern California. I think you'll find that people in SD are much less formal than people in the south. I hesitate to call them less well-dressed but much like most of the midwest, you don't have a prevalent "preppy" culture with the polo shirts and the pressed khakis, etc. that you see more of in the South. There is a certain laid-back sensibility I felt living in ATL that is much like what you find in Southern California, as opposed to say, NY or DC.

I guess that's good, although I was hoping to change it up a bit from the South. Besides the laid-back attitude, SoCal has it's own distinct vibe that would be hard to duplicate in ATL, right?

[PeachtreeCornersMike]

Originally Posted by love4travel86

Here's a few vids for you to check out Mike - I think you'll get a better feel for SD after watching:


YouTube - ‪Boudoir San Diego Night Club - Video 2‬‏ - this is a new club in downtown. watch from 45 seconds in if you want to see some crowd shots of the type of people in there.


YouTube - ‪Warm Weather in San Diego‬‏ - this vid in my opinion - accurately depicts the sort of lifestyle SD has that i love (the non-partying side of it!)

in the summertime, a few bars downtown do pool parties - here is Hard Rock's "intervention" party

YouTube - ‪Kaskade at Intervention - Hard Rock Hotel San Diego - Angel On My Shoulder‬‏

Thanks love4travel. Those look a lot more like the type of places and people I had pictured when I thought of SD.

It's just a fun place to live in general. Any plans to fly out here for a visit?

Well, I need to first do more online research, but I have been doing a lot of research on SD and it looks like it will have some staying power. I plan to narrow it down to 2 cities, then use the visits to make my final choice.

Planning a big move like this is really exciting though. I would love to hear how you made the move from Boston, any advice about it, etc.

[DirtMagurt]

Originally Posted by PeachtreeCornersMike

Little Italy? That's interesting and not what I was expecting. In what terms are they similar?

Nighlife and the demographic that you see out on the town was my main thought there. Lower key than the nightlife in Gaslamp, which I would liken more to midtown from what I can recall of it.

Also, does PB have an equivalent?

Somebody else mentioned Athens and I agree with that completely. Really isn't much in ATL like PB.

I guess that's good, although I was hoping to change it up a bit from the South. Besides the laid-back attitude, SoCal has it's own distinct vibe that would be hard to duplicate in ATL, right?

I simply meant that the pace of life would translate pretty well one from the other. Culturally they really aren't at all alike. Heavy traffic everywhere, car-based culture in most areas, but people don't have that rushed aura about them that you get on the northeast seaboard.

[PeachtreeCornersMike]

Originally Posted by DirtMagurt

Nighlife and the demographic that you see out on the town was my main thought there. Lower key than the nightlife in Gaslamp, which I would liken more to midtown from what I can recall of it.

Oh, I got ya. I thought you were referring to shopping and that type of stuff. Yes, Buckhead is definitely more low-key than Midtown.

I simply meant that the pace of life would translate pretty well one from the other. Culturally they really aren't at all alike. Heavy traffic everywhere, car-based culture in most areas, but people don't have that rushed aura about them that you get on the northeast seaboard.

I see what you mean. They are both slow-paced.

But this is exactly why I need to get out of Atlanta. I can say, "Oh yeah, Atlanta is slow-paced", but I really have no idea since I have never lived in another major city. It's crazy!

Anyway, I am rambling. Thanks for your post!

[DirtMagurt]

Now shopping and that stuff, I would think you have to equate Buckhead with something like La Jolla but if it contained Fashion Valley. So the mid-sized mall with Tiffany, Gucci, etc.

In terms of homes and lot sizes, Buckhead is basically Rancho Sante Fe.

[Galounger]

Originally Posted by love4travel86

Here's a few vids for you to check out Mike - I think you'll get a better feel for SD after watching:


YouTube - ‪Boudoir San Diego Night Club - Video 2‬‏ - this is a new club in downtown. watch from 45 seconds in if you want to see some crowd shots of the type of people in there.


YouTube - ‪Warm Weather in San Diego‬‏ - this vid in my opinion - accurately depicts the sort of lifestyle SD has that i love (the non-partying side of it!)

in the summertime, a few bars downtown do pool parties - here is Hard Rock's "intervention" party

YouTube - ‪Kaskade at Intervention - Hard Rock Hotel San Diego - Angel On My Shoulder‬‏

It's just a fun place to live in general. Any plans to fly out here for a visit?

Hmmm. After looking at the videos the whole thing strikes me of Spring Break in Florida. You know the whole Daytona Beach, Panama City, Orlando, Ft Laudedale thing. Is that sorta what the nightlife/party scene like only with drier weather, mountains and colder water?

[odannyboi]

Originally Posted by PeachtreeCornersMike

Thanks love4travel. Those look a lot more like the type of places and people I had pictured when I thought of SD.

I dunno, the people in the 1st and 3rd videos look like douchebags... except for that magician, he was cool.