America's finest city? A take from an educated East Coaster. (Los Angeles: middle-class, condo)

[Ragnar]

Originally Posted by Jenkay

Someone find this guy a tinfoil hat..

What happens with a tinfoil hat? Why not one made of newspaper?

[djxpress]

Originally Posted by onechase

I'm not asking for anyone to agree with me. I'm writing this maybe to help out some others who might be on the fence about coming here from the East, L.A. or Northern California. I wish I had been able to know all of this; I would not have come here in the first place.

An excellent post.

If only you'd read some of my past posts about San Diego and the low-class, paycheck to paycheck mentality (not everyone of course!) along with the utter lack of a good nightlife, maybe you wouldn't have gotten yourself into this predicament. But alas, what's done is done.

San Diego is like heaven for the heart but purgatory for the soul. It is very hard to succeed here, meet wonderful friends here, thrive here...unless you have an established network of family and friends in the area.

The sun & toned meatheads/90 lb. bimbos gets real old, real quick.

As far as the art scene, I can't really comment, but Balboa Park does have a thriving community of artist. And I always hear about the La Jolla Playhouse, so they must be pretty good. And the San Diego Symphony is awesome.

[Gentoo]

Originally Posted by djxpress

An excellent post.

If only you'd read some of my past posts about San Diego and the low-class, paycheck to paycheck mentality (not everyone of course!) along with the utter lack of a good nightlife, maybe you wouldn't have gotten yourself into this predicament. But alas, what's done is done.

San Diego is like heaven for the heart but purgatory for the soul. It is very hard to succeed here, meet wonderful friends here, thrive here...unless you have an established network of family and friends in the area.

The sun & toned meatheads/90 lb. bimbos gets real old, real quick.

As far as the art scene, I can't really comment, but Balboa Park does have a thriving community of artist. And I always hear about the La Jolla Playhouse, so they must be pretty good. And the San Diego Symphony is awesome.

But greatly under appreciated hence it almost going bankrupt a few times.

[hitman619]

If you don't like San Diego
do like Michale Jackson and "Beat It"

As much as you don't like it here,we don't want you here!
Take that crazy dude talking about "Hamas is training in TJ with you"

[SD_Harley]

Are there really that many people with a stick up their @#$&? I guess you are as important as you need yourself to be. What a thread.

I like SD just the way it is.

[Lakewooder]

Originally Posted by onechase

most of San Diego is decidedly lower middle class..

Is this Veda Pierce posting?

[T. Damon]

Originally Posted by djxpress

An excellent post.

If only you'd read some of my past posts about San Diego and the low-class, paycheck to paycheck mentality (not everyone of course!) along with the utter lack of a good nightlife, maybe you wouldn't have gotten yourself into this predicament. But alas, what's done is done.

San Diego is like heaven for the heart but purgatory for the soul. It is very hard to succeed here, meet wonderful friends here, thrive here...unless you have an established network of family and friends in the area.

The sun & toned meatheads/90 lb. bimbos gets real old, real quick.

As far as the art scene, I can't really comment, but Balboa Park does have a thriving community of artist. And I always hear about the La Jolla Playhouse, so they must be pretty good. And the San Diego Symphony is awesome.

Why everybody is so focused on the 1000s of people that you would never want to be around and so don't have to be, events and places and attitudes you wish to avoid and so generally can, instead of just finding the best part of the city and folks that works for you and then take the time and energy to support it baffles me .

San Diego is full of so much culture and brilliant, inspiring, clever, warm and funny folks I am only blessed to experience just a slice of it but I sure as hell seek them out everyday of my life. The fact there might be 500,000 folks that I may have nothing in common with here affects me about zilch.

Don't say that there are not intellectual people here and inspiring cultural events if you refuse to go to places where interesting, like-minded people would also be.
How many of you went to this? TEQUILA!
this was an artistically rich event with poets and academics from Mexico and tequilla tasting, appetizers and fantastic mariachi band afterwards- it was a hoot! I'm going to this stuff all the time-lectures, plays, museums, opera, symphony, ballet, neighborhood events- garden, architecture tours- and this is just when I have to take a break from all my great friends and neighbors entertaining and hanging out together constantly- by choice.

This sort of stuff might understandably bore the crap out of many here and many others might not have the resources or time to partake even if they were interested, but don't give me a load of bull that there are not the same levels of social stratification and varied pockets of cultural, intellectual and artistic diversity in this city that every other city has.

[shmoov_groovzsd]

Originally Posted by T. Damon

but don't give me a load of bull that there are not the same levels of social stratification and varied pockets of cultural, intellectual and artistic diversity in this city that every other city has.

T. Damon,
the OP went on the record as saying that he was 'educated' not 'intelligent'.

No offense of course...just sayin.

[T. Damon]

Originally Posted by shmoov_groovzsd

T. Damon,
the OP went on the record as saying that he was 'educated' not 'intelligent'.

No offense of course...just sayin.

Haha!

[18Montclair]

Originally Posted by onechase

I realize that many of you will disagree with this post, and I'm not looking really to convince you. I'm writing from the perspective of a single, early 30s educated professional.

I moved to San Diego about 19 months ago. I can't argue that the weather isn't spectacular or that there aren't plenty of very pretty views. In fact, when people ask me how I like living here, I always reply that San Diego is lovely. It really is.

But almost 2 years into living here, I am ready to leave. Culturally San Diego is a world apart even from Los Angeles and Orange County. Though there are islands of professional communities mostly in and around La Jolla, and plenty of idle rich in Del Mar and Rancho Santa Fe, most of San Diego is decidedly lower middle class. You can see it in the proliferation of Ford F150s, the very strong military element (as a % of the population, no U.S. urban area has more military connected people than San Diego-- and that's including D.C. Metro), the local obsession with dive bars, and the general lack of sophistication. You will find few people here who are interested in the world and who emphasize the values of education and hard work. They call this "laid back", which I thought meant relaxed, but really means uninterested. You will not find much in the way of cultural organizations around politics, art and culture and when you do you will find they cater to a much, much older crowd. You will meet a lot of locals who've rarely left California. For those coming from bigger cities, this will be a big culture shock.

Not to put too fine a point on it: San Diego totally lacks the sophistication of Los Angeles and other larger cities, but its prices are just as high. Take restaurants for example. I continue to be very surprised at the consistency with which San Diego restaurants offer below average food, below average service and high prices. In all sincerity, I am floored that so many San Diego restaurants can charge $30-40 for entrees-- in San Francisco and New York this means you're probably getting an excellent meal and being treated like a valued guest. With just a few exceptions, in San Diego it means average food and indifferent service. It's not that I need to be eating fancy meals all the time, but when I spend $140 for dinner for 2, I really hate feeling like I've been ripped off. I travel frequently for work-- East Coast, Chicago, Atlanta, SF, Nashville, Seattle-- and I've never experienced so many servers who feel that they are entitled to 20% gratuities or better just for showing up and restaurants that really don't give a damn whether you liked your meal or not.

Nightlife is a huge weakness if you're single. The under 25 set will find Pacific Beach and the Gaslamp to be all they hoped and dreamed, full of drunk, barely clothed hardbodies. There is about a 90% chance of witnessing a bar fight on a weekend night in either of these neighborhoods and I am not exaggerating. People here call it the "bro" element. I'm sure you can find bar fights in almost any city, but frankly I am stunned how often I see it here. There really aren't any good after work bars or lounges. Forget entirely about the self-consciously trendy places that are playing out fads that bigger cities found and digested 4-5 years ago (i.e. the speakeasy craze... hello San Diego, you're 5 years late to the party, so you can't be all that cool.) Because the human geography here is not very urban-- lots of 6 lane arterials, condominiums and strip malls-- it's not like you're meeting people on the street, either.

I'm not asking for anyone to agree with me. I'm writing this maybe to help out some others who might be on the fence about coming here from the East, L.A. or Northern California. I wish I had been able to know all of this; I would not have come here in the first place.

Dahhliing...why arent you up here in SF?


Sorry. Couldnt resist.