What's San Diego like? (Los Angeles: lower-class, real estate, cheap apartment)

[rickers]

I used to ride a bicycle to and from work about 9 or 10 miles each way from by boat moored at the embarcadero to my job in the Barrio Logan. Taking the bus seemed to take longer But I never really timed it. I would rather get the exercise and not get exposed to all the coughing and sneezing that goes on in a bus.

[eastsandiegobornandraised]

Originally Posted by rickers

I used to ride a bicycle to and from work about 9 or 10 miles each way from by boat moored at the embarcadero to my job in the Barrio Logan. Taking the bus seemed to take longer But I never really timed it. I would rather get the exercise and not get exposed to all the coughing and sneezing that goes on in a bus.

You could of WALKED to barrio logan faster than the bus would of gotten there haha

[Sassberto]

Originally Posted by rickers

I used to ride a bicycle to and from work about 9 or 10 miles each way from by boat moored at the embarcadero to my job in the Barrio Logan. Taking the bus seemed to take longer But I never really timed it. I would rather get the exercise and not get exposed to all the coughing and sneezing that goes on in a bus.

Embarcadero to Barrio Logan is maybe a mile. 9 Miles from Embarcardero is past my house!

[rickers]

One time as I biked to work I was passing a very crowded bus stop when some homeless girl wearing a huge coat lunged toward me screaming "I hate you", just then she tripped and a whole bunch of shiny brass ware came pouring out of her coat ! I had no Idea who this person was but everyone at the but stop started giving me weird looks as though I was somehow involved with this woman's strange behaviour ! Very strange !

[rickers]

Sassberto you are absolutely right, I think I was meaning I rode the nine miles per day each way when I had the boat in the Commercial basin not the Embarcadero. I used to keep my boat all over, the rock n roll, marinas, guest docks at the Harbor police docks etc.
Here is a link to a picture of my old sailboat. I sure miss living on boats !

Picasa Web Albums - Rick - boat (broken link)

[CEO]

Originally Posted by rickers

One time as I biked to work I was passing a very crowded bus stop when some homeless girl wearing a huge coat lunged toward me screaming "I hate you", just then she tripped and a whole bunch of shiny brass ware came pouring out of her coat ! I had no Idea who this person was but everyone at the but stop started giving me weird looks as though I was somehow involved with this woman's strange behaviour ! Very strange !

Their are always weird and homeless people talking to you when riding the bus or even the trolley. I think the system is pretty good, takes me everywhere i need to go. although it might take a little time, its public transportation they have many stops. i've gotten used to it.

[SEAandATL]

Are there affordable neighborhoods near trolley stations? Depending on which station. The Orange Line runs through some poorer neighborhoods (poor for San Diego standards anyways)

How dangerous is the city? One of the safest cities in the United States per capita. Not sure how Germany's crime rate is, but San Diego still may have more crime than some Western European cities (but not much more).

How liberal/conservative is the san diego? (I consider myself left and wouldn't want to live in a deeply christian town): San Diego is generally conservative for California but you can still find liberal areas. There are many church goers per capita, but you won't be judged for not going to church or anything like that. If you stay closer to the beach cities or downtown, you'll be fine (avoid East County).

Is downtown nice and atmospheric or is a mixture between business skyscrapers and parking lots? As for downtown's appearance, I don't really care too much for it. The skyline looks kind of bland compared to other cities, and there's no real character to it. All the buildings are about the same height and all have the same blueish green color to them. Although there are some nice views of the San Diego skyline, like from Coronado across the bay. As for the atmosphere, it doesn't really feel like you're in a big city. It's really quiet.

What is the nightlife like? Descent, but not as exciting as New York City, L.A., or Las Vegas, etc. Last call is 1:30 a.m. and everyone leaves the bars/clubs at around 1:45.

I'm only 26 and single and not yet thinking about building a family, are there a lot of people my age which are fun and outgoing? Yeah, you'll find a lot of them

How good or bad is public transport in general? Not one of the best that's for sure. There is a trolley but it's limited to where you can go. The busses take forever to get where you need to go.

and whre are the nearest beaches, can they be reached by public transport? The trolley doesn't go anywhere by the beaches, so you'll have to take busses to get to them.

[leighland]

The trolleys are much cleaner and feel safer when the Padres are in town

[Beckie]

Hey Guys!!

I live in england, UK and i am thinking of relocating to the US in a couple of years i have researched some areas but i was wondering what life is like in san diego i will be 24 when i move hopefully, and i plan to stay there long term, and maybe raise a family there.. if anybody could help me that would be great!! i just need to know things like sosts of living, about schools etc and just a general insight on the area...

thx Beckie xx

[Flieger]

Just a question, Beckie, if I may...how will you actually become a permanent resident of U.S., that is, get Green Card and all that. Will you try find an employer to sponsor you? I ask because I am, just like you, young and currently a non-U.S. citizen (Swedish) with the same vision of sometime in the future relocating to U.S. and getting started there.

On topic: I've got another question to the rest of you lot regarding apartments in SD...in what neighbourhoods [generally] do you find cheap apartments to rent? What are the demographics like in SD? I know from the SD Wikipedia-article that the Latin American population is growing there, but what neighbourhoods are specifically Latin American? I really don't as a White man want to move into a neighbourhood which is primarily Latin American (or primarily anything), and I'm not being racist now, but I just don't want to "stick out". I want to blend in quickly and without any noise, so if there's a good mixture of people there, that'd be excellent. Thanks!