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Well, I returned to SD with a bang, which is now but a whimper, as I'm in a bit of a pickle (always wanted to use that expression). After much debate about remaining in Denver for 4-mos longer & during winter (it snowed in the mountains the day I left), I bit the bullet & returned to SoCal on my own, in part, due to an unexpected & very nice job offer (I have the offer letter in my hot, little hands)... but, & it's a big but & another issue entirely to be addressed at a later date, the job fell through (I found out as I was on the road in AZ with UHaul trailer attached to my li'l SUV) & I've been in various hotels for almost 1-wk cruising CL, Padmapper, Hotpads, Rent.net, Apartments.com, Realtor.com rentals & 6 other resources to find a short-term rental (6-mos or less).
Most belongings are stuffed in a Carlsbad storage unit (the rest in my car... great $16 1st month deal for a small space) until I can figure out my next step (there's no room for me, or I'd stay squished atop my bags of clothing, sleeping in a circle like a Kitt'N)... I may just have a yard (or lot) sale & bag the whole lot, so watch for flyers in your 'hood!
So, the new car smell of hotel living is wearing thin & thinning out my wallet. Since SD is a huge place, I'm a bit ambivalent about signing a lease... who knows where I'll be working... it may be at the Target check-out closest to you! Really... I've got to scramble & get a job asap... but, that's issue 2 of 8. Ideally, I need a month-to-month or 3-6 month lease only & am running low on time, patience, aspirin & motivation to race all over the county looking at or calling about rentals. After yesterday in Little IT, where the broker (who was renting out his own flat) didn't show up, which was after 2 other people didn't show up for apt viewings... misadventures in a long line of them, I'll tell ya... I'm bloody well spent.
I've been bonce bashin' myself silly, online day & night to find accommodations, which don't cost my entire IRA just to have a parking space & laundry facility in the unit/bldg. I've also only had 1 experience with an Extended Stay America hotel, when I first moved to Denver & it was the filthiest hotel I'd ever seen (quite lovely online & from the outside of the bldg), but, the place was crawling with drug dealers & gnarly prostitutes, who could probably beat up my brothers (or massage therapists, as I believe they call themselves in their CL ads) with Smartphones, sitting like a long line of perched birds on outside stairs, sorting through their out-calls & being picked up & dropped off all day/night in the lot for 'dates'. And, this was in Greenwood Village, an upscale area!
So, please save the little blonde girl from another week of stress & bottle of aspirin & if you know of any clean, safe, not too pricey extended stay places or adobe huts/yurts/boats with a short-term lease, where I might rest my weary head safely & securely (sans addicts, dealers & working girls would be nice), I'd be most grateful. BTW, I don't care where it is in SD County, as long as it's safe & not so far out in the forest, the gaggles of cows block the Wi-Fi signals. I'm in Rancho Bernardo now (after Coronado, downtown, then Mission Bay hotels), about to check out & stay in Encinitas at a decidedly bottom-barrel hotel (although the online ratings are surprisingly good, hence taking the price drop plunge) for 3-nights for a whopping $170. If it's agreeable & decent (fingers crossed), I could stay there, week by week, but I thought I'd get the SD C-D crew involved, since I'm 1-wk in & short-term rentals have been a bear to find online.
Recommendations or suggestions of places? Best towns to look in from La Jolla to downtown to Poway & beyond? Hotel chains? Websites for short-term or mo-to-mo only? BTW, not interested in any sort of room/apt/house share with strangers from Roommates.com or CL Roommates Wanted (Yikes!)... so far, this adventure has been like a Marx Bros film & I did place a CL ad for a short-term lease, but took it down after 15-min & 3 I'll-leave-it-to-your-imagination offers.
Moderators, if this is in the wrong section, my apologies. Since it's SD specific & not particularly Classified-ish, I thought I'd list here.
Update 1, the Trials & Tribulations of Patanjali, Twist on the Road...
The subtitle should read, 'Jack Kerouac was Wack'. Who needs to be on the road???
Well, believe it or not, crisis averted... the $55/nt before taxes hotel aien't all that bad. Visually clean, smells clean, nice fresh linens (okay, probably not linen, but I'm impressed), spotless bathroom & everything else... what else could a traveling Patanjali want? Well, that will be another thread... I'm making my list... just finishing Vol. 1.
Would I want to live here? Ah, no. But, that's mainly due to the questionable character of the shirtless lads, who appear to need a good scrub-down, hanging out in the parking lot & around the bldg. Could I 1-wk at a time for 1-2 wks? Yea, sure. Age 19, I once slept in my teeny, tiny car at a petrol station overnight to fill up 1st thing in the morning (& I'm 5'10-11" in heels... folded up like a praying mantis, I was)... not because I like to be 1st in line for petrol but my wobbly, lime-green Fiat (yea, I'm 1st class all the way!) decided to finally run dry after midnight & hey, I was 19... how'd I know to watch out for steady, flashing or otherwise red lights?!!
I vividly recall the attendant's face when he very unceremoniously woke me at 5:30am by knuckling the driver's window with that judgmental, 'Can't read an idiot light, luv?', nonplussed fashion. 'No sir. Obviously, I cannot!'... haha.
Back to the hotel... it's actually better than 2 of the $150-180/nt hotels I stayed in during this past week. I'm normally a 4-5* girl... I began at 3* on this trip, thinking I could rough it. Well, now at 2*, I'm lucky to have found a very nice place... had Excellent reviews on Hotels.com, so I thought I'd give it a go. So, I can 2* it for a bit. Nothing wrong in a bargain & my retirement fund will thank me for it. I'm also supposed to be 1/2-mi from a very lovely beach. And, 2* are better than the 1* sleeping in a Fiat route.
Now... off to find an apt. I'm still open to recommendations on short term or mo-to-mo leases, if anyone has such knowledge or knows where best to search. Thanks again.
Tomorrow... Update 2, PatanjaliTwist & the Sorcerer's Stone... or something like that...
I feel ya. I am from Denver also and just came back yesterday from a weekend of apartment searching to come back empty handed. Hopefully I will find one online by end of this month and get there by December before the cold cold hits! Good luck and hope things work out!
oh wow! I'm a little bit jealous of the "biting the bullet" part but NOT of the job offer falling through WHAT!?
Have you checked AirBnb.com? hurry, check it. Lots of the places offer monthly rentals and they have some great deals, I usually put the pinger to less then $50 a day and see what comes up! Try it !!!! There are some nice ones in there I've considered for when my lease is up but I'm not yet sure where to go....even if just for fun.
For instance some people rent out their RV's and stuff....I've thought about just driving around with my laptop staying at different parks! anyway there are lots of options!
I feel ya. I am from Denver also and just came back yesterday from a weekend of apartment searching to come back empty handed. Hopefully I will find one online by end of this month and get there by December before the cold cold hits! Good luck and hope things work out!
Thank you Infatti. Good luck to you, as well. Apt hunting is my least favorite sport. Although, I maintain a sense of humor no matter what happens. Sometimes life is so bloody ridiculous... had my wallet stolen (a hotel employee found my driving license wedged behind their dryer in the basement... & nope, I didn't leave it in the room), lost a pile of cash I had in my pocket, because I had no wallet, wrong signs on the highway alerting to gas stations, when there were none, so I almost ran out of gas going up hills & pulling a trailer, lost 2 suitcases of clothing, somewhere (when I unpacked the trailer, they were just gone)... geesh, it's been a gnarly trip... still, it's hard not to burst out laughing in the midst of tearful woes. It always gets better & in fact, I'm tired, but feel fantastic & ready to take on a new day tomorrow. I'm determined to find a flat this week.
It's especially challenging when 2 are involved. The SO is a country boy (he liked Evergreen & Golden), who can live with horses, trees, going dog-sledding/snowshoeing at dusk (What The Hobbit!!! Being awake, let alone outdoors at dusk! Being in the snow... on purpose! Why???) & all things in a John Wayne movie. I'm fairly certain he has a secret desire to grow a long beard & whittle little animals from discarded deer antlers he uncovers in the forest.
Imho, trees take up valuable space where there could be another Starbucks location. Don't get nervous anyone... just Kidd'N! But, still... trees + all other growy things = allergies + monster sinus headaches to me, so I'm happy to safely breathe toxic inner-city air instead.
In which area are you looking, btw? I'm not from Denver, but lived there for 2-yrs... 1-yr in Greenwood Village (Promenade Place) & the last in Belmar, Lakewood (Parc Belmar). Are you looking at apts you don't like or are you not sure in which part of the city to look? I might be able to help a bit, but honestly, there are a few on that Denver board who know every part of the city... one is DreamingofHawaii (or something similar), who now lives in HI, another is a retired school teacher or chef (yea, they're similar... haha) & 1-2 are RE agents, but Denver folks seem to love their city & are fairly at-the-ready to help out. Just an FYI...
In Denver, we looked everywhere, based on our yin/yang nutbaggery, 'til I lost my mind & said I'd choose the apt halfway in-between city & suburbs. Never again... I need a big, filthy city in which to reside. I often say I feel like I'm home when I walk passed an alleyway & I get the simultaneous whiff of espresso wafting from a local coffee bar mingled with the unpleasant city smells (trying not to be graphic). Besides, I like all my crazy, wacky next-door neighbors & neighborhood crazies front & center where I can keep an eye on them.
BTW, how'd you make it all the way over here to the SoCal board? Maybe we can entice you to leave the snow & hit the beach!
oh wow! I'm a little bit jealous of the "biting the bullet" part but NOT of the job offer falling through WHAT!?
Hiya RGB... Nice to see you again. No kidding, I'm a bit thrown by the 'Guess what? We decided against keeping our office in SD, so yeah, we won't be needing you after all. Sorry for the inconvenience. Best wishes.' I initially thought it was a hoax. It's a good thing I was headed back this way anyway... but, this wasn't the way I'd expected to arrive... jobless & booted in the be-hind by a good, firm Doc Marten, steel toe. I'd certainly have planned better. It's just so odd, I let all the stress go today (everything ultimately leads to something better) & feel thankful I arrived safely & am spending the winter in SD. I've already squished Coronado Is. sand between my toes & am glad to be back.
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Have you checked AirBnb.com? hurry, check it. Lots of the places offer monthly rentals and they have some great deals, I usually put the pinger to less then $50 a day and see what comes up! Try it !!!! There are some nice ones in there I've considered for when my lease is up but I'm not yet sure where to go....even if just for fun. For instance some people rent out their RV's and stuff.
I haven't checked AirBnb specifically, but will, cheers. I know it's an included option with Padmapper, but I honestly don't think I have ever pulled up a listing from that site. Not sure I'm an RV in the yard dweller... haha... but, honestly, this little $55/nt hotel isn't bad (I'm completely surprised by it, but also feel it's a sign the tides have turned), so it is workable for a couple of weeks, if necessary. I think I'll be okay here, especially, once I find the beach 1/2-mi away & go tomorrow to walk. I'm just a bit too tired today from being frazzled for days. But, instead of being panicked, I've just resigned myself to the fact that I'm here, I'm glad to be back & I'll enjoy my days off 'til I find a rental, then hit the ground running to find a job, any job, just to tie me over.
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I've thought about just driving around with my laptop staying at different parks! anyway there are lots of options!
When I was younger, I might have found that fun. Or, perhaps if retired. But, I'm a cranky old woman now & just want to stay in a 5* hotel, have room service, sleep late & have the room next door to Geo Clooney! Not that I'd break into his room through the adjoining door or anything... I carry that screwdriver just in case I come across a chair that needs tightening.
Cheers for the tip. BTW, the SO (who is unexpectedly in Portland, OR for 2-mos with a family emergency, but helping me look from afar in his spare time) just texted that the apt I saw last week & passed on because it was too pricey to not include parking has dropped their rent by $200. I loved the flat & it's in the heart of Little IT, which I love, but the rent drop will allow me to attempt to secure a paid monthly parking space in the nearby area & will soften the inconvenience of no available on-site parking & a 1-yr lease.
I may also take a downtown live/work loft so I can do hair at home (I'm a licensed hairdresser with boatloads of extensive advanced education, although it's not my normal nerdy geekazoid profession), but perhaps I could do that to get me started with a PT job whilst I'm interviewing. Also, I wouldn't be so frantic to sign a 1-yr lease.
Also, found a few rentals in La Jolla, which is where I'd really wanted to live, if not downtown. Lots of options opening up... I wasn't successful at all for an entire week & was getting rather frustrated & frantic. I began spreading my search further & further 'til I figured I might be living in the Mohave Dessert in a shack I pieced together out of cactus, gum & empty beer bottles.
Thanks again, RGB. I'll let you know how I make out with AirBnb.
well it's not all RV's and boats (though I did stay on a sail boat in OC when visiting and looking at apartments)
There really are some decent places for a good deal if you choose the monthly option. But sometimes a hotel is a better option if you don't want to really deal with the "human factor" I like to look for rentals that are not shared which usually ups the price a bit.
If you really want the five star experience but want to be close enough to SD for job interviews I'd check out Las Vegas! I was just there last week and didn't spend more than $30 a night! Just a thought for when the little hotel gets more annoying
Well, for inexpensive hotels, you almost always do better financially by staying inland, i.e. Escondido, especially on weekends.
Extended Stay Carlsbad used to be the best of that bunch, but I'm sure the rates have gone up....probably way up.
Sorry you didn't get the job as originally planned. Been down that road too, but hopefully you find something even better and soon.
well it's not all RV's and boats (though I did stay on a sail boat in OC when visiting and looking at apartments)
Hiya RGB... Oh, yes, I understand. I was just joking about some of the odd dwellings people offer for rent. On CL last evening, I came across someone trying to rent an RV he keeps parked in his front yard. I believe the rent was $250/mo & I'm sure someone will take him up on it, sooner or later. I did wonder, however, if that's legal to have a rental in one's front yard?
Interesting choices some make. I've had relatives, who liked to live away from civilization as much as possible, in a cabin in the middle of the woods, shunning all technology & even indoor running water, in some cases. Not in the creepy Ted Kaczynski kind of way, but they just enjoyed nature, quiet, hunting, fishing & freedom from distractions. I once met a very successful man, who liked to live on a houseboat in Boston Bay. And, years ago, I heard that people rented out tent space to students in their backyards in SoCal... or sometimes tool sheds for $1K/mo.
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There really are some decent places for a good deal if you choose the monthly option. But sometimes a hotel is a better option if you don't want to really deal with the "human factor" I like to look for rentals that are not shared which usually ups the price a bit.
I checked out AirBnb & it's got some very cute, funky choices, from hostels to a room in a home. Some are very interesting spaces, but like you, I'm a loner when it comes to living environment, particularly if strangers are involved & further, I'm definitely not the wash 'n wear type. You'll never find me camping & sleeping on the ground unless my house has burnt to the ground. In fact, my packing is so skewed... I have a few bags with gowns & heels in my car... can't find the sneakers & shorts, however. Would be far more useful at the beach, at the moment. I'll try not to get sand in the tiara & matching wand.
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If you really want the five star experience but want to be close enough to SD for job interviews I'd check out Las Vegas! I was just there last week and didn't spend more than $30 a night! Just a thought for when the little hotel gets more annoying
Sounds good, hope you had a good time! But, honestly, 250-mi more of driving will make me lose my bloody mind. I'm about to sell my car & never drive again. I had younger friends in SD who liked to go to Vegas for weekends about once/mo. There'd be 4 of them stuffed into someone's apt/condo, which I always found strange, since they all made over $100K, yet they used a site called CouchSurfing to stay for free. That discomfort of sleeping on a floor in a sleeping bag to save a few $$ just doesn't make sense to me, although I suppose each of us has a different comfort level... mine isn't that flexible, I'm afraid. Besides, Burger King might want me to start early, then I'd have to take my gold slots & drive 250-mi to p/u my uniform.
Cheers again for your help. This place is really better than expected & an example that although like searching for a needle in a haystack, sometimes one does get more than what one pays for. I think I'll manage here fine & I'm sure I'll have something in 1-2 wk's max. If not, on your next jaunt into the dessert, can you swing by & drop me off in Vegas?!
Well, for inexpensive hotels, you almost always do better financially by staying inland, i.e. Escondido, especially on weekends. Extended Stay Carlsbad used to be the best of that bunch, but I'm sure the rates have gone up....probably way up.
Hiya Snort... Yes, I understand. I'll check ESC online for future reference, thank you. That's why I was in Rancho Bernardo for 3-days. Plus, I thought it would give me a chance to relax in peace away from the city and/or see if I might like to live further out in SD County... but, I'm a city girl.
Strangely, I did find this nice hotel I'm currently in for $55/nt (I'm really impressed... those Hotel.com reviews didn't steer me wrong), which I discussed above in a couple of posts, just 1/2-mi from the ocean in Encinitas. I think I can manage here for 1-2 wks, if necessary, but I'm hopeful that finding a flat won't take that long. I've got to sleep on it, because my next step is to decide if I should take short-term since I don't yet have a job or just get a downtown apt on a 1-yr lease. I know I'll get a decent job. I just have no idea in which part of the county it will be & would like to avoid an unbearable commute. Oh, well, if that's the least of my worries, I'll be just fine.
And, you're exactly right. It's amazing that on my way out here, I stayed at well known hotels for $160/night that were just as nice as this little place... the only advantage was the rooms were larger.
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Sorry you didn't get the job as originally planned. Been down that road too, but hopefully you find something even better and soon.
Oh, thank you. I won't dwell on it, but it is unfortunate. The company decided to pull the plug on their office here & bring their work back to the main Denver office. Bummer, since I was just in Denver & would have stayed a few months longer with a job offer... I gave notice & moved here... too late to get the old job back, too.
You're right... something bigger & better is available now... I just need to come across it, which I know will be soon. Maybe the old 'almost' job had to be stripped away so I'd find the next new one... otherwise, I wouldn't have been looking for it & may have missed it. Or, maybe people are just bloody nutters!
Thanks again!
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After much debate about remaining in Denver for 4-mos longer & during winter (it snowed in the mountains the day I left), I bit the bullet & returned to SoCal on my own, in part, due to an unexpected & very nice job offer (I have the offer letter in my hot, little hands)... but, & it's a big but & another issue entirely to be addressed at a later date, the job fell through (I found out as I was on the road in AZ with UHaul trailer attached to my li'l SUV) & I've been in various hotels for almost 1-wk cruising CL, Padmapper, Hotpads, Rent.net, Apartments.com, Realtor.com rentals & 6 other resources to find a short-term rental (6-mos or less).
Really... I've got to scramble & get a job asap... but, that's issue 2 of 8. Ideally, I need a month-to-month or 3-6 month lease only & am running low on time, patience, aspirin & motivation to race all over the county looking at or calling about rentals. After yesterday in Little IT, where the broker (who was renting out his own flat) didn't show up, which was after 2 other people didn't show up for apt viewings... misadventures in a long line of them, I'll tell ya... I'm bloody well spent.
I'm in Rancho Bernardo now (after Coronado, downtown, then Mission Bay hotels), about to check out & stay in Encinitas at a decidedly bottom-barrel hotel (although the online ratings are surprisingly good, hence taking the price drop plunge) for 3-nights for a whopping $170. If it's agreeable & decent (fingers crossed), I could stay there, week by week, but I thought I'd get the SD C-D crew involved, since I'm 1-wk in & short-term rentals have been a bear to find online.
Update 1, the Trials & Tribulations of Patanjali, Twist on the Road...
Although, I maintain a sense of humor no matter what happens. Sometimes life is so bloody ridiculous... had my wallet stolen (a hotel employee found my driving license wedged behind their dryer in the basement... & nope, I didn't leave it in the room), lost a pile of cash I had in my pocket, because I had no wallet, wrong signs on the highway alerting to gas stations, when there were none, so I almost ran out of gas going up hills & pulling a trailer, lost 2 suitcases of clothing, somewhere (when I unpacked the trailer, they were just gone)... geesh, it's been a gnarly trip... still, it's hard not to burst out laughing in the midst of tearful woes. It always gets better & in fact, I'm tired, but feel fantastic & ready to take on a new day tomorrow. I'm determined to find a flat this week.
I'd certainly have planned better. It's just so odd, I let all the stress go today (everything ultimately leads to something better) & feel thankful I arrived safely & am spending the winter in SD. I've already squished Coronado Is. sand between my toes & am glad to be back. 
