How many of you actually hang out at the beach frequently? (San Diego: apartments, how much)

[icecoldlemonade]

I'm a little curious about this because access to the beach and general good outdoorsy weather are constantly cited as reasons people move to San Diego. And related, I've been wondering how much good weather really impacts your quality of life as we're debating our long-term goals (...because, SD is expensive).

A friend from the mid-West says that Californians, surprisingly, are always indoors. She thinks it is because the weather is great year round and we start to take it for granted. In her hometown, every single person would be out and about on beautiful days. After a few years of living here, she says she also adjusted and has just become a home-body, eager to avoid crowds and traffic.

Thinking about it, I absolutely take no advantage of living in SD. According to Google Maps, I live about 2 miles away from the beach. I...honestly can't remember the last time I went there. Maybe it was about 6 months ago when I brought some visiting friends to see "San Diego"? The weather certainly is nice but with work, commuting, and other responsibilities...I guess I don't really have much chance to enjoy it.

That being said, just not having blasts of snowy wind on my face while stepping out to run errands is awesome. There are no driveways to ice or homes to re-insulate. We can wear flip flops year round. No one gets SAD in the winter months due to endless grey.

Do you take advantage of San Diego's beach and weather? Do you think these things add up to a significant improvement in my quality of life?

[NYSD1995]

You missed a category...

I go every weekend in July, August, Sept

Then I don't go except for those warm weekends in winter... Just once or twice.

IMO if you don't enjoy the beach you are wasting your $$$ on San Diego.

[malcorub16]

I've only actually been in the water one time and that was at Coronodo Beach just a few months ago, the water is just too cold for me.

I go to the beach but its usually to jog or take a walk either on the sand or on the board walk at Mission Beach/Pacific Beach. I also like being by the water say at the Embarcadero Parks Downtown or Tidelands Park in Coronado, not necessarily the beach.

[rgb123]

I moved to CA two years ago, moving to SD next month. I've lived in two apartments here in Oxnard and Ventura, walking distance to the beach. In Ventura I went at least once a week, but since it was walking or biking distance it wasn't like I was actually making a trip to the beach.

Here in Channel Islands Harbor I can hear the waves from my bedroom. I walk to the beach almost every day.

If you have to drive and park it will significantly change things. That is my opinion. That is also why I like to be close.

and yes the weather makes a huge difference to me in terms of how much I get out (I'm from illinois). Also the ease of riding a bike (there are certain areas you just can't ride bikes, places in Texas and illinois come to mind, its just not fun) and lots of hiking and walking areas just makes getting out more inviting.

But it doesn't help if none of these things are easy access to you. I just got back from a walk around my neighborhood which includes the marina and beach.

[rgb123]

Originally Posted by icecoldlemonade

I'm a little curious about this because access to the beach and general good outdoorsy weather are constantly cited as reasons people move to San Diego. And related, I've been wondering how much good weather really impacts your quality of life as we're debating our long-term goals (...because, SD is expensive).

A friend from the mid-West says that Californians, surprisingly, are always indoors. She thinks it is because the weather is great year round and we start to take it for granted. In her hometown, every single person would be out and about on beautiful days. After a few years of living here, she says she also adjusted and has just become a home-body, eager to avoid crowds and traffic.

Thinking about it, I absolutely take no advantage of living in SD. According to Google Maps, I live about 2 miles away from the beach. I...honestly can't remember the last time I went there. Maybe it was about 6 months ago when I brought some visiting friends to see "San Diego"? The weather certainly is nice but with work, commuting, and other responsibilities...I guess I don't really have much chance to enjoy it.

That being said, just not having blasts of snowy wind on my face while stepping out to run errands is awesome. There are no driveways to ice or homes to re-insulate. We can wear flip flops year round. No one gets SAD in the winter months due to endless grey.

Do you take advantage of San Diego's beach and weather? Do you think these things add up to a significant improvement in my quality of life?

I'm not sure if you have lived here forever or not. If you have, you might be taking it for granted or just not be an outdoors person. It helps to know what you want.

If you are an outdoors person and feel like you are missing out, I'd set a resolution, you might just need to get out of your habits.

This year on New Year's my resolution was to see the sunset every day, or almost every day. I did feel like I'd missed it too many times and live in such a beautiful area. Just having that resolution in my mind turned it into a habit for me.

[Caladium]

If you're near the beach, you're more likely to go there a lot. When I lived in California I lived near the beach and walked there 5-6 times a week. It was part of my daily routine. On Sundays I attended a church that was 2 blocks from the beach, and it was common to meet friends for breakfast at a local place, walk on the beach for the next hour or so, and then walk over to the church. One year I belonged to a volleyball team that played on the beach and we practiced several times a week. And about a decade later there were a few years I took a tai chi class that was held at sunrise on the beach.

[PatanjaliTwist]

Originally Posted by icecoldlemonade

Do you take advantage of San Diego's beach and weather? Do you think these things add up to a significant improvement in my quality of life?

Yes, outdoors as much as possible, beach as often as possible & yes, it's significantly improves my life, health & mood, otherwise I wouldn't have moved to $$$ SoCal. I also rarely get headaches & avoid asthma/allergy problems completely when at sea level (I thought I was going to suffocate in Denver with the thin air & tired of daily nosebleeds) & the dry air makes breathing perfect, as opposed to living in high altitude or on the humid Atlantic side of the country. The health benefits alone are worth the $$$ that will line my landlords' pockets rather than make me rich. I could move somewhere else & buy a house now... or wait it out here to see how it all goes financially. I'll choose the latter.

Sometimes I find myself inside & say whatever I'm doing (computer, reading, writing, organizing bills) can be done outdoors, so out I go. Even though it's a bit chillier now, I still venture out to the balcony to eat. I also love not having to plan dressing for weather that can turn cold/rainy/snowy/icy/windy at a moment's notice everyday, like it does in Boston/NYC.

I can live somewhere else, but I prefer not to... I hope coastal CA is forever this time 'round. In fact, I have to be out of the house all day today so they can refurbish my bathtub... I'll be at the beach for at least a few hours.

[Encinitan]

I would say on average, year-round, we go at least twice per week. In the summer (June, July, August) it's pretty much a daily thing, either surfing or taking the kids to the beach to play in the water. In the winter (now through February) it's less frequent, but we still walk on the beach at least once a week even in the winter, weather permitting.
Among our group of friends, it's a common thing. Texts or Facebook updates go out saying "We're at Cardiff" or "We're heading down to Moonlight Beach" and multiple families show up. The kids play and the parents hang out. In the summer, I'd say it's just about every day.
It's definitely a personal thing, though, and not so much based on proximity to the ocean. My folks are older (80s) and live in Solana Beach walking distance from the beach. Even as a kid, I recall they seldom went to the beach. Then I have friends who live in Escondido and other inland communities much further away from the beach who go more often.

[OHW]

I get what your midwestern friends are saying about Californians taking it for granted. When I moved to the Bay Area, all I wanted to do was hike, cycle, or go to parks - just be outdoors in general. I think I annoyed my friends trying to get them to come with me every weekend.

I couldn't get enough of the weather. I jogged along the Bay almost every morning and tried to do something outdoors every weekend. The first couple months I was there I was flabbergasted when my friends would do indoors things on the weekend, but after I'd been there a while I found myself doing it too.

That said, when I get back to CA, I think I'm going to be in full-blown outdoors mode.

[ShelbyGirl1]

I feel cheated when the weather is "iffy"! We spend a great deal of our day outdoors.
We visit/ walk the beach on an average of 2-3 times a week. But I wouldn't call it " hanging out".