Apartment search - Hill crest versus ocean beach? (San Diego, Riverside: lease, crimes)

[GaryatMSU]

Originally Posted by Opt_10

Thanks. This is very helpful. I said PB was my first choice because I spent a month last july in PB and absolutely loved being so close to the board walk and the beach. I like going to the beach at night (night owl here), sitting on the chair and just watching the waves crash. I love to do my weekly cardio along the board walk watching the ocean. These are some reasons I would love to stay at a place walkable to the beach. I guess I lucked out last summer since my condo was close to the beach but fairly quiet.

I loved hillcrest as well but I am learning its expensive although I have found a few studios under $1200 close to hillcrest. May be they are scams? I like the idea of flying there mid july to zero in on a place by August 1. the only down side is the expense. I will pay full rent here gor July plus the hotel expenses for two weeks in SD.

What are your thoughts on golden hill, clairmont, and normal heights?

Golden Hill is a nice area just east of downtown. More residential than commercial, but a few nice restaurants and clubs. Most airlines approach the airport over this area. Claremont has a very suburban, strip mall kind of feeling to it, but not that far from UCSD area. Normal Heights is something of an up and coming area, northeast of North Park. It's quieter and more residential than North Park, but its sandwiched between the 805 and the 15, which can be good for commuting north to UCSD area. Nice Italian restaurant at 35th and Adams named DeMilles. It's also close to Hillcrest, North Park, and Kensington areas.

[Opt_10]

Originally Posted by GaryatMSU

Golden Hill is a nice area just east of downtown. More residential than commercial, but a few nice restaurants and clubs. Most airlines approach the airport over this area. Claremont has a very suburban, strip mall kind of feeling to it, but not that far from UCSD area. Normal Heights is something of an up and coming area, northeast of North Park. It's quieter and more residential than North Park, but its sandwiched between the 805 and the 15, which can be good for commuting north to UCSD area. Nice Italian restaurant at 35th and Adams named DeMilles. It's also close to Hillcrest, North Park, and Kensington areas.

Great. I will explore these. Assuming golden hill, Normal heights, and Hillcrest are like ~20 min drive to the beach? I can at least see the beach during week ends if I rent there.

[bloom]

Originally Posted by Opt_10

Great. I will explore these. Assuming golden hill, Normal heights, and Hillcrest are like ~20 min drive to the beach? I can at least see the beach during week ends if I rent there.

Absolutely, you're less than 5 miles; this ain't Kansas. And perhaps a weekday end-of-day as well.

[Opt_10]

Originally Posted by bloom

Absolutely, you're less than 5 miles; this ain't Kansas. And perhaps a weekday end-of-day as well.

Great! Kansas? Is that the state or Kansas city? Or is Kansas a suburb in san diego that is no good? I am confused. I thought the state of Kansas was like not populated because of corn fields and lack of any entertainment,

[RosieSD]

Originally Posted by Opt_10

Great! Kansas? Is that the state or Kansas city? Or is Kansas a suburb in san diego that is no good? I am confused. I thought the state of Kansas was like not populated because of corn fields and lack of any entertainment,

He's just saying that, unlike the state of Kansas which is thousands of miles from the ocean, no where in San Diego is a very long drive to the ocean.

From Normal Heights, it's a quick drop to I-8 and over to the beaches. Nice area, and a very gay-friendly community.

Remember also that you'll be working right by the beach at UCSD, so on week days, you can just walk down to the beach after work from there (or at the very least, drive to the beach after work in 5 minutes).

And, to be honest, for a lot of the year, you probably won't spend as much time lying on the beach as you think you will. It gets pretty chilly on the coast once the summer months are over. We still go to the beach in the colder months, but mainly we go to just walk around, not to sunbathe or swim. I always chuckle when we see someone lying on the beach in a bathing suit from November to March, when I'm bundled up in a sweatshirt because I know they're tourists who think San Diego is some balmy tropical place year round. Surfers, of course, surf year-round, but they also wear wet suits year round.

To me, the winter months are for heading inland to the desert and mountains (which get snow!).

[Opt_10]

Originally Posted by RosieSD

He's just saying that, unlike the state of Kansas which is thousands of miles from the ocean, no where in San Diego is a very long drive to the ocean.

From Normal Heights, it's a quick drop to I-8 and over to the beaches. Nice area, and a very gay-friendly community.

Remember also that you'll be working right by the beach at UCSD, so on week days, you can just walk down to the beach after work from there (or at the very least, drive to the beach after work in 5 minutes).

And, to be honest, for a lot of the year, you probably won't spend as much time lying on the beach as you think you will. It gets pretty chilly on the coast once the summer months are over. We still go to the beach in the colder months, but mainly we go to just walk around, not to sunbathe or swim. I always chuckle when we see someone lying on the beach in a bathing suit from November to March, when I'm bundled up in a sweatshirt because I know they're tourists who think San Diego is some balmy tropical place year round. Surfers, of course, surf year-round, but they also wear wet suits year round.

To me, the winter months are for heading inland to the desert and mountains (which get snow!).

OMG. You said the s word. snow! I hate snow. I don't want to see snow again in my life. It's the main reason I am moving to San Diego. Please don't tell me I will see snow unless I go up the mountains in northern CA. I like to be in my swim trunks 365 days working on a nice attractive tan. I guess I can kiss that good bye.

I realized it gets chilly in SD especially at nights. That's a bummer. I have heard that the fire god will bring more hot weather to SD next year particularly because of mercury being in retrograde and the improper alignment of earth's magnetic field. But with lots of positive energy I am sure SD will transform in to this warm tropical paradise like Tampa. Fingers crossed!

[moved]

San Diego will never transform into warm tropical weather like Tampa, because as you've been told, it's a desert. You can't work on a tan 365 days a year, because it doesn't get that warm all time. If you want Tampa weather, move to Tampa.

[RosieSD]

Originally Posted by Opt_10

OMG. You said the s word. snow! I hate snow. I don't want to see snow again in my life. It's the main reason I am moving to San Diego. Please don't tell me I will see snow unless I go up the mountains in northern CA. I like to be in my swim trunks 365 days working on a nice attractive tan. I guess I can kiss that good bye.

I realized it gets chilly in SD especially at nights. That's a bummer. I have heard that the fire god will bring more hot weather to SD next year particularly because of mercury being in retrograde and the improper alignment of earth's magnetic field. But with lots of positive energy I am sure SD will transform in to this warm tropical paradise like Tampa. Fingers crossed!

San Diego County gets snow. But you have to drive an hour east up into the mountains to see it.

San Diego is NOT Tampa. Knock that idea out of your head. In Tampa, you can go swimming year round, and in the winter you don't get much of a chill factor. San Diego is a more moderate climate, especially along the coast. You'll have sun here in winter, but it might be a little nippy if you're planning to lay out on the beach in your speedo in January. And from May through early July, expect the marine layer at the coast to block out the sun entirely along the coast for much of the time.

San Diego is a great place, but it sounds to me like you might have some unrealistic expectations if you're expecting this to be like Florida. If you want tropical, move to Florida. Don't move to California expecting the balmy tropics.

[RosieSD]

Originally Posted by Opt_10

OMG. You said the s word. snow! I hate snow. I don't want to see snow again in my life. It's the main reason I am moving to San Diego. Please don't tell me I will see snow unless I go up the mountains in northern CA. I like to be in my swim trunks 365 days working on a nice attractive tan. I guess I can kiss that good bye.

I realized it gets chilly in SD especially at nights. That's a bummer. I have heard that the fire god will bring more hot weather to SD next year particularly because of mercury being in retrograde and the improper alignment of earth's magnetic field. But with lots of positive energy I am sure SD will transform in to this warm tropical paradise like Tampa. Fingers crossed!

No need to go up to Northern California for snow. Parts of San Diego County get snow. But you have to drive an hour east up into the mountains to see it. It's kind of fun to drive up to see the snow then head down to the desert where it can be 85 degrees.

San Diego is NOT Tampa or Miami. Knock that idea out of your head because it isn't happening. Most of San Diego County is a more moderate climate than Florida, especially along the coast. You'll have lots of sun here, but it might be a little nippy if you're planning to lay out on the beach in your speedo in January. And from May until early July, you may not get much sun at the beach, due to the heavy marine layer. We call it May Grey and June Gloom for a reason.

San Diego is a great place, and you can leave your heavy winter coat in Minnesota, but you will be disappointed if you're expecting San Diego to be tropical like Florida.

[Opt_10]

Originally Posted by moved

San Diego will never transform into warm tropical weather like Tampa, because as you've been told, it's a desert. You can't work on a tan 365 days a year, because it doesn't get that warm all time. If you want Tampa weather, move to Tampa.

I can't move to Tampa because it is flat and gets really humid in the summer. Also, the lack of mountains and huge waves is a bummer. I do like the ability to be in swim shorts ideally all year around. Can we get a mix of tampa and San Diego?