Hi there!
I said that I would type a little about my observations of San Diego (Carlsbad) when I got back from my trip, so here goes!
I arrived in San Diego on Monday, Feb 2 in the evening, picked up my luggage, and caught a shuttle to get the rental car. I was upgraded nicely to a mid-size SUV, which I enjoyed driving around town. Well, let me back up first...it wasn't smooth sailing up to Carlsbad at first as I was off my directions within a minute of getting on Pacific Highway (my goal was not to take I-5 at anytime while in SD as I panic anytime I'm on a highway, whether it's here (NE OH), SD, or anywhere else). I ended up driving around lost for about the first 20 minutes with ALL four windows rolled down and cold night air blowing in because in my frenzy of trying to figure out where I was and trying to roll up the first window, I ended up opening up all four windows and didn't know how to shut them as the window switch was apparently not a toggle switch. Anyways, I was following the GPS which had me going here and there. I drove on streets that really didn't look like where I needed to go. I think at one point, I even ended up at a train station. I was grateful for the fact that it was late at night and the traffice was MINIMAL as I made one illegal U-turn and a few turns in driveways and things like that.
In any case, I ended up on Hotel Circle and pulled into one of the hotels in order to get my bearings on and my wits about me. I figured out how to roll up the windows, and secondly, got a route that seemed like it made sense - one that would get me to Carlsbad. I ended up making a few turns here and there and finally got on N. Coast Highway 101 which took me through the various cities up the coast and I ended up in Carlsbad (after turning on Poinsettia, Avenida Encinas, etc.). I stayed in that area for the first four days of my trip.
I visited various places in Carlsbad, including South Carlsbad State Beach, Moonlight Beach, various shopping places (Trader Joe's in Encinitas was one of my favorites), Carlsbad Library on Dove Lane, the Farmer's Market in Carlsbad Village, etc. I really enjoyed driving around with the GPS, even stopped by to see some single family rentals. In case anyone is interested (also looking to possibly relocate), I visited 5 rentals (basically passed by, parked, looked, did not go inside); they were either 3 or 4 bedrooms and the price was anywhere from $2190 to $2450 and $2490. The areas looked pretty good. If anyone wants, I can pull out the list I have and post the streets. Two were located in Tamarack Point, the others were around town. All looked like pretty nice family neighborhoods; nothing fancy or elaborate, but basic single family houses.
Two things I wanted to really observe were (1) conditions of the streets (as someone had mentioned in another thread that the streets were sort of deteriorating and (2) the people. I wanted to see how they looked, how they acted, if they were snobs, etc. To answer Question #1 - the condition of the streets, yes, I saw some streets that looked like they were "mended" - meaning fissures were filled in, but the street was not super smooth and blemish-free. Coming from NE OH, they looked better there than here, but yes, some streets were a bit "worn", while others looked great. The one thing that was "different" is that the speed limit on some streets was 50 or 55 miles per hour. That was a little fast for me considering that these were regular streets (or at least I perceived them to be regular streets) - and I was not too familiar with the area. However, the GPS helped greatly and I never got lost, although I did have to backtrack a few times and one time I almost got on the I-5 by accident! Please, no laughter.
Ha ha!
In answer to question #2 - regarding the people; I have to say that everyone that I met seemed friendly or at least kept to themselves (which is the same as it is here). I didn't see anyone with little horns or out to be mean or nasty; the people looked to be about the same demographic as where I currently live, so I felt very comfortable in Carlsbad, or at least the areas I visited. I even got a two week pass to use the computers at the Carlsbad Library on Dove Lane. I also picked up some college catalogs for my younger kids; especially the one that is currently a sophomore in high school. I was impressed that there were quite a few course offerings at the San Diegito Adult school division; something that's been wiped out in our area for quite a few years. Honestly, I really loved what I saw and how I "felt". I didn't feel like an outsider; I just felt a bit lonely here and there as I am used to having a lot of children around me (my kids) and my husband. Most of all, I wish that they were there too in order to enjoy everything!
On to the weather!
Well, it should go without saying that coming from here and going there, I felt like I was in a different universe - I think that's putting it mildly. While it was in the high 70's Tuesday and Wednesday, it was 0 degrees here in NE OH. I felt so bad that it was freezing for my kids and my husband here while I was out galavanting around and enjoying the beautiful weather there! The sunshine - my goodness - the sunshine!
That alone, was worth a million dollars. I honestly felt the SAD and the depression that I experience every winter lifting off gradually and within a few days, I felt alive and vibrant, and like my "old self", not my self when I am here; the self that feels like it's hibernating and kind of fading away. Hope that this doesn't sound too corny, but I felt like the light within me was coming back to life instead of getting extinguished day by day from the lack of sunlight. I really noticed the lack of sunlight when I was landing at the Cleveland airport again. Wow! It looked like a black and white movie from the old days while SD looked like the colorized version.
I returned the rental car on Thursday (everything went fine there), and I checked into a downtown hotel, about 20 minutes north (walking) from the convention center. Walking down to the convention center was an easy walk, and really fun. Downtown definitely had a different feel to it, but I think every downtown does. Walking down 5th Avenue (I stayed in a hotel on 6th Avenue), I walked past many shops, restaurants (Croce's, which I thought was neat), Horton Plaza (a few streets away), the trolley station, and finally the convention center. I spent the next few days there, spent lunchtime at Seaport Village, which was beautiful.
Everything was quite enjoyable. I really enjoyed the various staff and people who offered their service from taxi drivers to the staff at the various hotels. I talked with several of the employees who manned the convention center; they were all nice too.
All in all, I really needed to get away for a week, and get some sunshine. I really loved what I saw in Carlsbad and how I "felt" - I really felt "at home" - even though I don't live there currently, and that's what I wanted to find out the most. I wanted to see how I felt and go from there. The next step is to take the kids and my husband there this summer and see what they think.
Oh, the prices at the grocery stores; it's kind of hard gauging things because some of the prices seemed higher and some of the prices were about the same; I think it all depends on which grocery store you go to (just like it is here). I went to Ralph's, and I found some of the prices a bit higher and some of the prices in line with what they are here. The Farmer's Market in Carlsbad was okay; I didn't really spend enough time there or really look around to give a fair review. I had a tough time finding parking at the time I went so I drove around about 5 times before I found a parking space. Also, I was getting tired as I had been driving and looking at things all day long. Thus, I kind of walked through quickly, got some delicious strawberries and left.
I did stop at Von's early in the day on Tuesday in order to purchase a few cases of bottled water. The Vons was at Tamarack and Adams. I noticed St. Patrick's Catholic church was right across the streets, so I got out of my car and took some pictures of the front and back of the church; did not go to the school area, but it looked nice. I am definitely interested in either this church/school or the one in Encinitas (St. John's).
One more thing to add, I drove down (South) from Carlsbad all the way to the car rental drop-off on Pacific Highway and it was interesting to see the various coastal towns in the daylight and the unique appearance of them all. I realize that I only saw the very tip of all that is there, but even with that, it was quite fun.
I feel good about the trip because I gained a lot of clarity and focus on what I want and where to go from here. I hope that my little report helps someone; if you have any questions (or comments), please post. Really enjoyed everything!
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