What is it like to live in California???? (Pittsburg: hotels, mall)

[movingoutofCA]

I just want to comment on the RV suggestions. I love our RV, I love to go camping, but you can't just pull up to any campground and get in. First, 75% of them you have to have membership, second the state campground only go by reservation and they fill up for the entire year on Jan 1 -- every year, and a lot of times cost way more than a hotel. $100 & up per night. Third, if you are only going to stay one or two nights, RVing is a hassle. You have to set up to the sewer connection and then you have to disconnect from the sewer and everything that entails. My mom says the same thing to us when we are going to take a weekend trip "just take your trailer". It sounds so innocent and ideal, but camping is A Lot of work. It takes us at least an hour to just set up to be able to cook our cheap meal. But I think it would be a blast, we plan to do that when the kids are out, just go across the US with our trailer. People at campgrounds are EXTREMLY kind and helpful. And if that is something you want to seriously consider, BUY one don't rent one. To rent is extremly expensive, your monthly payment would be considerably cheaper. You could sell it before you left, I don't know how easily or how resale values are though. I hope you have a great time here, like I said I would love to hit all 50 states, except Texas but that's just me.

[hotschizodiscocop]

Originally Posted by kozykreations

HELLO DAISY--
just saw your posting---
i am a belgian living in Ca since 1997---and i am married and we have 2 kids---hmmm should i write flemish now to you??
California is just great to live in--not what you hear in Belgium--We will be visiting Belgium beginning 2007--for the first time--maybe we can tell you a lot about our great state!!!
email me if you have questions!!!
marijke

Hi Marijke
I'm also from Belgium but it's very hard for me to cope with the gloomy weather. I dream of living in SoCal but I am very pessimistic about this since everyone tells me it's so hard now to move into the US.
How did you find a job there?

[scubagirl]

You'll definitely get your eyes full if you go to the LA area. Some people love it, some think it's a joke because of all the different kinds and looks of people. It's great. If you want to go to a cleaner, newer, looking Calif., go to orange county beaches. Awesome there!

[MotleyCrew]

I hope you enjoy your visit. Be careful in the big cities. Don't flash any money or leave your valuables in unlocked cars. Try not to look like a tourist in Florida. You can't visit California and not go see Napa in the spring. It is very breathtaking and if you like good wine, too good to pass up. The old 49' trail is a fun little route that takes you through the gold rush country. You can see some of Calif's history and the little towns, like Toad Town and Murphy's camp are very cute and they have bed and breakfast places to stay in. Nevada City is another little historic town that is fun to see. The northern coast is very rugged and the coast hwy 1 can be a very scenic route, but dangerous during the rainy season. The road can wash away. If you travel up to the Redwoods be careful to stay on the map and do not venture up into the mountains. We made that mistake years ago and ran into a marijuana grower. Carmel is a gorgeous spot to see and the town lots of fun. In S. CA I would see old town San Diego for sure! Have a wonderful time and stay away from L.A.

[bkeast]

First, I strongly urge you to visit America with an open mind, forgetting everything you've heard from the media. The media tends to be very biased and manipulative, only telling you what they want you to hear; only showing you what they want you to see. They are very agenda-oriented, so you have to decide for yourself.

That said, California is huge, and with this comes a great amount of diversity within the state. There are parts of California that are ugly, crime-ridden, and heavily congested. There are also parts of California that are beautiful, almost magical. Visit Southern and Northern California, so that you may get a well rounded perspective of the state; these two areas are almost like two different states within one. Visit our deserts, our mountains, and our beaches, as each of these places offers something entirely of its own.

There is a lot to offer within this state, so you may as well take full advantage while you're here. You may have also heard that Californians are rude, but I've traveled to other states expecting to be treated kinder than here, and found that Californians are just as nice as people most everywhere else; we're just in more of a hurry.

[Boca to Santa Barbara]

California is a wonderful place with a great deal to offer. If you love the outdoors and enjoy hiking, camping, biking, surfing, etc than I recommend visiting the following places:

1. The California Central Coast (Point Conception north to Monterey). Beautiful untouched beaches (undeveloped) such as: El Capitan, Big Sur, El Refugio, Monterey, Hollister Ranch, Painted Cave, Los Padres National Forest, Montanya Del Oro national seashore, Morro Bay, Santa Cruz Channel Islands


2. If you want to experience old California beach culture (real Cali beach culture) than Ventura, Summerland, Santa Barbara, Pismo Beach, are great places to visit to soak up real Golden State sun. Southern California spots such as Cardiff by the Sea, La Jolla (parts) are also very quaint. San Diego unfortunately suffers from some of the same problems as LA County (sprawl, traffic, crime) although not the same degree. The Cenral Coast is what LA County used to be like 80-100 years ago.

I generally recommend avoiding Los Angeles County like the plague unless you enjoy star gazing, urban sprawl, traffic, or shopping centers on every corner. If you enjoy the silver screen than I recommend visiting Santa Barbara during our film festival (last week in Jan, first week of Feb).

3. The best skiing is in the NE corner of the state near Tahoe.

[BENZBOY15]

Don't forget Big Sur! It is one of the most breathtaking, amazing places in the entire world. We've stayed at a place called the Lucia lodge, which is a bunch of little cabins on this huge cliff. Amazing.

Also don't forget San Diego county! I live in Encinitas, which is about 30 or so miles north on the coast. Take a drive up here, and I highly suggest you go to the Pannikin coffee shop in Leucadia/Encinitas. It isn't very trendy with tourists, but it is a local landmark and everybody loves it. It's in a 1800s old train station, and it's very fun. Good coffee, good food and fun, local people. It's a good place to 'people watch', as the vast majority of people there are local hippy/beachy type people.

San Diego has amazing beaches. You should do a beach tour, start in La Jolla and go up the coast. Some must see beaches, from north to south: La Jolla Cove, Blacks (La Jolla), Torrey Pines State park (great hiking also, from the top of the bluff to the beach. It has a pine tree called, not surprisingly, the Torrey pine that only grows there and an island off the SoCal coast in the world! It's a pristine place and it is one of San Diego's gems), go see the beaches in Solana Beach, Swamis in encinitas (which is right next to the Self Realaztion center....basicly 15 stunning acres on a 100 foot bluff with a wide variety of tropical plants and mature trees....koi, walking trails and truly breathtaking views....A MUST SEE). There are other beaches north of there which are very nice, but what I've listed is the 'top of the top' in San Diego.

You might also enjoy walking around Encinitas and its great downtown area. It will give you a great feeling of the SoCal beach town lifestyle. Also, it's safe day and night.

PM me with other questions. Forgive me if anything is spelled wrong or seems a bit 'odd' because I just had my wisdom teeth taken out and am on a lot of Vicoden, which doesn't lend itself to clear and coherrent writing.

[BelgianPea]

Originally Posted by hotschizodiscocop

Hi Marijke
I'm also from Belgium but it's very hard for me to cope with the gloomy weather. I dream of living in SoCal but I am very pessimistic about this since everyone tells me it's so hard now to move into the US.
How did you find a job there?

hi! i'm so glad to see another Belgian person. I'm Flemish, from Leuven to be exact. i moved to the states recently (january). My husband is from OK.

how is life treating you on this side of the world?

[BelgianPea]

Originally Posted by kozykreations

HELLO DAISY--
just saw your posting---
i am a belgian living in Ca since 1997---and i am married and we have 2 kids---hmmm should i write flemish now to you??
California is just great to live in--not what you hear in Belgium--We will be visiting Belgium beginning 2007--for the first time--maybe we can tell you a lot about our great state!!!
email me if you have questions!!!
marijke

i am belgian too, and so very very new in the states. i moved here barely three months ago. im still trying to find my way around.
my husband is from OK

Evi

[jdavid93225]

Well, I realize that this thread has been brought out of the woodwork, so I may be a little late with this info.
With the plan to visit all 50 U.S. states during your vacation, there are a few things I will recommend.
First, keeping in mind the desire to keep costs down, I would recommend that you purchase a National Park Annual Pass. It only costs U.S. $50, and allows unlimited National Park access across the U.S. for one year. This is only for admission to the National Parks, but other services will still cost some money. It is not good for admission in National Monuments, such as Mt. Rushmore, however. The nice thing is that there are many places that the card will be of benefit. In California, for example, it can be used for access to Sequoia, Kings Canyon, Yosemite, Death Valley, Joshua Tree, Redwood, and Lassen National Parks. Possibly some others I've forgotten.
Another example of a place to use the card is Utah. There it can be used in Zion, Bryce Canyon, Canyonlands, Arches, and Capitol Reef National Parks. The National Park System contains numerous sites that have been reserved for preservation that have some basic value to our culture, whether it be scenic, historic, or something else. I have yet to see any of these sites that was not worth visiting. I highly recommend doing so on your vacation here.

The other thing I wanted to mention to help keep costs low, is to consider camping for at least part of your journey. The National Forest system has thousands of campgrounds across the country, that are relatively inexpensive. Many states also have state run campgrounds that are also relatively inexpensive. If you pack light, and plan meals around camping, you can get to a campground and get set up in a very short time. If your meals don't require cooking, you can eat easily without needing to set up a campstove. I like salads and maybe a few slices of lunchmeat for dinner. They are easy to fix, and easy to clean up. If you use paper goods to eat on, they are easily cleaned up and disposed of, minimizing the amount of effort needed to maintain your camp. The following morning, a quick cold breakfast (fresh fruit, cottage cheese, and/or cereal) is all you need to get your day started, then you can break camp and get on the road again fairly quickly. I find that this works pretty well for me when I travel with my kids. All we really need to set up once we get to camp is the tent and our bedrolls (an air mattress and sleeping bags). We keep the food in an icechest, and we never have to unpack it to prepare our meals. This may not be up your alley, but it is worth looking into if you want to save some money on your trip.

I hope you find these tips to be helpful.