San Diego vs Fort Lauderdale (raise, states, beautiful, live)

[Losfrisco]

Originally Posted by elchevere

Floridians are not obsessed with boasting about weather as SoCal….can’t recall how many times I heard in CA “where else do you get weather like this” during a 3-4 day Santa Ana in SD (ignoring the other 26 cool, often chilly days) to which I would remind them of Hawaii, Florida, Arizona, the Caribbean, South America. Middle East, etc etc. Haven’t heard that once from any resident here in FL in 6 years. Floridians are the only one to post on FB?…lol. I’ll post on FB but it will be from an event, restaurant with friends, etc without any reference to temperature.

This made me laugh but from what I understand the climate of coastal southern California is exceptionally rare on this planet, whereas Florida's climate is much more common around the world and in the U.S.


What makes if funny is when people in San Diego highlight the weather in a manner that implies L.A., O.C., central coast, etc don't have the same weather/beaches and San Diego is some kind of paradise within coastal southern California.

[elchevere]

Originally Posted by Losfrisco

Admittedly I"ve only experienced Florida/Fort Lauderdale virtually, but the one thing I hear from Florida people in southern California is that our beaches are "nice to look at, but you can't go in" or something like that (do they know about wetsuits?). The follow up to that statement is usually something about how great their beaches are for swimming.

Where in the world is "ocean swimming" a mainstream thing? Yes, people do it but its not the norm.

I tried to find Ft. Lauderdale surfing videos on YT and it looked less surfable than Lake Michigan. Aesthetically, nearly indistinguishable from a lake beach in the upper midwest.

Florida can’t be that awful for surfing….many consider Kelly Slater the greatest surfer ever and he grew up and learned to surf just a couple of hours up the coast from FtL in Cocoa Beach….and if FL and The Atlantic didn’t have any waves we’d have a few million more Cubans calling SoFla home by now

I imagine people referring to ocean swimming really mean body surfing—I.e. just going in the ocean.

[1AngryTaxPayer]

Originally Posted by elchevere

Florida can’t be that awful for surfing….many consider Kelly Slater the greatest surfer ever and he grew up and learned to surf just a couple of hours up the coast from FtL in Cocoa Beach….and if FL and The Atlantic didn’t have any waves we’d have a few million more Cubans calling SoFla home by now

I imagine people referring to ocean swimming really mean body surfing—I.e. just going in the ocean.

Ya'all got a lot more sharks that's for sure. Natural barrier.

[elchevere]

Originally Posted by 1AngryTaxPayer

Ya'all got a lot more sharks that's for sure. Natural barrier.

Yeah, I’ve seen the videos of them close to shore. There have been 16 attacks off of FtL since the late 1800’s (the entire state averages 16-20/year, more common in Volusia County).

https://www.dutchsharksociety.org/sh...rt-lauderdale/

[MarcBetrus]

The poll is pretty close to even, and I'm not surprised. If you've actually lived or spent time in both places, as I have, then you know that FTL is a heavy hitter.

A lot of people, because of what they've been told about San Diego, assume it would wipe the floor with a place like Fort Lauderdale...but that's not so.

[Losfrisco]

Originally Posted by kingsdl76

Ft. Lauderdale definitely...
It's really hard to make a case for SD according to the listed criteria..
Although the beaches in SD are more scenic, they're garbage for swimming;

Originally Posted by theurbanfiles

Which city offers better:

Beaches: I guess it depends on taste. San Diego beaches are of course more rugged, with rocky cliffs, surfing, etc. There is also more of a beach bum town layout around San Diego with places like La Jolla and Coronado. That said, while for most, San Diego would be agreed upon as an ideal climate, the water is also significantly cooler than in Fort Lauderdale, where swimming year round isn't a problem.

Originally Posted by MarcBetrus

Along these metrics? Ft. Lauderdale, easily.

Beaches - The beaches in FTL and south Florida in general are far cleaner, the water is clearer and MUCH WARMER, the sand quality is better, and there's tons of nightlife that straddles the coast. If you're into looking at rugged coastlines and surfing, then you might prefer SD, but the water is dark, murky and cold.. However, if you're like me and you like to swim, layout, bar/club hop, and you like a touristy/international vibe, then FTL is for you.

I swear the only time you'll ever hear about "ocean swimming" is when someone is trying to compare a Florida beach to San Diego.

[MarcBetrus]

Originally Posted by Losfrisco

I swear the only time you'll ever hear about "ocean swimming" is when someone is trying to compare a Florida beach to San Diego.

Well, of course people are going to compare the pros and cons of beaches, considering that Florida and southern California are known for their respective beaches...

Much in the same way that people compare skyscrapers and urban architecture when comparing New York and Chicago.

What should they be discussing, European mountain villages?...LMAO, you're silly...


California has more scenic beaches, Florida beaches are better along every other metric (swimming, nightlife, water temperature, cleanliness, sand quality).

[BigCity76]

California beaches are like California women. Nice to look at but not much else there.

[MarcBetrus]

Originally Posted by BigCity76

California beaches are like California women. Nice to look at but not much else there.

Lmaoo...You win the best comment of the thread award.

[MrKnight]

Beaches = FTL
Nightlife = FTL
Weather = Tie
Cost of living = FTL
Culture = SD

FTL wins this one for me!