Pros and Cons of Orange County (Irvine, Laguna: living, clubs, beach)

[Coldjensens]

Originally Posted by DewDropInn

**Cough, Cough.**

But worrying about Trestles because it's hard to get to? Rubbish. The waves are what count. No, true, OC surfer is going to even think about the walk to Trestles.

You either get it or you don't.

These threads always depress me. Everyone wants to turn OC into something else or compare it to something else. (And the people who wanted to change it succeeded.) Sigh.

Cough cough,

Classes that will help with understanding what you read are available at Santiago College at reasonable rates.

No one said anything about worrying about the long walk to trestles. The long walk to trestles is an advantage. The OP said he disliked the crowded beaches. This is a response to OP's statement that the beaches are too crowded. It actually favors your one sided viewpoint preference because it is contrary to a perceived negative about OC. Get it? Trestles is not usually crowded because is it a long walk and because is it not a scenic beach. That is a good thing for the OP's perspective. He said beaches are too crowded - a bad thing, but I said Trestles is not crowded because of the long walk - a good thing. See, you have to consider when a post is responding to a prior post to follow the discussion. This is called reading in context. With reading comprehension, either "you get it or you don't," but you can improve your chances of getting it through classes and practice. Grasping context is not real hard, but can take some practice. Cough cough. Cough cough

if you do not want to read about both pros and cons of OC, then do not open a thread about the pros and cons of OC. "Pros" means good things, while "cons" means bad things. So if the thread title mentions the "cons" of living in OC, then you should not open that thread because it will stress you out by pointing out imperfections as well as benefits. Find one that only discusses the pros. Some people want to discuss a place in balance, some want to see only one side of the picture. When you are the latter, it is easy to avoid clearly labeled threads that may also include downsides. While you will probably never see a thread titled the pros and pros of living in OC, there are threads that are clearly established to discuss only some positive aspect.

[DewDropInn]

Originally Posted by Coldjensens

Classes that will help with understanding what you read are available at Santiago College at reasonable rates.

I don't expect anyone who didn't experience it to know what an absolute freaking paradise we Boomers of Orange County (I ought to slap a TM on that one) grew up in. Great educations (no need for Santiago College now, thanks just the same), the beach, the smell of orange blossoms so strong it would give you a headache, clear days when the mountains were full of snow.... and it was 75 degrees outside in February and the relatives in the mid-west were complaining because they were shoveling snow. We knew we were growing up in the center of the universe. The guys going to the Moon were doing it because our parents were making it happen.

It was fabulous. And I highly doubt it will ever be repeated. Not in this country. So if we Boomers of Orange County are grumpy or we brag or we complain about how it's changed, and that's not met with universal love from the people who moved there from Podunk and who later moved back to Podunk, we just smile and wink at each other and know we belong to one of the most special, exclusive clubs in the country.

[Fontucky]

Chaparral is, in itself, a separate and distinct biome of the non-desert type. OC comprises two main biomes: California coastal sage and chaparral ecoregions. Desert doesn't factor in because OC gets too much rain.

I happen to love the desert, so it's not a disparaging term to me. It's wrong to describe OC OR the inland valleys as desert, scrub or otherwise, but you imports carry on as you've always done with your mislabeling of the local biomes. It's akin to wearing a K-Mart Hawaiian shirt, plaid bermuda shorts, hard leather shoes, black knee socks and a sombrero from Tijuana and wondering why the natives make fun of you.

[Charles]

Originally Posted by Fontucky

you imports carry on as you've always done with your mislabeling of the local biomes. It's akin to wearing a K-Mart Hawaiian shirt, plaid bermuda shorts, hard leather shoes, black knee socks and a sombrero from Tijuana and wondering why the natives make fun of you.

Ouch (but I love it).

[certsevtxert]

Originally Posted by DewDropInn

I don't expect anyone who didn't experience it to know what an absolute freaking paradise we Boomers of Orange County (I ought to slap a TM on that one) grew up in. Great educations (no need for Santiago College now, thanks just the same), the beach, the smell of orange blossoms so strong it would give you a headache, clear days when the mountains were full of snow.... and it was 75 degrees outside in February and the relatives in the mid-west were complaining because they were shoveling snow. We knew we were growing up in the center of the universe. The guys going to the Moon were doing it because our parents were making it happen.

It was fabulous. And I highly doubt it will ever be repeated. Not in this country. So if we Boomers of Orange County are grumpy or we brag or we complain about how it's changed, and that's not met with universal love from the people who moved there from Podunk and who later moved back to Podunk, we just smile and wink at each other and know we belong to one of the most special, exclusive clubs in the country.

75 in February? Sounds like heaven to me!

[DewDropInn]

Originally Posted by certsevtxert

75 in February? Sounds like heaven to me!

Oh yeah!

February is traditionally one of the best months, weather-wise, in Southern California.

Unless it's pouring rain and the flood control channels are over-flowing.

[nightlysparrow]

Originally Posted by Coldjensens

Pleasing outdoor/Archietectural aesthetics: The dramatic landscape of cliffs jutting out towards the ocean along with lush greenery and palm trees makes for a pleasing landscape

Architectural aesthetics? OC has the most bland architecture you can find. There is none really unless you somehow believe tract homes and strip malls have architectural merit.

As to landscape, that is also lacking. It is basically scrub desert. There are a few hills and valleys here and there, but almost anyhitng that looks pretty was planted. The mountains are pleasing, but the lack of trees, forests, open space, rivers, streams lakes or ponds with water in them, clouds, etc doe not make for much in the way of natural aesthetics. Palm trees are magical and exotic looking for a few years. Eventually they start to look like telephone poles with green hats.

Perfect response.

[mrsltd]

Originally Posted by portlanderinOC

The climate of Coastal California is considered to be "chapparal", which is also called "semi-arid", therefore technically it is a desert.

No, it is not; ARID is a desert; the climatic defintion in terms of rainfall is any place with an annual average of under 10 inches. The LA Basin gets more than that.

As Fontucky stated, people from other parts of the country don't always get this, and judging by your screen name you are pretty much proving that point.

[Dara K]

The beach cities of Orange County are great! Every city is different, and you can't really compare them. Some cities have more of a relaxed/surfer vibe. In addition to the beach cities, there are also a lot of great places to visit in Orange County. Irvine is home to Irvine Spectrum and many great restaurant. Fullerton has a popular bar scene. Costa Mesa has one of the biggest malls in the nation, South Coast Plaza. Yorba Linda is home to the Richard Nixon Library. San Juan Capistrano has its Mission. In my opinion, residents of inland cities tend to be less obvious of their wealth.

[portlanderinOC]

Originally Posted by mrsltd

No, it is not; ARID is a desert; the climatic defintion in terms of rainfall is any place with an annual average of under 10 inches. The LA Basin gets more than that.

As Fontucky stated, people from other parts of the country don't always get this, and judging by your screen name you are pretty much proving that point.

Well excuse me, the last thing I need is four people giving me ad hominem attacks especially when I've lived here for almost an entire decade.