moving to San Diego... (Sacramento, Corona: university, living in, nightlife)

[ARCarchitect]

Hey all!
I am currently living in Aspen, Colorado and desiring (besides a radically differnet climate) more excitement, vitality, and energy that I know a city like San Diego can offer! I have visited San Diego before, mainly downtown and Pacific Beach (where a friend lives), but I haven't yet seen what the day-to-day in SD is like. What I think is funny is that every time I ask people about where they live... they talk about the tings that bother them the most.

So let me have it... does the traffic suck? Are commutes downtown a pain? Would I miss winter, spring, and fall? What are the topics always on peoples minds - beaches and surfing? What is the main industry and business?

Other things... good museums? Good night life that it's too college-y? Pacific Beach was realllly college-y, and perhaps there's a better place with the same density and urban style? Where would I find that?

Thanks so much for you time, everyone!
----A

[tande1n5]

As a transplant, I think San Diego has a huge amount of pride... San Diegans think it's just about the best place ever, which is wierd and almost unwelcoming when you're not born here. I moved from Sacramento, and although people there like it (I loved it), they just don't have that same outward pride. You pretty much need to consider yourself a San Diegan once you move here and assimilate (I'm one of those that takes a while to be fully "at home"). Also, I really tire of the weather being the same (but most people don't... my girlfriend and I are just about the only ones that do). One downside is that palm trees won't be exotic anymore on vacation haha...

It's crowded, but you get used to it and it really doesn't bother me, because I'm a city person. Also, get ready to use the freeway... a lot. I use it multiple times daily, and you'll get passed at 80mph. The other gripes? It has that SOCal complex here, a little superficial and all... nowhere near as bad as LA, but being close rubs off a little, I'm afraid. The more affluent areas can be a bit heavy into the McMansions, showy cars, botox for the wife, valet park your Lambo at Fashion Valley Mall...general conspicuous consumption. Like I said, not to the extent that it's LA, but you'll find it here.

This isn't to bag on SD, it's a great place to be... one of those cities that you'll gawk at the downtown when driving on the Coronado Bridge even when you've lived here for years... you just asked for the gripes, and there are a few

Oh... for the non-collegey night life, look into the Gaslamp District downtown. The beach communities are big into the "dude, bonfire and a keg, bro" nightlife.

[kettlepot]

Nightlife: Downtown and some places in Del Mar skew a bit older than PB which as you rightly noticed was very college-y

Balboa Park has the bulk of the museums. Can't say I'm familiar with them. There's also a museum downtown. I can't recall what it's about though. There are also two ship museums, sailing and aircraft carrier.

Traffic sucks only if you make a poor choice of where you live compared to where you work. Of course sometimes economics or the needs of kids dictate having a sucky commute. But if you think it out, and ask knowledgeable people, and compromise on other things, you can minimize the traffic torment.

For the first decade or so you won't miss the seasons. But after awhile it will begin to get to you. You'll miss the rain, and whenever it does rain want to stare out the window to watch it.

Density with urban style: Downtown, Hillcrest, and Little Italy. Also to a lesser degree (Lesser in the sense that they aren't magnets for non-residents and aren't as busy but have urban style and some nightlife - like a block or two), Kensington, Mission Hills, North and South Park, and University Heights. And I'll toss in Normal Heights too, kind of. La Jolla might have the vibe too, though in all my years here, I've never been to La Jolla to see what the nightlife was like, but everyone loves La Jolla.