Possible move from Bay Area to San Diego. Would you do it? (Los Angeles: tech job, luxury)

[sav858]

Originally Posted by LuvSouthOC

In your opinion? Really, your basing your statement on what you think 3 million people do, with nothing more than your opinion? You really are not in tune with OC. You never mentioned Santa Ana, our redevelopment city center which is full of hipsters. You never mentioned Anaheim which is urbanizing like crazy. You also seem oblivious to the fact that so many OC cities are working on their respective downtowns. In the case of my own town, we are actually building a downtown.

As for LBC, suffice it to say is close and gets plenty of OC love from those looking to party. We just prefer to live in areas with far lower crime. We hope that's ok with you.

As for discussions on downtowns, we have plenty in OC and I'm in them a lot. Say hi sometime. Gorgeous and quirky San Clemente, boaty downtown Dana Point (which isb under huge construction) and artsy/hip Laguna Beach is where you generally find me. These downtowns, especially Laguna, get millions of visitors so the people watching is great. It's also very close to home. But of course, I also go to LA (LBC or Pasadena, "downtown Santa Monica" and "downtown Beverly and W. Hollywood," but never downtown LA) sometimes, San Diego proper. (I won't mention that I'm in SD County frequently.)

News Flash: We're all offering opinions on here including yourself.

Yeah I didn't mention suburban downtown's because that's whats exactly they are, little suburban downtown's and not the same as the traditional urban core/downtown of a major city. The fact that you somehow think those downtowns or your little faux downtown you're building belongs in the conversation even more exemplifies the suburban mentality of OC.

Update: I do indeed go to LA downtown...I remember recently goint to MOCA, The Broad and LA Live...Guess I was wrong.

That's wonderful, I'm sure if I was forced to live in OC I'd be in DTLA all the time too. Not sure what this has to do with anything I said though.

[OwlAndSparrow]

Originally Posted by LuvSouthOC

In your opinion? Really, your basing your statement on what you think 3 million people do, with nothing more than your opinion? You really are not in tune with OC. You never mentioned Santa Ana, our redevelopment city center which is full of hipsters. You never mentioned Anaheim which is urbanizing like crazy. You also seem oblivious to the fact that so many OC cities are working on their respective downtowns. In the case of my own town, we are actually building a downtown.

As for LBC, suffice it to say is close and gets plenty of OC love from those looking to party. We just prefer to live in areas with far lower crime. We hope that's ok with you.

As for discussions on downtowns, we have plenty in OC and I'm in them a lot. Say hi sometime. Gorgeous and quirky San Clemente, boaty downtown Dana Point (which isb under huge construction) and artsy/hip Laguna Beach is where you generally find me. These downtowns, especially Laguna, get millions of visitors so the people watching is great. It's also very close to home. But of course, I also go to LA (LBC or Pasadena, "downtown Santa Monica" and "downtown Beverly and W. Hollywood," but never downtown LA) sometimes, San Diego proper. (I won't mention that I'm in SD County frequently.)


Update: I do indeed go to LA downtown...I remember recently goint to MOCA, The Broad and LA Live...Guess I was wrong.

I think any discussion of interesting urban areas of the OC has to include amazing historic sites such as Little Saigon. I'm not the only one who to make my way up there for a dozen or so weekends out of every year. The upcoming holiday season is one of the best times, too.

[aboveordinary]

Sav858 seems to be the winner of this entertaining little debate.

[OwlAndSparrow]

Originally Posted by aboveordinary

Sav858 seems to be the winner of this entertaining little debate.

Naw, she/he is just the most condescending toward people who don't live in places with enough tall buildings and condos.

Insulting people whose towns have lower population densities isn't really the same thing as winning a debate, especially when the thing being debated is inherently subjective.

How much more enjoyable is the downtown area of a large city compared to that of a smaller city, and how relevant is that?

I'll argue that it's not all that important.

It's convenient to have a lot of good stuff in one area. The place I've lived that did that best was Houston, where the Wortham, Jones Hall, the Alley, the Conventer Center, and the stadia for the Astros and the Rockets are all within walking distance of the same train stop. The same area has a lot of restaurants and clubs for 20-something kids who don't care about damaging their eardrums, but I never bothered with that stuff.

Before that, I lived in a much larger city in Asia, where I could take the subway everywhere but where I needed different subway stops for different things. The place was as huge and urban as cities get, but not everything was concentrated.

Even Houston didn't have everything in one place, anyway. My favorite neighborhood of Houston is actually on the other side of town, in Bellaire.


Now, I live in an area that is suburban but very close to rural, so I can have all of the outdoor fun I couldn't have when I lived in larger cities (without killing the mood with an hour-long drive before and after the hike). Aside from that, though, I can still choose to go to the OC or to downtown San Diego for certain cultural events. Or I can just go to Escondido, which offers a lot of the same things San Diego offers but in a more convenient setting. Why go to see the Nutcracker in Balboa when I can see it practically next door?


Different areas have different vibes to them, and when you still have easy access to any cultural event you could ever want to see (some of them are actually easier to see in the OC than in LA), why get hung up on how much your favorite hangout looks like the set of Seinfeld?

The majority of life is the same whether you live in a four bedroom house or in a 20th floor loft. Books are the same. Music is the same. Work is the same.

Why, then, do some people still have the ridiculous attitude that people who aren't in sufficiently "urban" areas are somehow small-minded?


It wouldn't be too hard to be condescending in the other direction. City apartment-dwellers probably don't even know the names of half of the flowers they see around them, whereas most people I know can tell you in at least two languages. They're too glued to their electronic stimulation tools to appreciate the beauty of the natural world. They don't have the endurance to handle exercise that isn't conveniently packaged in a gym. They don't take enough responsibilty for the future to become real property owners, since they can't imagine ever growing up. They don't know how to shop for groceries outside of Whole Foods. Et cetera.

I don't actually believe that stuff, but it's the same lazy argument as those who speak in earnest about the "suburban mentality." I could even call it the "Millennial eternal adolescent mentality."


I don't want to say anything bad about L.A., because it's a really wonderful place full of interesting sights, lots of culture, and hidden surprises. I probably don't spend enough time there. However, life can be just as full and interesting in the OC or North County San Diego.

I would hope that people from L.A. who talk down to people from the OC might realize that they sound like San Franciscans who think that everyone not from the Bay Area is a backwoods redneck. It's a weird attitude that combines provincialism with snobbery.

[elchevere]

they both make good points--OC is a spread out, somewhat homogeneous, car culture dominated society with no one centralized place to call its own epicenter...yet, as I mentioned earlier, there are a number of things I miss from OC such as NHL Hockey, So Coast Plaza and surrounding Performing Arts Center, proximity to LA and LAX, ESPN Zone, more prominent professional crowd, Taco Mesa and I forgot to mention Laguna Beach....too bad we can't trade the Village of Coronado (seems more suited for OC) for Laguna Beach (seems more suited for SD).

[LuvSouthOC]

Originally Posted by elchevere

they both make good points--OC is a spread out, somewhat homogeneous, car culture dominated society with no one centralized place to call its own epicenter...yet, as I mentioned earlier, there are a number of things I miss from OC such as NHL Hockey, So Coast Plaza and surrounding Performing Arts Center, proximity to LA and LAX, ESPN Zone, more prominent professional crowd, Taco Mesa and I forgot to mention Laguna Beach....too bad we can't trade the Village of Coronado (seems more suited for OC) for Laguna Beach (seems more suited for SD).

Trade Coronado for Laguna? Hell no! Coronado, while beautiful, is a total snoozefest on comparison.

[sav858]

Originally Posted by OwlAndSparrow

Naw, she/he is just the most condescending toward people who don't live in places with enough tall buildings and condos.

Insulting people whose towns have lower population densities isn't really the same thing as winning a debate, especially when the thing being debated is inherently subjective.

How much more enjoyable is the downtown area of a large city compared to that of a smaller city, and how relevant is that?

I'll argue that it's not all that important.

It's convenient to have a lot of good stuff in one area. The place I've lived that did that best was Houston, where the Wortham, Jones Hall, the Alley, the Conventer Center, and the stadia for the Astros and the Rockets are all within walking distance of the same train stop. The same area has a lot of restaurants and clubs for 20-something kids who don't care about damaging their eardrums, but I never bothered with that stuff.

FYI I live in a single family home in a suburb 30 miles from SF and I don't care what type of environment people prefer to live in, you clearly misunderstood what I was talking about. Honestly what are you even talking about? Who did I insult?

Someone claimed that OC and SD is basically the same and they don't see why anyone can hate one over the other. I simply interjected with what I felt the differences were between OC and SD that would lead some people to prefer SD. How is that condescending and insulting to someone?

Look at how defensive and condescending "LuvSouthOC"'s response was to me, he/she always has some issue when someone says something slightly critical about OC as if we are all supposed to love it as much as he/she does. And what I initially said wasn't demeaning at all. OMG I claimed that some people might prefer SD because it has a traditional urban core which OC doesn't, what kind of monster am I to say such blasphemy!?!

[Westofthe5]

I've lived in SoCal for most of my life, but now live in Carlsbad and love it. I grew up more Inland, lived in Huntington Beach for a bit, as well as out in Las Vegas. Of all the places I've lived, Carlsbad has been the greatest.

I have 3 kids and I have to say, the schools are outstanding. They were one of the biggest draws for us moving here and they really live up to their reputations. I'm not sure where you found the data on the drugs and crime, but Carlsbad, Encinitas, down to Del Mar are very quiet and safe.

To me Carlsbad and Coastal cities up in OC are night and day. The coastal cities in North County are pretty quaint feeling, but offer really good shopping and modern amenities. Coastal OC feels a lot more pretentious and I don't like the people as much. I though that everyone in Carlsbad was being fake when I first moved here a while back, but came to realize that for the most part, everyone is just really nice and generally happy. That was a big adjustment for the family as we moved here from Las Vegas, which is basically the complete opposite!

[WizardOfRadical]

Originally Posted by LuvSouthOC

The reverse is true. Source please.

Uh they are pretty identical. LA County residents who commute to OC County= 178,536

Orange County residents who commute to LA county= 182, 262

Source= US CENSUS

Commuting (Journey to Work) Main - People and Households - U.S. Census Bureau

Please, do not ever in your life contest me.

[BayAreaHillbilly]

Originally Posted by mysticaltyger

Really? I never knew people in the South Bay denied they were part of the mainstream Bay Area.

Not you.

But then you have ones like Krudmonk, Bobby_Guz_Man, et al.