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We do have a fairly sizable number of museums, particularly centered in Balboa Park. But, the number of museums can be deceiving. A lot of the museums in San Diego are really tiny and not art museums. Even our "top" museums have smaller collections than you will find in "less than top" museums in other cities like NYC or Paris. So, lots of museums in numbers, but not necessarily ones you will want to visit again and again.
Have you considered Portland, Oregon? It seems to me that what you are describing you want sounds more like Portland than San Diego.
In terms of museums, it's hard to beat Paris or New York! I'm just happy to hear that there are some in SD.
I've considered Portland, and Chicago for that matter, but for some reason my brain is hooked on SD! I have some interviews lined up, so hopefully that will give me the chance to visit and make my own opinion! Re Rent: absolutely open to roommates, have even been checking different websites for them already. Is Pacific Beach better/more expensive than Ocean Beach? Thank you for your advice!
If that's the case, then parts of Pacific Beach may not be your cup of tea either.
If you are thinking of Pacific Beach, plan to spend $1400-$1500 at a minimum for a studio or very small one bedroom in a decent complex. If you're open to roommates, you'll be able to keep your rent costs down a bit, but don't expect to find one bedrooms on your own by the beach in safe areas for $800 a month. They really don't exist here. Definitely do your research on rents before negotiating salaries with jobs you're applying for so you won't be broadsided for the housing prices here.
If you like museums, think about moving to the DC area. You'll have no lack of museums there.
In terms of museums, it's hard to beat Paris or New York! I'm just happy to hear that there are some in SD.
I've considered Portland, and Chicago for that matter, but for some reason my brain is hooked on SD! I have some interviews lined up, so hopefully that will give me the chance to visit and make my own opinion! Re Rent: absolutely open to roommates, have even been checking different websites for them already. Is Pacific Beach better/more expensive than Ocean Beach? Thank you for your advice!
If you want to be close to museums and cultural activities, I would focus more on areas like North Park, University Heights, Hillcrest, Normal Heights, South Park and the East Village, and maybe Little Italy. Those will all put you within walking distance of Balboa Park and closer to more cultural events and activities.
PB (Pacific Beach) doesn't really have the type of cultural stuff you seem to want. The "culture" there for people your age is more along the lines of bars, partying, and hanging out on the beach. Parts of PB might be compared to Sixth Street in Austin when UT Austin is in session, but without the good music.
OB is a little more funky and less touristy than PB, but still not really a cultural mecca for the type of culture it sounds like you're hoping for.
When you visit, definitely try to see more than just the beach areas, if only to to see what the rest of San Diego is all about. Rent a car, and try to also spend time in some of the areas I mentioned above, and you'll figure out where you should be pretty quickly. You might try finding an airbnb place rather than staying in a hotel, to get a better feel for local life. If you can spare a week, do two nights in an airbnb in PB and two nights in North Park with maybe one night in the East Village or Little Italy.
I always wondered how Austin compared to SD. Never been to Austin, but heard great things about it.
Reason being is how similar both SD and Austin are in population and status. Plus Austin being the more liberal city of all of Texas.
I find it interesting and sad how Austin has more Hispanics than SD. They are at 35% and SD is like 30% give or take.
SD is overrated in many ways, everything here seems subpar, from the way things are built like our architecture, to our freeways and it's lack of lighting, and street conditions, to our culture, and especially our food eateries. But if you have money and are able to afford the cost of everything SD and CA is able to throw at you, then it's great. Far too many people here struggle or are hanging by the thread of needle each month, these people really have it tough and honestly I question why they are still here.
For your sake, seriously plan out your journey, get your finances right, make sure the job you want will be something worthwhile and long term. Because if not, the high cost of living here will eat you alive very fast.
It's best to come visit first, I don't understand why people just suddenly move to a city they have never been to, and know nothing about.
I would love to visit NYC, but to live there? Forget it.. I can't even stand L.A. traffic for the life of me! And NYC crowdedness is way way worse!
Is Pacific Beach better/more expensive than Ocean Beach? Thank you for your advice!
Rosie is right--PB and OB aren't what you want if you're looking for culture, unless by "culture" you mean surfing and the beach. Based on your preferences I wouldn't recommend them.
PB tends to have a few more rentals available than OB, but prices are similar. They both have a party/beach/bar culture and you'll need to choose a place very carefully if you want to avoid noise and feel like there is some distance between you and your neighbors.
I also agree with sdlife619 that SD is overrated in many ways. In the 6+ years I've been here it's getting more and more crowded, homelessness has noticeably increased, and the rental and real estate markets are skyrocketing. San Diego is full of people renting who will never be able to buy a home here. We pay for the weather. Research other cities and especially the cost of living before moving here.
Location: Miami (prev. NY, Atlanta, SF, OC and San Diego)
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I agree with what USDefault has to say...there are reasons to move to SD, but if culture--let alone sophistication--are high on your priority list (and coming from Paris and having lived in Boston, as you have) you may be very disappointed.
Have you also considered Boulder, with access to and/or Denver?...again, probably won't address your museum/cultural aspect but it does cross off many other boxes on your check list.
Quote:
Originally Posted by USDefault
But if you think Austin lacks culture, I don't know how to respond, because so much of San Diego's identity is associated with the Pacific Ocean and beach/coast culture, amazing weather, and tons of outside stuff to do. People are friendly, but like anyplace else in California, people also are doing their own thing. For "inside"-type stuff like museums, plays, musicals, cultural events, San Diego, average at best, and blown away by larger cities such as Los Angeles, San Francisco, most major metros on the East Coast.
Last edited by elchevere; 08-08-2016 at 11:16 AM..
I was in Boulder before SD and in my experience, it has the best running/hiking trail system of pretty much anywhere. There are dozens of really nice trails just minutes away (at most) from wherever you live in the city. It's also just 1hr away from RMNP.
Weather is very mild for a place that gets snow. You'll probably want to get microspikes though for the winter.
Drawbacks are housing is at california levels (think median price near $1M for SFH), the city is not very diverse, ethnic food sucks, and no beach (you get mountains instead). The sun also sets very early in the afternoon due to the mountains.
So these are my question:
How does San Diego compare to Austin (I'm not a fan of Austin - it lacks culture, in my opinion, and is not a walkable city).
Hmm.....I have family in Austin who compares it very much to San Diego and brags specifically about it's culture, so I guess that goes to show how different perceptions can be! My daughter currently lives in Houston for her work but has visited Austin several times for music festivals, etc., and said she really liked Austin, thought it was very similar to San Diego, her hometown here....so (?)
How big is the city of San Diego and is it walkable? I'd love to be somewhere where there are at least a FEW degrees of separation between people.
Certain areas/neighborhoods are more walkable than others, with close amenities that do not require one to drive elsewhere to get what they need.... but San Diego as a whole is more spread out than some cities. We're undergoing a lot of redevelopment with the thrust of the design "A City of Villages" where City Planners are trying to implement everything one needs in their own micro-city/their own neighborhood....all connected to the trolley system, a trolley system the City is trying to get everyone to use more. But not having the system for so long previously like most major metropolitan cities have, I personally tend to think San Diego loves their cars so much, it was that way so long, it's been hard to get a lot of people to jump on board the trolley instead of their cars as whole-heartedly as was hoped. But still, it's there!
Is it easy to make friends?
I personally think San Diego is an incredibly friendly city, have not experienced otherwise. I've lived here 47 years, both out east in the rural community, at the beaches, and middle-ground the 'burbs. A lot depends on what you give out, as per what you get back....and what your interests are. Tons of opportunities to connect with others though, and the climate facilitates that with outdoor opportunities so available year-round!
Realistically, how is the hiking/running trails?
We hike and mountain bike A LOT and are always pursuing and trying new trails. I've never been bored with what's available here! Beach, mountains, Mission Trails Park...there's a lot.
Museums? Any good?
Start with Balboa Park! You'll love it!
I LOVE art and music, I love meeting new people, drinking wine (it's the French in me), running outside (and really want to get into hiking). I'm 26, single, working in the mental health field,and looking for basically good, down to earth people.
I'm an artist and my husband a jazz musician, so we share your same interests. There are a lot of art exhibits, craft shows, cityfests, etc on a year-round basis. Be sure to look for The Reader, a free publication usually outside most any grocery or liquor store in the newspaper vending racks---it's loaded with whats happening in San Diego week-to-week, events to go to, performances, clubs listed by genre. I don't know what kind of music you're into, but the jazz scene isn't quite as vibrant as it used to be, but still present. My husband's group used to play all the marquee jazz clubs which were supported a lot by the then Smooth Jazz movement so well-promoted by Art Good and the then 98.1 jazz station. When he moved out of town, jazz really sort of melted away a lot too.
If you're young and single and into the party scene...as in "never ending party scene"---you'd probably fit in well in Pacific Beach or Ocean Beach communities. Lots of rentals in those neighborhoods, houses and apartments, and many share house rentals.
There are a huge number of new condos built in Mission Valley, but rental price range is in the $1400/mo. (<and that's likely the cheapest you may find) to way on up range.
There's tons of microbreweries and wine lofts and wineries all over SD county...no lack of wine here!
If you're looking for work in the mental health industry, Scripps, and Sharp Healthcare are two of the biggest as far as hospital venues and employers in the county. Do you prefer big hospital settings or smaller private practice venues? There's a lot of those in Hillcrest near downtown. I used to work as a surgical nurse in Hillcrest...a very walkable town if you choose to live there, too, lots of medical (nickname - "Pill Hill") and our city's largest gay community
Last edited by carolochs; 08-11-2016 at 11:40 AM..
They're OK. There's much better hiking to be had elsewhere, but I do enjoy the hiking we have here.
I break the hiking down into "exercise hiking" and "hiking."
Exercise hiking:
-Torrey Pines, Mission Trails, Mount Woodson, etc
-Fairly crowded (by hiking standards)
-Most people come here for short daily exercise in activewear and Nikes (more runners here)
Hiking:
-East County areas like Mount Laguna, Palomar, and Julian (About 1 hr. away from most places in SD)
-More secluded and wooded
-Most people come here for longer day hikes in hiking boots and clothing
Which trails you'll like will depend on what kind of hiking you prefer. The good news is we have both!
The "exercise hiking" I would say is above average. It's very accessible and plentiful. The downside can be in the summertime. There's VERY little shade on trails in San Diego. It will get blazing hot out there, especially in places like Santee (Mission Trails). You'll have to finish your hikes early.
The "hiking" I would say is average. East County San Diego does not have anything like the hiking you'll find in places like Washington, Oregon, Colorado, or other places in California like the Sierra Nevadas. It's dry, it's mostly brown, it's shrubby, and the views are so-so. I enjoy it, but it's definitely not my favorite.
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My daughter currently lives in Houston for her work but has visited Austin several times for music festivals, etc., and said she really liked Austin, thought it was very similar to San Diego, her hometown here....so (?)
