Moving to Fashion Valley (San Diego: apartments, condos, house)

[gain]

I am moving down to San Diego in a month and have pretty much decided on two neighborhoods: Fashion Valley or Hillcrest.

First: I assume fashion valley and mission valley are the same?

Second: Some people have told me Fashion valley floods when it rains, and a couple searches on Google show it flooding near Fashion Valley Mall. Are there any areas you recommend avoiding? I saw a couple nice apartments on Friars Road across Riverwalk Golf Club, but not sure if it will flood there or not. Also, a lot of apartments on Craigslist list new flooring and make me think they had to get new flooring because the old ones were flooded.

Third: Any good communities you can recommend? There was a similar thread to this, which I did not want to hijack, but I am looking to spend approximately $1200/month for a 1 bedroom. The one nice community I heard of was Mission Plaza, anything else?

Thanks!

[cruitr]

I remember your previous posts... you're working for Qualcomm right? Is it the Qualcomm in Sorrento Valley or somewhere else?

[gain]

Yes, its the Qualcomm in Sorrento Valley.

[bloom]

Hillcrest

[cruitr]

If you're gay, I'd live in Hillcrest. You'll feel at home and the commute to Sorrento Valley is mostly freeway.

However, if you're a straight young guy I'd live near the beach. North PB or Bird Rock are my favorites. There's always something to do in La Jolla, PB, or Mission Bay.

[bloom]

Less competition if you're hetero in HC.

[loveautumn]

Mission Plaza in MV is where I lived when I first moved to SD, back about 30 years ago. I thought they were converted to condos? Anyway, it's a nice complex, but hopefully it has been renovated, it's off the main roads so pretty quiet, and close to shopping, freeway access, etc. IMO, it's really a good place to start when one first moves here and you can check out all the areas.

Mission Valley does "flood" once in a while but it's very rare and not extreme, so I wouldn't worry about it. We don't get that much serious rain here.

[gain]

Any good communities in Hillcrest you guys can recommend? Want to spend approx $1200/month for a 1 bedroom.

[windnsea00]

Hillcrest is fun with its restaurants, shops, proximity to Balboa Park and more progressive attitude. You can also find a more unique styled house or apartment instead of the cookie cutter places in Fashion Valley. If you are homophobic I would probably recommend avoiding Hillcrest.

[eli2374]

Yes, fashion valley and mission valley are the same, although we refer to it just as mission valley. I would choose Hillcrest myself. It is a cute, well-established 'hood with a lot of restaurants and stores w/in walking distance. I used to live in the area and I would walk to get a facial, and then walk to grab some Mexican food, then stop at Whole Foods on the stroll back to my apartment. I loved it. You can't do that in MV. The apartments/condos there (and maybe the homes also) are newer, bigger, and the area can get pretty congested when the Charges are playing at home. That area is too sterile for my taste; no character.