Want laid back beachy town...but should I just stick to LA? (Oakland: apartment, crime)

[merchie]

Hi All,
I'm from the east coast and spent a few years living in SoCal in the past. I now may have the opportunity to relocate back to California. I've been leaning towards LA, as I love the little beach towns like Redondo and such. BUT I'm super laid back and everyone tells me SF would be a better fit for me. But the one time I visited SF it was freezing and foggy, I went to Bakers Beach and was miserable there. But I did like Oakland A LOT...more so for the people, vibe and culture. Does SF have a place like Oakland but also near the beach? Is it ever warm enough to really enjoy the beach? To me, SF felt way too east coast. I didn't even find the people all that friendly...

I guess I want something that reminds me of that laid back feel when I travel to beaches in the carib and latin america but also a bit urban.
I'm a late 20s, BSF I'm also career oriented (lawyer- public interest).
I'm tired of moving around and want to settle in one location for once. Any input/recommendations would be greatly appreciated.

[04kL4nD]

Check out Alameda. Great weather, nice views of the Bay, very close to Oakland/SF

[DocGoldstein]

Wow, Redondo, Oakland, and S.F all in one, quite a task to find a place like that! Let me know when you do.

Let's look at the qualities of each first.

Redondo Beach - Small beach community close to West LA proper. Not as urban, definitely slow. Warm weather.
S.F - Generally cool, dense urban city.
Oakland - Warmer East Bay city with great neighborhoods in the hills, lots of crime and drugs in the flats.

First off, you won't find Redondo in S.F, it's just not going to happen. Beaches in NorCal are cold, not just the water, but just the overall weather. S.F doesn't have a huge beach culture while Rendondo/El Segundo/Santa Monica are the epitome of SoCal beach culture. To get anything close to a SoCal beach in NorCal, you may need to go down to Carmel. So geographically, finding a SoCal beach in NorCal, ain't going to happen.

So maybe you're thinking about from the wrong perspective. What about finding something close to S.F/Oakland in SoCal?

I guess I want something that reminds me of that laid back feel when I travel to beaches in the carib and latin america but also a bit urban.

With all that in consideration, why not try Santa Monica? It's busy during the weekends, but I've been there during weekdays and it's laid back as can be. It's also urban, walkable, and dense like S.F.

[luau]

Originally Posted by merchie

Hi All,
I'm from the east coast and spent a few years living in SoCal in the past. I now may have the opportunity to relocate back to California. I've been leaning towards LA, as I love the little beach towns like Redondo and such. BUT I'm super laid back and everyone tells me SF would be a better fit for me. But the one time I visited SF it was freezing and foggy, I went to Bakers Beach and was miserable there. But I did like Oakland A LOT...more so for the people, vibe and culture. Does SF have a place like Oakland but also near the beach? Is it ever warm enough to really enjoy the beach? To me, SF felt way too east coast. I didn't even find the people all that friendly...

I guess I want something that reminds me of that laid back feel when I travel to beaches in the carib and latin america but also a bit urban.
I'm a late 20s, BSF I'm also career oriented (lawyer- public interest).
I'm tired of moving around and want to settle in one location for once. Any input/recommendations would be greatly appreciated.

what does BSF stand for?

[DocGoldstein]

I assumed black (or blonde) single female. But probably the former.

[merchie]

yeah, stands for the former!
thanks Doc! I know I'm asking for a lot...I do love Santa Monica- I lived close by there when I was staying in LA a while back. I think it was just a bit too touristy for me, but I guess I didn't spend enough time down there during the week because I was working a lot. I do like the slow beach vibe..but everyone who is much more familiar with LA and SF than I am tells me that LA isn't chill at all, but I suspect they think LA is all about the hollywood scene.

What do you think of Alameda, as someone above mentioned?

[DocGoldstein]

Originally Posted by merchie

yeah, stands for the former!
thanks Doc! I know I'm asking for a lot...I do love Santa Monica- I lived close by there when I was staying in LA a while back. I think it was just a bit too touristy for me, but I guess I didn't spend enough time down there during the week because I was working a lot. I do like the slow beach vibe..but everyone who is much more familiar with LA and SF than I am tells me that LA isn't chill at all, but I suspect they think LA is all about the hollywood scene.

What do you think of Alameda, as someone above mentioned?

I find that people who haven't lived in both areas have misconceptions of the other area. For instance, there is a misconception that the Bay Area has awesome public transit, when in reality, LA Metrolink serves way more cities than BART. Let's not even talk about MUNI vs MTA, I don't think it's a contest (MUNI sucks). I was born and raised in Ventura county, so I spent a lot of time in Santa Barbara, Santa Monica, etc. I also have business interest in SoCal, as well as family, so I'm there a lot to visit (was there a week ago actually).

L.A can be chill, NorCal can be chill. It just depends on the city and community. For instance, Lafayette where I live is very chill. It's slow, sometimes boring, but when I do get bored, the city is just a skip away. But S.F is not chill at all. Very dense, fast paced, walk down Market Street near 2nd and during lunch time, I bet you $20 out of the hundreds of people you pass, maybe 10% of them will look you in the eye and give you a nod or even acknowledge you. It all depends on the city.

I happen to think Santa Monica during the weekdays is pretty chill. It only gets touristy during the weekends.

As for Alameda, my soon to be daughter-in-law is from there so I have a lot of experience with the city. It actually has a "beach" of sorts (think somewhat gritty, muddy, interpretation of a beach). It's walk-able, and you actually see people trying to do water sports there. I don't consider Alameda urban at all. It's one of the most suburban areas of the East Bay IMO. But you are close to the city if you need to get out and do something. Alameda I suppose is similar to Redondo without the natural beauty, and without the gorgeous sandy beach.

[merchie]

Thank you for your detailed response! I totally agree about the misconceptions. Also about SF..when I lived in socal, people were generally friendly, evne if it was just externally. But in SF, I found people to be stand-offish and keep to themselves, which was a surprise.

I think I've always known that I love LA BUT I'm from the east coast and I think I felt sort of pressured to want to like SF, since people her hype it up. But I visited and honestly did not like it all that much (though I liked that it was condensed and not spread out like LA). You have solidified my love for LA!

Best

[DocGoldstein]

Originally Posted by merchie

Thank you for your detailed response! I totally agree about the misconceptions. Also about SF..when I lived in socal, people were generally friendly, evne if it was just externally. But in SF, I found people to be stand-offish and keep to themselves, which was a surprise.

I think I've always known that I love LA BUT I'm from the east coast and I think I felt sort of pressured to want to like SF, since people her hype it up. But I visited and honestly did not like it all that much (though I liked that it was condensed and not spread out like LA). You have solidified my love for LA!

Best

There is a lot of hype behind S.F. It's a great city to live but more so before 2000-2001. The dot-com bubble forever changed the landscape and economics of the area. It's simply not the same place it was 15 years ago, and a lot of people try and hang onto that despite the $3,000+ cost for a single bedroom apartment.

[SLA74]

If you're leaning more towards LA, then consider Manhattan Beach or Hermosa Beach if you're looking for a more "happening" yet overall laidback, without being touristy, scene. I love Redondo too, but it's way more sedate.