Please tell me the truth: Is Palo Alto a "walkable" city? Is it dog-friendly? Is it vegan-friendly?

[silverkris]

My takes -

yes, PA is walkable, good for bicycling as it's pretty flat and has lots of bike lanes. While it does have a reputation as a progressive, well-educated and informed community, it's also become a lot more pretentious, status-conscious in the last 10-15 years with the growth of the tech boom. Perhaps I'm biased because I grew up here and it wasn't like that then.

I think you should give Berkeley a try as well and see if you like it (I went to the university there). It also boasts a lot of well-educated, and progressive culture, but it's a lot less pretentious in terms of the money, materialism. It's even more vegan/vegetarian friendly than PA and probably boasts more interesting restaurants than PA at more price points. It has a bit more of an "edgy" feel, and sometimes the constant in-your-face local politics or issues may or may not be your cup of tea. Berkeley also has better public transporation links in general, and it's easy to get to San Francisco via BART. Not as bike-friendly, though, due to the hills and a more "urban" vibe.

Both places are expensive for housing; Palo Alto is more than Berkeley.

I think in the end it's going to come down to where you feel most comfortable, and you'll have to try it out.

Best of luck

[CAtoCT]

OP,

I lived in N. Berkely at the top of Solano Avenue (the N Berkeley restaurant/shopping strip) for years. It is paradise for you and your dogs. There is no leash law. Your dog simply has to be under "voice command". This is not just in areas; this is in all of Berkeley. You can spend years walking the rock outcroppings and picking up fruit off the ground and trees (kiwis, oranges, lemons & limes grow everywhere). As a young scraping-by couple with a lab, we LOVED it!

The cons came as we got a wee bit older and had a baby.

Cons: Smiles are very uncommon. Politics is the number one priority by far. My kids refer to it as "Frowny Town". I highly suggest that if you become financially successful that you only spend the money on French consumables, which does include trips to France and French language courses. Any visible signs of wealth, unless French, will invite GREAT scorn.

WARNING: Do not fall in love with the unbelievable geography/architecture and food without considering the PEOPLE. Berkeley has a distinct culture that is famous for a reason! There are many people with high IQs that direct their intelligence in a very ANTI-everything way. Again, this is my one experience, so take it for what it is worth, but please please do your homework on this! Check around, if you, your wife, kids or dog plan on actually using your smarts for anything other than political activism.

[318]

It has been interesting reading my original post almost a year later, as well as all the insightful comments that have accumulated on this thread as the months have gone by.

The update is that we are still in Miami, we are still looking to leave, we are still considering Northern California and possibly Oregan and Seattle, but that we are now divorced.

Not in a bad way, though.

Miami was a great environment for both of us to starkly see what our values were. Neither one of us realized how important healthy food was to us until we were in an environment where very few people cared about healthy food. I didn't realize how much I took smart people for granted until I was in an environment of mostly uneducated people.

And, we also began to see that although we have many things in common, we also have many more critical things not in common.

After escaping the gravitational pull of Manhattan, I started to value my own intellectual growth much more. To the point that I do not feel that I want to sacrifice my life in order to have children and provide for them.

And she began to realize that having a "comfortable" life was increasingly important to her, especially because without that comfort and security, she would not have the option to have children if she wanted them -- which she does, possibly.

We still share our two dogs, they are like our children, so we have moved to downtown Coral Gables, in a luxury high rise building, where we are in the same building but different floors, and where I can see my dogs every day and walk them. Downtown Coral Gables is nice because I can walk to the grocery store, to the video store, to the bank, to the Yoga studio, to the Jamba Juice, to the Barnes and Noble, and to the chill, low key Mexican restaurant.

It is really nice. Much nicer than Doral. Doral was murder.

In CG, I rent a one bedroom for $1450 and she rents a two bedroom for $1850 I believe. The apartments are brand new, with brand new upscale finishes, a gym, a pool, etc. I don't know the square footage of my apartment or of hers, but they are a nice size.

She is getting her MBA at the University of Miami -- the best school she got into, I believe because her GMAT was low -- and so the future, after she finishes in a year and a half, is uncertain.

I still believe in the West Coast -- and in Northern California in particular -- and who knows, she and I might both move out there after our stint in Miami is done. Eventually, of course, we will meet other people, but I love my dogs Sadie and Sebastian so much, I need to figure out how to keep them close.

California is still in my future. I can feel it.