Seriously considering moving to California -- need some tips

Okay guys, you've converted me. Now that I'm back home, I don't feel like I'm home -- the siren song of sunshine and continual tiki events is calling. I've been considering moving to California for a few years now, and I think that now is the right time in my life to finally just do it.

I grew up here in Seattle, so I'm a bit frightened at the prospect of packing up everything and starting a new life. I could use some tips from you guys.

I'm not totally sure yet where I want to go -- I'm not going to move until I have a job lined up, so that might help me to make that decision. It'll either be the Bay Area or Orange County, but I don't really know the cities & neighborhoods well enough to know what'll be right for me. I'm leaning towards Orange County, even though it likely means I'll have to leave biology & go back to being an exec or maybe even a programmer. I'd like to aim for buying a house again in the next year or so (gotta get the Humuhumu Room rebuilt!). I'm used to living in pedestrian-friendly neighborhoods, with lots of shops & restaurants within walking distance.

So, what's the economy looking like in those areas? It's pretty cruddy up here. Is there any such thing as an affordable, pedestrian-friendly & diverse neighborhood in Orange County? I'm paying $930/mo for a 2-bedroom apt right now, and could pretty easily afford to pay more than that, my mortgage was more. Is there a good resource to use for learning about the different cities & neighborhoods? What's the best resource to use for job hunting? Is it just crazy to be looking for a job right now, should I be waiting until the economy picks up a bit? Should I look closer at the Bay Area?

Q. Is there any such thing as an affordable, pedestrian-friendly & diverse neighborhood in Orange County?

A. Hahahahahahahahahahahahahahaha!!!!! Um, No

Actually You really need a car in So Cal. Orange County rent and Housing is through the roof. Commuting is tough and the economy isn't doing real well. I do love living here though. I live in North(San Diego)County, but, I get up to Orange County fairly often. If I can send you any thing, housing, want adds,let me know.
Mahalo,
Al

[ Edited by: Alnshely on 2003-05-18 13:03 ]

Yah, I figured that would be the case. I do like driving, too, so maybe that'll be okay. I'm gonna go ahead and explore it and see what I can come up with. Maybe I should look at San Diego, too? So far the job prospects don't look super-promising, but I'm just getting started. That part is hard, I've got a really great job up here. Time to get my resume brushed up.

To live in So Cal you better LOVE driving!

It was me, wasn't it? I know I'm charming, but c'mon! It'd be great to have you down here Michelle. If you want to live by the water here in OC, you can expect to pay around $1800/ month for a two bedroom apt. I think the price is comparable to SF.

On 2003-05-18 13:42, Luckydesigns wrote:
It was me, wasn't it? I know I'm charming, but c'mon!

You've got it, Spikey baby -- you're just irresistable!

Hey Humuhumu, your best bet (I think) is Oceanside. Real estate is still affordable there, with the exception of an ocean view. I like it because it's close to San Diego and Orange County, my parents are moving there in a couple weeks, AlnShelley live there, hey all kinds of centralites and their parents live there. Close to da beach. Hi tech O.C. jobs pay well, I'll bet the same for S.D.
No jobs here. Unless you want to commute 1 1/2 hrs. like a lot of people to the Bay area. Then there's the ACE train over the Altamont pass. It's hot as hell here in the summer and no beach, but a lot of lakes. 1 1/2 hrs. from S.F..... 2 hrs from Yosemite..... 1 hr. from historic Mother Lode (gold country). 3 hrs. from Lake Tahoe..... Cheap real estate, relatively speaking. Good luck.

Having lived in San Diego until I was 27 and living in the Bay Area for the last 10, I'd like to give you my opinions (some of which I don't expect people to agree with).

The economy here sucks now. Jobs are getting scarce. On the plus side people are leaving the area in droves and apartments are for rent everywhere. A couple years ago there were lines to see an apartment in Oakland and forget about finding one in San Francisco. Now they are everywhere. Unfortunately rents are still high and show no signs of dropping very much. When I moved into my one bedroom apartment 4 and a half years years ago (at the middle of the boom) I paid $695 (currently $830). Now a 1 bedroom in the East Bay averages $1000-1200 and in SF about $1200-1500. However, I have heard of people negotiating lower rents.

House prices are still super high. 2 bedrooms with 1 bath in a good neighborhood start at $450,000!

I don't know how important this is to you but the Bay Area used to be a hotbed of music. There were lots of clubs that booked bands I liked (mostly garage, rockabilly, punk, etc.) and now there are few clubs that book those kinds of bands. Lots of bands have left the area for cheaper rents and more affordable rehearsal spaces. I think LA (and San Diego) has a far better music scene now. For this reason mainly I have thought about moving down south myself.

Bay Area pros:
Visual beauty - lots of water and hills and nice cityscapes
Restaurants - some great food but can be trendy causing many cool old places to die a slow death
Clean air
Weather - less rain than Seattle but more fog
Diversity of cultures and politically liberal
Trader Vics, Tonga Room

Cons:
Cost of living
Traffic - the bridges are constantly under construction and people drive badly (too slow)
Public transportation - BART is OK but outside SF it's hard to get around without a car
Too many hippes - people are super casual and laid back in their appearance
Beaches - pretty but cold with freezing cold water
Music scene - dying
Unfriendly, snobby people - in my travels I've found people are nicer in many parts of the country

LA / Orange County / San Diego pros:
Weather
Beaches
cheaper cost of living in some parts
Restaurants - more cool old joints survive for some reason than in the Bay Area
Tiki Ti, Trader Vic's, Bahooka, Sam's, Royal Hawaiian, Islands, Bali Hai (you get the point)
More mid-century modern architecture
Palm trees
Mountains and desert are so close
People are more glamorous - get dressed up more often (some people in No. Cal see this as being phony but I like it)

So Cal cons:
Traffic - pluses are people drive faster (and San Diego driving is a piece of cake)
Dirty air - not too bad close to the ocean
Public transportation - improving with the new rail lines and San Diego trolleys
Politically more conservative (may be a plus for some people)

San Francisco is more like Seattle in that they are both fairly dense cosmopolitan thriving cities. Oakland is bleak - the city is in severe debt and crime is getting worse. San Diego is a lot like Portland - more compact than LA and very pretty.

Hope that helps you.

Here's an online resource for Orange County to help you out:

http://www.orangecounty.com

You might also consider SW area of Los Angeles County too.... Long Beach, Lakewood, San Pedro, Cerritos, Signal Hill.

Here's a Long Beach real estate site:

http://www.longbeachhomesales.net

3 bedroom homes in decent Long Beach neighborhoods start around $300k, averaging close to $400k for homes about 3 miles from the beach, prices going way up closer to the beach. I live in a really nice neighborhood about 3 miles in, homes here are selling around $360k.

Good luck in your quest! All us California Hoiti Toitis look forward to having you as a new recruit!

:tiki:

I live in east county San Diego in San Carlos. It's livable, but a little too far from the beach for me (about 15 miles). It's a trade off here. So you have to drive a little farther to get where you want to go, but the freeways are way less conjested than Orange County or L.A. and some people actually enjoy taking public transportation which is pretty good here (I myself though still prefer to blast down the freeway in a big American, gas-guzzling V-8 at 80 mph...but that's just me). As far as the job market and the economy here in SoCal is concerned, I think Mel Brooks said it best - "It stinks on ice". Aloha - SWJ
P.S. - if I could swing it, I'd sell everything, buy a boat and sail off to Fiji tomorrow...and as we all know, tomorrow is just a dream away.

humuhumu, here's the lowdown. I live in Belmont Shore 1 block from the ocean and pay $700 for a small one bedroom apt. There are nice beaches and tons of rest. within walking distance. I love everything here except home prices. Long Beach is a very cool city and i've lived all over so.cal. But beware Gov. Davis is raising taxes on everything. Next month we're going to be taxed for posting to TC (haha)

awe, the LBC is where its at! I love belmont shores, but its hella expensive. 9 yrs ago I rented a 1 bedroom apt right off ocean for $525 now it goes for $1100.

If you wanna be safe and far away from me you wanna keep clear of Socal..j/k :wink: Or you can move in with me in march, ha ha ha.

Actually I agree with JT oceanside Is waaay cool,they still have a laid back feel ,not the hustle and bustle of SF or OC. And driving isnt as bad once you get used to it.

Oh yeah and it so close to Tikifarm :P

1st student of the huki'lau brown school of big pimp'n

[ Edited by: hula hula on 2003-05-18 21:44 ]

H.B.!

I would basically trust most anything thejab says, Humuhumu. Within reason 8)

Seriously, he makes good points by me. There is a thriving offbeat/cultural scene in the Bay Area I really enjoy--tiki and lots more too. However, it's apparent to me that one reason the Bay Area looks and feels so great to me right now is I spent a couple of years in Sacramento...eeuuurrrggghhh. I agree too that I've found SoCal to be much friendlier; there's somehow a more standoffish/uptight vibe about this area.

But SF is so different from the rest of the Bay Area--people DO dress better there, at least! 8) and it's a fascinating place in that what you see now are essentially the remnants of what was once one of the wildest, most unconventional and downright scandalous cities in the US. The Barbary Coast, right up through the Summer of Love. You can still see that, if you look closely; there are tons of interesting, offbeat people and I've found it friendlier there than elsewhere in the Bay Area. Plus, it's astonishingly beautiful and atmospheric. Weird-ass weather--talk about microclimates!!--but I'm sure you've heard all about that.

You might want to investigate SF a bit, even though it is overpriced. It can really get under your skin. Oh, and as far as walking neighborhoods with shops and interesting stuff and no need for a car--SF is strong as all get-out on that point. In fact, if you live in SF, keep your car in the garage as much as possible and ride the buses, BART and MuniMetro, and walk! It's most enjoyable, and you'll get the best workout of your life.(oof)

I have always indeed found that SoCal is for drivers only. My non-road-happy pals can't stand it, but I don't mind. Much.

I have some friends who rave about how wondrous Oakland is, but apart from a couple of old movie palaces, parts of the cool old downtown, and the Alley Cat piano bar, I think they're mad. Not that there aren't some great folks hunkered down there, but basically, it's not only crime-ridden, overpriced, and unfriendly--it's also moldy and dirty. I've lived in this area all my life, and basically, Oakland has improved so very little. It's sad.

Vallejo is infinitely more pleasant, and pretty at that, if one must live in the Bay Area. Nice hills, breezes and views, and Victorians too.

One pro I'd add to that Bay Area list is that the Sierra Nevadas are very close, and you get the Gold Country, Lake Tahoe, Reno/Carson City etc. Not to be sneezed at...

But hey, I often consider moving south myself, so...

Come visit us again! it'd be great to see you and you can do a bit more exploring!

----- Original Message -----
From: "thejab"
To:
Sent: Sunday, May 18, 2003 1:27 PM
Subject: [TikiCentral] (Beyond Tiki) RE: Seriously considering moving to California -- need some tips

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Beyond Tiki: Seriously considering moving to California -- need some tips
Posted by thejab on 2003-05-18 14:27

Hmm, how to lure the HumuHumu to the Bay Area...

I could do a little song and dance number?

Love to see you in so cal humuhumu!
Here's my pitch for the L.A. environs.
It's gonna be a lot warmer than seattle - Although S.F. will definitely have more similar weather to what you grew up with, my mom moved from Vancouver, Canada to L.A. in the 1950s to find the sun and even though she still has her Canadian citizenship, she never moved back. So you might find you like it warmer after rainy Seattle?
You definitely need a car in So Cal (i think you do in S.F., too), BUT there are lots and lots of communities where you will find liveable walkable corridors. You'll still need the car for other reasons, but just not for walking to a local market, coffee house or shopping.
If I were moving to L.A. I would want to be near nearer to the historic cultural hubs of the city... you know, where you are near museums or universities and yes, even the tourist traps that actually make this an exciting place to live.
So consider looking for jobs north of Orange County.
Some of the nicer areas which come to my mind are:
West Hollywood, Montrose, Sherman Oaks, Toluca Lake, Pasadena, South Pasadena, Westwood, Santa Monica, Studio City, Parts of Burbank, Glendale, Fairfax, Los Feliz, Melrose
Last time I checked, you could still find a place to rent in the San Fernando Valley for under 1000 and decent homes to buy for under 300K
Be careful about moving anywhere without job prospects though as the market sucks everywhere these days... But in the meantime - wherever you move - you've got friends in CA waiting to welcome you with open arms.

[ Edited by: Futura Girl on 2003-05-19 05:11 ]

No insight to offer, but wanted to thank you guys for your info and thank Humuhumu for asking, as I'm moving to Chula Vista (South SD county) this October. Good luck Humuhumu!

Mahalo
Ran

Thanks so much to all of you for taking the time to give me some pointers. After sifting through job listings yesterday, it's clear it'll take some time to find a job that's cool & interesting enough to pull me away from my Seattle job, but it's worth continuing to look, I'm in no huge rush. Futura, I'm going to take your advice and consider looking north of OC, where I would think the job prospects would at least be more diverse, if not better. My skill set is a little weird, so it'll take some time to find the right job.

Hey there Humuhumu... as a northwesterner who relocated to SF, I can definitely give you some pointers.

1. If you move - move for the social life the bay area has. Granted, everything's really pretty here, but it really doesn't compare to the set-up up north quality-of-life wise (IMHO). I love living here now, just because of all the cool people and all my great California friends. There's a lot more (of at least artistic) openmindedness and a lot more diversity, basically you can't be snobby here. That's the trade off: enviroment vs. people. If you're really in love with Seattle for the sake of Seattle - go ahead and stay! However, I can pretty much guarantee you'll have a lot more fun here. :) And... if you're harboring notions about Sunny California - you'll basically want to skip the bay... I had more of a 'Portland' weather experience here than I ever had IN PORTLAND! :)

2. Money - waiting til you secure a job is an excellent idea. Troll the SF page of http://www.craigslist.org and start sending out resumes. Incredibly, I hit a winner really quickly. From a salary standpoint - you ought to be looking to mke about $6000 a year MORE than you're making up there, just to keep you in the style to which you've become accustomed. It's totally freakin' spensive here...

3. Amenities - For one, restaurants are better up there. Don't say I didn't warn you. :) Also - unless you live and work in San Fran (if that's where you're thinking of) public transportation is scarce. You've got to have a car. And they'll charge you through the nose on gas and registration. The plus side is: you're in SF, and there is literally no limit on intersting people and fun things to do. :)

Anyway - I really don't want to come off as too jaded, but I can't reinforce this enough - the NW is paradise, but if heaven is just a beautiful place, I'd rather be in hades with all the interesting people... :wink:

Forget California. Come to New York.

Humuhumu,

If you're into tiki and tiki happenings, nothing, bar none, beats So California.

Shall we count the events that happened in just the last 12 months? Shall we count the famed tiki carvers in the area? Shall we count the famed establishments in the area?

No, that would be hoity toity wouldn't it!

Here are my reasons for moving to California:

1. I'm a summer girl living in an area where summer lasts for about three weeks. I keep buying summer clothes -- half my wardrobe is little summer dresses and tank tops that never get used.

2. I've got a convertible.

3. Disneyland.

4. With my skinny frame and translucent skin, I look like a sickly skeleton. I look a lot better when I'm a little tan.

5. Tiki. Some folks move to The Dalles for windsurfing, some folks move to Steamboat for skiing, so is it so crazy for me to move to SoCal for tiki?

6. Attitude. Southern California is infectiously positive. It's a positive, upbeat vibe. Seattle either attracts depressed people or creates them, I don't know, but I'm a misfit up here on that front.

7. Gardening. I used to be a pretty intense gardener. Seattle has the best gardening climate for plants, but it totally blows to be out weeding in the rain. Plus, our annuals are your guys' perennials.

Now I just have to be patient and keep looking for that perfect job to round it all out. Thanks for the craigslist reminder, Frenchy, LA's got a craigslist, too, I forgot there was a jobs section. Worth a try!

Edited to add: Frenchy, you're a genius! I just started looking at the ads on craigslist, and this is much better than what I was seeing on Monster! I have much higher hopes that this'll happen sooner rather than later now.

The best tiki bar is the one that's within stumbling distance of your bed
The Humuhumu Room

[ Edited by: Humuhumu on 2003-05-19 12:58 ]

You go, girl! Just be sure to bring your own Douglas Fir... honestly, I think that's the thing I miss the most - the smell of fresh trees!

Well, California is a very interesting place, and so many of the stereotypes that people out of state have about us are really wrong. It’s really a little slice of everything. There’s so much diversity of people and opinion here. Anyone who thinks it’s all Berkeley liberals and Hollywood greed doesn’t know the half of it. If people think that we’re completely out of touch with the values of Middle America, I suggest they visit any number of towns in the Central Valley, where god, guns, and high school football are still a big part of life. I’m not casting aspersions on anyone; just believe me when I tell you that we’ve got all types. You should expect anything & everything here.

Pedestrian friendly neighborhoods: There are several that fit the bill in San Francisco, with housing, bars, restaurants, and shops all within easy walking distance. There are also some great areas in the East Bay that fit the bill as well. Rockridge & Piedmont are a couple that spring to mind. I enjoy being able to do this in my hood in SF. But as others have mentioned, outside of SF, unless you never leave your neighborhood, you’ll need a car. Look into neighborhoods in SF carefully- once you get locked in with rent control, it can be hard to leave. TikiVixen’s post made a lot of good points about the Bay Area. Plus if you like roller coasters, Vixen is right next to a bunch of cool ones! (Not as cool as Magic Mountain, but who would want to live next to that?)

As people have spoken about cool cultural diversions in both LA and the Bay Area, I think it’s important to point out that there are places both in the LA/OC area and the Bay Area that have nothing to offer except endless cookie cutter housing and strip malls with the same old crap. Sometimes this is where the cheap houses are; sometimes these are the expensive places and people just like sterility. Personally, I couldn’t handle living in Walnut Creek up here, just like Irvine freaks me out. I mean, I feel weird walking down the street there. God forbid you should drop some gum- I think they club you to death for that. It’s like Stepford. If you move there, and start posting about how you like to cook for your man, then we’ll dispatch some TC people to destroy your robot simulation, because you’ll already be dead.

I digress. Another thing about the Bay Area vs. LA is that there are no set rules about heat. There is fog in SF and along the western half of the peninsula. But parts of the Bay Area get really hot, and SF usually stays quite mild. Just as San Diego stays pretty mild, but other parts of LA are hotter than snot. Plus, sorry Humu, but fuck tanning. I’ve got fair skin, and I’m no sun worshipper by a long shot, but I’ve still had two nasty growths removed from my face. It’s gross, it hurts, it scars, and it’s dangerous. So it’s SPF 45 or higher for me. Besides, don’t sell yourself short: Translucent chicks are hella sexy.

Also- do you like breathing? American Lung Association 10 worst counties:

1. San Bernadino
2. Fresno
3. Kern
4. Tulare
5. Riverside
6. Harris (TX)
7. Los Angeles
8. El Dorado
9. Merced
10. Kings

Nine out of ten are in California! We’re #1! We’re #1! San Francisco has fantastic air thanks to three sides of water. None of those ten counties are in the Bay Area. But San Jose and the South Bay are kind of grim for pollution.

I don’t know where Frenchy has been eating, but the SF Bay Area is home to some of the best restaurants in the world. Fantastic original cooking is everywhere. I used to love going to all the new places to try the latest in California cooking, but pretty soon it drained my wallet so much that I’ve mostly stopped. Plus Bay Area foodies can be real snobs. Eating out is a way of life and people can get very pretentious about it. I’ve found much more pleasure in all of the ethnic cooking at little hole in the wall places in my neighborhood and all over the Bay Area. This is where both LA and the Bay Area really shine. There is so much food from all over the world, particularly the Pacific Rim and Mexico that will knock your socks off. I eat as much as I can- you never know when you might move somewhere like Montana and never see decent Chinese or Japanese food again..

You know, we also have great trees- Check out most of Marin County, and Yosemite isn’t far. Plus the Santa Cruz Mountains, and Big Sur. Coastal Redwoods are our specialty.

Well, I’ve rambled long enough. It’s interesting to read people’s opinions about all these places. As far as better attitudes in Southern Califonia, I’ve met plenty of assholes in Northern and Southern California- you just have to know where to look for cool people. I’ve found that http://www.tikicentral.org is an excellent place to start. I can’t argue Bong’s point about their being more tiki stuff in LA. I’ve always found that you’re really want for nothing in Los Angeles. Anything you want to do is there- you just have to drive (and drive) to get it.

But we’re still better than LA. :)

(I was going to say something about, “Besides, how many times can you REALLY go to Disneyland”, but then I realized I was talking to the WRONG group of people! :))

Yeah yeah. But you get 27% more Mai Tai to the dollar if you come to Toronto!

Can't help you in the pasty skin dep't though - see my pics for proof.

H.B. has the best weather and beach on the western mainland!

Having been a resident of Southern California for about 24 years, It sucks.

There are many great people there, yes.
There are many great events there, yes.
There are many great places there, yes.

But the trouble is that they are all in Southern Califonia.

Why I moved:

1. The weather. Yes the sun is nice, but It gets a little tiresome with day after day after day of cloudless blue skys and 80 degree weather. Some may chortle at this, but 24 years of it is more than I can handle. After 7 years away from the heat lamp I'm only now beginning to enjoy the sun again. The keyword here is CHANGE - in the bay area we have a great deal of sun -- IN THE SUMMER WHERE IT IS SUPPOSED TO BE.

2. People. There are a great amount of cool people in Southern California. The other 95% don't deserve to be breathing. Period.

3. Air. I enjoy breathing. This helps 95% of the poeple in SoCal, see 2.

4. Green. I like trees. I like open spaces. I like the END of cities. From Ventura to Irvine (and soon all the way to San Deigo) there is Grey concrete. Southen Califonria to me is only shades of greys, from buildings to sidewalks to streets to the goddamned grey smoggy sky, it is bleak. Yes there are gorgeous places. BUT:

5. People again: There are so many goddammned people in SoCal. Try to enjoy the handful of open spaces in SoCal and you'll have to book two years in advance. The last straw that made Heather and I escape SoCal was trying to find a camping spot for hours and hours and finding people after people after people. We said "fuck SoCal, let's get out of here!" It was the best desicion we have ever made in our entire lives.

It still gets better. Every year living here reinfoces our happiness in our choice of living environs. Every Trip makes us the more homesick.

Yes, there are dirty places in the bay are, yes there are crowded places in the city and grey areas, etc. No place is perfect.

Also, if the right friends are known (who konw the good spots in SoCal and where to find them) SoCal will be wonderful. All the above are only my opinions.

But I couldn't stand by without throwing in my personal experiences about the little place I call hell on earth, SoCal. Ugh. Only two reasons left for me there: 1. friends/family 2. Disneyland. If they were gone, I'd put a thermonuclear device at the heart of Santa Fe Springs and do the world a favour.

-=C

Hi Humuhumu,

I'm a graduate student in biochemistry right now and I can give you the lowdown on jobs here in so cal. There's Amgen, the world's largest biotech company, then there's a million biotech firms in san diego (biotech beach). Los Angeles has some, but mostly academic jobs such as USC, CAL TECH, UCLA. I heard through the grape vine that you're a computational biologist, so accademic might not be a bad idea.

The Monitors

On 2003-05-19 22:00, Melintur wrote:
Having been a resident of Southern California for about 24 years, It sucks.

Thumper, lay off the bottle. This is out of hand.

I'm afraid that my salary wouldn't be high enough to pay the rent and the tiki habit if I stay in academia, so I'm looking at industry. I'm pretty wary of massive organizations, plus Amgen is way the hell out there, from what I understand. Despite the low pay, I was thinking about looking at Caltech -- I work for Leroy Hood right now, and I thought that possibly a letter from him would open some doors from me, unless he's burned some bridges down there. It's hard for me to imagine leaving research, but I think I'll have to.

Anyway, the biology part is relatively new for me, my background is information management & business -- I'm an entrepreneur/businesswoman at heart. You don't happen to know of any really small biotech start-ups in the LA area?

The best tiki bar is the one that's within stumbling distance of your bed
The Humuhumu Room

[ Edited by: Humuhumu on 2003-05-19 23:56 ]

Here are my reasons for moving to California:

#8 Tikimonkey

you forgot that!
Bah, damn me and my mystical Hurricane! Ph34r my l33t Sk1llz!

Here are my reasons for moving to California:

#8 Tikimonkey

you forgot that!
Bah, damn me and my mystical Hurricane! Ph34r my l33t Sk1llz!

I'm paying $930/mo for a 2-bedroom apt right now
Damn, Humu...for 930.00 a month here you can buy a two story beauty on 3 acres of property, be surrounded by beautiful green mountains, wildlife, the scent of gardenias and honeysuckle in the air, literally get your tap water from a deep spring, go whitewater rafting, mountain lake canoeing, trout fishing, tourist trapping, eat boiled peanuts AND have shops and resturaunts within walking distance (health food stores, coffee houses, wine shops, antiques, consignment places, drug store soda fountains, anything).

Yeah, but do you have Disneyland? :lol:

Ahhh Martiki - you forget, when it comes to food, Humuhumu has access to the best farmers' market in the known universe - Pike Place (despite it's touristy reputation)! Seriously... if you take a trip to Seattle, you'll find the local cuisine beats the bay hands-down (and I'm not just saying this because I spent 4 years at a food magazine... or maybe I am? :wink:. The bay gets points for variety, but the nw wins hands-down for quality.

On 2003-05-19 23:46, Mrs. B wrote:

On 2003-05-19 22:00, Melintur wrote:
Having been a resident of Southern California for about 24 years, It sucks.

Thumper, lay off the bottle. This is out of hand.

I'm sorry Mrs. B, let me correct.

SoCal sucks ass.

There, that's better :)

Melintur,

You're right! It does suck.

(now, I hope all So Cali transplants leave as the surf lineup is way too crowded)

On 2003-05-19 23:54, Humuhumu wrote:
I'm afraid that my salary wouldn't be high enough to pay the rent and the tiki habit if I stay in academia, so I'm looking at industry. Despite the low pay, I was thinking about looking at Caltech -- You don't happen to know of any really small biotech start-ups in the LA area?

Hey Humu,

I'm not sure of what part of academia you are in (research?) but being in the academic arena myself, I know that the faculty at Cal Tech are very well paid, probably at the top of the scale. Being a lowly administrator myself, I am amazed at the salaries some our professors command. That, combined with summers off, makes for a very nice life. I am not well schooled in Bio-Tech field but the college consortium I work for recently founded a new grad institute for applied life sciences.

I live in HB and commute about an hour to work everyday. Believe me, it's worth it! We live within walking/biking distance to the ocean and I wouldn't trade it for anything.

Despite it's small town feel, HB is a large city but was recently ranked as the #9 safest large city in the U.S. That, combined with great weather, surf, sand and Tiki make it an awesome place to dwell. There are still some affordable places in HB (at least in my neighborhood) but they are going fast and rapidly increasing in value. A great investment at least, if you have the means.

BTW, I went to grad school in Northern Cal and I loved it, but the beaches are much different there, with the exception of Santa Cruz. I missed to the So Cal lifestyle and was glad to return.

Anyhoo, good luck with your decision and drop me a line if I can be of further help to you.

P.S. Melintur, sorry to break the news to you, but the only thing that 'sucks' is your attitude.

On 2003-05-20 11:33, Tiki_Bong wrote:
Melintur,

You're right! It does suck.

(now, I hope all So Cali transplants leave as the surf lineup is way too crowded)

Hehe! There's the spirit.

If all the people left SoCal, I might come back! :D

Got room on your couch?

On 2003-05-20 11:39, stentiki wrote:

P.S. Melintur, sorry to break the news to you, but the only thing that 'sucks' is your attitude.

Hey! This 'Bong' thing is really catching on.

What can I say, bro? I guess your starting to rub off on me. Just representin' my homies in the HBC.

Gotta' represent for my NoCal homies as well --

There's this little place called Genentech In South San Francisco you may have heard about. :)

where in the hell is Petaluma?

While the Jab mentions that Bay area drivers are too slow, I'd say that SoCal drivers (especially in LA) are way too fast. I take a certain pleasure in cruising along in my '63 Chevy Nova (and yes, I do stay to the right) and get quite annoyed when I get someone riding on my ass when they have 3 or 4 other lanes to race by in. I've seen a few people get infuriated if you're not driving 75 in the slow lane. I also drive one of the worst commutes in the nation (405 fwy between the San Fernando Valley and Santa Monica) and I basically see a ton of distracted drivers who must feel they are immortal due to the insane moves they pull. So if you move here, just make sure you're a defensive driver, have really good car insurance and a good stereo with lots of CDs for those heavy traffic days.....or just live really close to where you work.

On 2003-05-20 11:39, stentiki wrote:

I'm not sure of what part of academia you are in (research?) but being in the academic arena myself, I know that the faculty at Cal Tech are very well paid, probably at the top of the scale.

Sadly, I'm nowhere near faculty, I'm kind of a goofy interloper who fell into biology. I'm in non-profit systems biology research right now. I'm new to it (only been in bio seriously for two years), and I've just been spoiled.

I don't want to be responsible for any NoCal/SoCal gang violence. Both areas are fantastic. Let's all make fun of Nebraska or something. (Sorry Omaha!)

My current thinking: your pointers have all been very helpful, but I think I'll have to make a couple of weekend trips down there to get a feel for the neighborhoods myself. It'll have to wait until after the Hukilau, which gives me some time to continue looking through job listings and start sending my resume out.

where in the hell is Petaluma?

Just south of Rohnert Park

:)

On 2003-05-20 23:40, tikimonkey wrote:

where in the hell is Petaluma?

Just south of Rohnert Park

:)

Oh! And North of Novato. 30 minutes North of San Francisco on CA 101. :D

You may recognize Petaluma from movies such as "American Graffiti," (also shot in areas of Marin Co.) or "Mumford," or "The Man who Wasn't There," (also shot in Santa Rosa). You may also recognize it as the home of the Wristwrestling Championships in Charles Schulz's "Peanuts" cartoons.

Imagine the Circle in Orange (and the surrounding cute houses), but then take away the strip malls and Suburbia and replace with rolling green hills, Vinyards and Redwoods.

But I digress.

On 2003-05-20 23:36, Humuhumu wrote:

I don't want to be responsible for any NoCal/SoCal gang violence. Both areas are fantastic. Let's all make fun of Nebraska or something. (Sorry Omaha!)

Hey, Push comes to shove, I'm on my CA homie's side. F Nebraska, man. I mean, I happen to have hated living SoCal, but there are plenty of worse places to be - Even in California coughCentral Valleycough

Damn, now I'm going to get the Modesto Mafia on my ass! :D