LA and SD are only 2 hours apart with only 20 miles that isn't developed. You can easily experience both cities. SF is the most scenic due to all the bridges. Can't really go wrong either way.. Cali is awesome!!
no love for hawaii? Maui is pretty damn nice. The drive from Lahaina along the coast going north is beautiful. The big island has something about it as well. Even oahu on an even scale vs. anywhere in california is way prettier. Also Alaska in terms of scenic beauty is impressive. I would say honorable mentions for me are colorado, northern virginia, florida, and of course california. I always had this mindset that the world began and ended in california. I went through a period with work where I kept going in and out of LA and San Francisco and would always turn it into a vacation. Then not want to leave. Finally I moved there after much drama just to make it happen and just went a did it. I lived in san diego in pacific beach on the bay and few minutes walk to the beach. Prime spot. Ended up living there for 6 years. I recently moved back to Texas woodlands area. Verdict on california: it is nice don't get me wrong but it definitely lost its luster after a while. Looking back on it I don't *miss* it per se like I thought I might. People talk about california and the weather. Really they are talking about a swath of land from the coast to about 2-5 miles inland. So basically a thin strip of land...and dont give me that garbage about hot ass calabasas with no a/c or SFV. Once you get inland california it is one of the most depressing god awful places you would want to be. Take for example riverside, fresno, bakersfield (aka bako) stockton. These places are the pits. I would rather live in dallas than inland california. And I HATE dallas. San diego is nice and yes the weather is ridiculous yet the influx of boston people, the lack of neighborhoods with any neighborhoodness about them. La Jolla and Coronado are nice enough but not true neighboorhoods. Bunch of old people with tons of cash and really no identity. That is the one thing that stuck with me about california besides it being scorching hot 3 miles inland was the rude people. Everyone in california seems to think they are the shi**t and even in a neighborhood situation there is no sense of community. It's all people coming and going passing through. I was no different in that sense, came there to stay 6 years and Im out. Those that do stay end up having to go inland (because of costs)to places like irvine, mission valley, glendale, benicia, richmond - yuck.... That is simply not going to cut it. Next on the list for california- eating out is tough. There are restaurants here and there and a few eateries I miss, but for the most part the food is incredibly bland. Think the transitional nature of it all why would a place have to care about how good the food is? Well they don't since they will probably never see you come eat there again. Even a fine dining place like mister a's is lacking on the actual food and we are talking nice views only. So eating out is generally a hit or miss proposition (more miss) in california. That brings us back to the places you can live in. Imagine living in a beat up house from the heights with nothing that works. We lived in a nice area yet were always fighting to get hot water, sink to work etc. Most of the places are old and even at high rent or purchase you are buying/renting a pig with lipstick on it. the 70s might have been the glory time for california in terms of the properties ,and new feeling since seems like most of the buildings are STILL from 70s and 80s. Terrible design, beat up, run down. I think of california and I think of weathered /run down.. And don't get me started about how lame most of LA is. Venice beach is a craphole and the only place I would consider in the LA area is redondo beach.. and even then it's going to be a crap hole place unless you are dropping 4k a month to rent. Even then I can almost guarantee it will be a joke with nothing working and a shower and sink from 1972. Sure you might find the odd diamond in the rough but plan on not knowing your neighbors and when you do they will be either 87 or 19 with 30 of them all piled in a frat house. No in between. All that said I still wouldn't mind a run at san francisco. The ambience is just there. I know I will hate it after a few years like I did san diego at times, but there is a feeling about san francisco that is just a nice feeling. But have to be prepared to wear a sweater even in summer, and that fog and overcast can be downright depressing. In the end one thing I realized is it is a lot different living somewhere vs. visiting. I lived in paris for summers at a time and discovered this as well. The underbelly of les halles and st germaine, commuting from melun....umm not so sure about that. is not all shiney and elegant. But yeah I could live in paris again too. Again it's just a big difference visiting vs. living. Just remember that. california rant.. sorry about that.
Cali's cool weather extends way more than 5 miles inland. Bakersfield, Riverside, etc are 85+ miles away from the coast. Many Texans have said the food is subpar though. Wouldn't know because I'm mainly at big chains... place that taste the same everywhere.
meant to say that for visiting *scenic* california definitely should be on the list. My negatives for california have more to do with living there. I would say that texas is not a great place to visit but a great place to raise a family and live. California great place to visit not a great place to raise a family. Even the rich kids at la jolla high school weren't cool unless they were doing coke looking emaciated like lindsay lohan and blacking out in tijuana. California is not a good family place. Definitely for scenic california ranks up there. I really love yosemite, big sur, laguna beach , and la jolla for scenic. San francisco has its own character that is worth a visit. Texas is has great southern food and the women in texas are way way better than california. It's not even close. Actually all of the south - Texas, Alabama, FL all have really nice southern gals that are way way hotter and not nearly as pretentious. I couldn't get over the low quality of ladies in california. Sure that might have to do with all the linebacker girls from boston and NE that have all moved to california.
umm okay. Why oh why do you think they have 4 weather reports? coast, inland, mountain, desert: in the summer time it is 90 -110 inland. It's funny even across the bay into san diego from mission bay it can be the difference between 75 and 90. Please stop posting if you don't know what you are talking about.
For visiting it probably is California due to the variety of national parks, scenery and two awesome cities (San Diego and San Francisco). For living I like the DC area (let's say Virginia). DC is simply in that sweet spot where there are a ton of things to do and see, while not being too big and sprawling. You can live in a quiet suburb with good schools and still hop on a 30 minute train ride to get into the city. The downside is you pay a lot to live here, but still less than prime spots in California or NYC.
LOL at getting testy. What I said was the cooler weather lasts more than 5 miles inland... which is a fact. Makes the rest of your thoughts regarding CA sound less credible. If inland is referring to the Inland Empire area, that's 80+ miles away from ocean. Maybe 80 is the new 5. Also weather-wise, most people tend to like less rain. Cali doesn't have much unless you're far north.
Everywhere in Houston is 100 degrees almost 24/7 so whatever, ill take the perfect weather on the coast.
What is also not mentioned is that fact that it gets in the 60's at night which is a great break from the heat. When it is 100 degrees here for 4 months we might get in the 80's at night which sucks a huge dick. While California wouldn't be my first choice, it isn't a terrible place to be.
This is why all the articles about Houston make me anxious; some place gets prosperous and "hot" for a long enough time, crowding and hyper-competition could turn Houston or maybe even Dallas into something like this, SF or NYC.
Ever heard of Yellowstone National Park The reality is that the whole state is a Park. They just had to make boundaries to be official. The most amazing scenery. Any animal you can think safe for snakes because they can't survive in that temperature (i suppose any reptile really). It's beautiful in the summer and beautiful in the winter. You can go dude ranching during the summer and go to Yellowstone and Grand Teton as well. You can also go skiing/snowboarding in Jackson in the winter. I love animals in the wild personally. You get to see everything up here. Going back up there in 4 days actually. Will be taking lots of videos and pictures this time around. Might share here as well.
I live in California, but Texas will always be home, and always be my favorite. It has to do with the history, food, music, people, and the fact that it doesn't get the same media attention that CA and NY do. It kind of flies under the radar. I love Cali, but TX still takes 1st place.
