TahitiTams

Hi caribcarol..
I think you will love San Diego and if you are into hiking and being outdoors all year..this is the place to live!
Coastal zones from La Jolla to Carlsbad are wonderful areas to live in and the overall feel of San Diego is far from "hicksville"..
San Diego has the most CEO's of Fortune 500 companies in the Country and our Biotech like Barbara said is 3rd in the US.. We have the likes of Dr. Jonas Salk, Dr. Francis Crick and Dr. Kerry Mullis haved lived here..(noted Scientist from the Polio vaccine to DNA)
We may be laid back but we are far from dumb!
The food has dramatically improved over the last 10 years..wonderful restaurants of all types..
The Old Globe Theater and the La Jolla Playhouse are where everyone who is anybody in the theater wants to work with the likes of Jack O'Brien and Des McAnuff..
Come and see us over a long weekend and see if it is a good fit for you..
Overall, it is a wonderful place to live..it isn't perfect but pretty darn close to it!

caribcarol

Thanks, TahitiTams!

I am so looking forward to visiting the SD area, and possibly relocating there.

Any suggestions on accommodations for my visit? I prefer renting a private home (www.vrbo.com) as opposed to staying at hotels.

Thanks.

sunbum1944

I just returned from the area and although I had a great trip I can assure you the traffic was bad. One thing to consider about living in DelMar is that the race track draws hoards of people - traffic was at a stand still both on the freeway and coast HWY

I would love Carlsbad as a place to live but have heard that you can get more for the money in Oceanside.

I have used the Coaster for transportation- even take it to the airport from Carlsbad. Also used the bus system to get around a bit.

My daughter lived in Carlsbad for 1 1/2 yrs- this was her first trip back and she said she does not miss sitting in traffic- although she loved the area.

Kostroma

Del Mar Racetrack is only open 5 weeks per year, so the racetrack crowds wouldn't be a constant worry.

Barbara

It's a litle more than 5 weeks. This year's season is from July 19 to September 6.

Kostroma

Yeah, it's a little over 6 weeks now, but it used to be 5 and change. I was thinking of Saratoga, as it and Del Mar are racing's big summer meets and run concurrently. I was just pointing out that it's a seasonal event and not a daily concern.

Adding a week to Del Mar was a big deal in racing circles (I'm a horse enthusiast). A lot of traditionalists grumble about the extra week while others like it. Such is life.

caribcarol

Thanks for the comments.

The only reason I was considering the Del Mar area is because it would be close to work (I-5 and Del Mar Heights Road) so that I wouldn't have to sit in horrible traffic (for very long anyway ;-))

I'll try and plan a trip down before the end of the year. Since this will be my first time there, any recommendations for a central location to stay? I do prefer renting a private home/studio (www.vrbo.com) instead of the hotel scene but would appreciate any comments on accommodations.

Thanks!

TahitiTams

Hi caribcarol..
I would suggest a Hotel unless you are going to be staying for over a month then I would look at another option..
Del Mar is a great location whether you want to be west or east of the I-5 freeway..the traffic isn't so bad..typical rush hour times,
7-9am-4-6pm
I think LA is much worse..just have to learn when to drive and know the routes if it is backed up..If you can't then live as close as possible to your place of work..transit system in SD is not the best but we are getting better but nothing like SF or NY.
Keep us posted what your budget is and when are you going to come to SD and check it out..rates go way down after Labor Day..
We are all here to help you find a really cool place to live!

nolists

Well my hicks comment was certainly overblown. I was comparing it to big cities and not comparing it to Mayberry. Face it, this city is still fairly young. Most growth has been since the 60's as it grew from a sleepy Naval town.

Also, people mentioned some of our local theaters which are OK and fun. Personally, I love the Mt. Helix and Moonlight amphi-theaters. We do lack major productions with long runs. Community theater is great, but it's not top quality. People here don't appreciate it on a large scale.

I still say the person from the Bay Area better be ready for differences in culture.

Barbara

nolists, LOL. I come from Britain originally and to me, the whole country is "fairly young"!

L84SKY

Gee, I never answered your question caribcarol, but I think others have summed it up well.
It's difficult to pin it down but I if pressed I would have to say that the Bay Area is more culturally sophisticated than San Diego. San Diego does have many excellent points though and it's growing in arts and entertainment.
That said, it's been almost 30 years since I've lived there but I still have friends up north and still visit.

caribcarol

Thanks again to all comments.

Another ?: Is there an area near SD similar to, let's say, Fairfax in Marin County or Santa Cruz. That's kinda what I'm looking for.

Weather ?: Does SD have micro-climates like we do in the Bay area? As mentioned earlier, I love to hike and a lot of times, I choose my hike of the day as to what weather I want to experience: full-blown sun and 0% shade, partly sunny/50% shade, or a hike in Muir Woods with 100% shade.

Again, I'm not that concerned about the cultural scene. I don't go to that many major productions and much prefer community theater.

Restaurants: I don't need Michelin/Zagat rated gourment dining; I just like a restaurant that's good, clean, friendly service, moderately priced. Are there a lot of ethnic restaurants to choose from?

Thanks again to all who have replied.

mlgb

My sis lives in tract housing in Del Mar Heights. Very white bread and chain restaurants. However Del Mar and Torrey Pines are easy to reach. The traffic issues are real, especially if you are trying to reach the Del Mar area from the east. It can be worse than LA depending on your route.

Inland is hot, coastal is cool.

Barbara

caribcarol, yes, San Diego has microclimates - coast, inland, mountains, deserts - and each of them has variations in temperature. Coast is coolest in summer, warmer in winter.

There are many hiking trails in our Cuyamaca mountains (Cuyamaca State Park). This whole area was ravaged by the Cedar fire almost three years ago (how time flies!, but is growing back nicelsy. Unfortunately, it takes more than three years for the trees to grow back, though.

I'm not familiar with either Santa Cruz or Fairfax so I really can't offer a very informed suggestion. Sorry.

There are lots of ethnic restaurants in San Diego, so you shouldn't have too much trouble finding some you like. Some of the chains are pretty good, too. And we have a growing number of excellent gourmet restaurants.

I'm not sure what traffic issues mlgb means. Going from east of I-5 to Del Mar isn't usually a problem.

mlgb

I checked the map and I should have said from the south or north (ie coastal San Diego, not the inland suburbs) Because the road network is limited to the north and south of Del Mar she runs into traffic jams in either direction.