California Dreamin...
 

The Short Version:
I want to leave the cold Northeast for warmer climates and all year riding
with beautiful scenery. Help me convince myself that I should do it.
______________________________________________________

The Long Version:
For the past year, I've been getting this "itch" that I can't scratch.
I've been thinking about relocating to The West Coast; San Diego County.

I used to live in Oceanside for about 1/2 a year and it was gorgeous,
but times were financially rough for me back then and I couldn't either enjoy or
take advantage of the California Lifestyle that beautiful San Diego had to offer.

I'm 43 now at at that point in my life where I can pretty much do what I want to do and live wherever I want to live. I love the winters, but I'm growing tired of them. I think I'm done with Cabin Fever. Plus, I want a lifestyle change.

While most of my family is in mid-Florida, I just can't do Florida.
There's a big difference between mid-Florida and San Diego County IMO.
There's a sense of freedom in California, a sense of "lightness" out there.

For all you Left Coasters, what do you love about living out there?

I know what I found so appealing about it, but I feel like I need some solid convincing.
I'm sure it must be awesome to get in riding time pretty much year round with that beautiful sun and being surrounded by those wide open spaces and that postcard scenery. Plus, it looks like the West Coast is full of bike shops and that the roadie community especially seems is strong out there. I know I'm going to lose out on the Northeast's incredible Mountain Biking Trails, but I'm willing to give that up for darn near perfect roadie conditions. Just like I can't do Florida, I know I can't do "inland" San Diego either. What's the point in a NYer moving to Cali if not to be by the water? I'd have to settle down near the Pacific. That is for sure.

Don't get me wrong, I LOVE New York, no bout adoubt it. Nothing could compare to riding The West Side Highway path along The Hudson or in the Westchester Suburbs (and I know there's great riding Upstate). But, I want sun, sun, sun now.

I've done what I've wanted to do in life. I've succeeded according to my definitions of success. I want a different lifestyle...one of serenity. I want a laid back way of existence. I want to be able to get in a ride daily under nice conditions either alone or with a like minded pack.

http://i1108.photobucket.com/albums/...g?t=1320218047

I grew tired of the Canadian prairie winters too ... so, in 2009, I moved to Australia. :)

Now, once a year, in the middle of winter, we make a trek up to the top of a local mountain to see the snow. And then we return to the green, warmer valley where we live. :D


After a couple years living in the mountains here, we are considering a move to the coast in the next year or so. However, a couple considerations for us (and maybe for you too) are jobs and living expenses. I suspect it will be more expensive to live near the ocean.

The lack of determinable weather is great!
not too cold not too hot a little windy but coming from the Midwest its really great not having to worry about tornado warnings all the time

An hour from the water and a hour to the Mountain...

Coincidence. I have an opportunity in Perth.

Midwest? I used to live in Wisconsin myself.
I could do without the winters. ;)

Lived in SD half my life. It's great, enough said. Great weather. Lots of riders here, especially in north county.

Nice pic of the Huntington Beach marathon ( I live about 5 miles from that particular location) but most of the time PCH is a fairly hostile place for bicycles.....and not because of Californians either - it seems all those stressed , angry East-coasters can't quite leave the attitude behind. For instance if casually j-walking across PCH to the beach most cars will just slow down or stop (it's the law!) but if you get a four letter barrage and middle finger display you can bet they came from East Coast......Sad but true....

North County is where I'd go back to.
Oceanside, Carlsbad, Encinitas, etc...

Carlsbad is nice, gets a bit crowded in the summer but real nice....
By the way, right there in that picture between PCH and the beach is a bike path which in one direction goes to Long Beach and LA and in the other direction through Huntington Beach and to the bridge between it and Newport Beach where you can veer off on the MUP which goes all the way to the mountains, about 35 miles and is being extended even further into Riverside county. It's a great ride!

That picture is not Huntington Beach. I ride the whole Huntington Beach coastal shoreline every Sunday, and I don't recognise that picture as being familiar at all.

Looks like the sign says Welcome to Carlsbad.

Beg your pardon! Absolutely correct!
That picture looks exactly like PCH at Golden West in Huntington Beach right down to the Life guard booth and rock jetty!
But I did miss that Carlsbad sign which leaves me thoroughly baffled since I am fairly familiar with Carlsbad and can't place the location hmmmmm....

I know exactly where that's at.
There's a marsh in between the two road there.

Not to put a damper on your dream, but we do have bad weather out here, usually March & April. And in some ways, it's worse than New York. It gets cold here then, 30s & 40s in the mornings (depending on where in SoCal) and then it rains. In NY, when it snows it's nicer riding in that than wet, cold, rain.

I spent some time in San Diego. Great weather, couldn't get into the people though. It's like they were all burnt.

I'll take your 30's & 40's for "high temperatures" for 2 months compared to NY's teens! ;)
(And...I remember; I was out there in March & April)

Do it pansy!
I am in the same boat, but I am a senior in college.

:lol:

I love California but don't think I would want to live North of Marin, East of Walnut Creek or South of Santa Barbara.

California sucks. The people there are ********. There are earthquakes, landslides and fires. I recommend moving somewhere else.


The picture is PCH just north of La Costa Avenue between Carlsbad and Leucadia. The "marsh" is the Batiquitos Lagoon.

We've got some pretty awesome climbing in the Bay Area :) -- but the temps here aren't as nice as San Diego. It is expensive out here, but imho, worth it. Natural disaster forces out here are a joke -- the biggest risk out here is too much sun ;)

There are 40some million people here already, more than many countrys. It's expensive, too, but you can ride all year. Our "winter" is pretty mild for an east coast person.

I lived in L.A. for a bit..loved it...granted I was in Sherman Oakes which is in the Valley but it was still nice.

did you say umdumdumd

I love living here, in fact I can't live anywhere else. Just leaving for business trips makes me want to get home asap. That picture you show is about 4 miles from my condo in Carlsbad. I ride by it on my weekly coast rides. Its a cyclists paradise here, we have hills but also mellow coast line rides. I rode up to Orange County last weekend about 70 miles round trip. Tons of cycling events.

Weather is perfect, only second to Denver for sun, but you can cycle year round here.

You'll love carne asada burritos, fish tacos, and there is a healthy food store on every corner. The majority of the population that lives here on the coast is fit, and it makes my weekend rides all the much better with all the gorgeous bodies running/cycling/walking along the beach.

Just make sure you can afford it, to do it I had to cram into a small 700 sq ft condo I bought but at least it has a garage and storage and a distanct view of the pacific ocean. You could buy s 3/2 house in most everywhere else in the nation for what it costs to own a tiny condo here. Traffic is really only bad on the 5 going south in the morning, however we are ripping that up and expanding it to 16 lanes over the next ten years, so that will ease the traffic, not to mention here in Carlsbad and Oceanside we have a train stop that can take you to downtown San Diego or to the work centers which are pretty much in the UTC area south. I hope you work in Biotech, Defense, Nursing, Doctor, Lawyer, or computer engineer (Qualcomm) as those are most of the jobs. The job market has contracted quite a bit in defense since say the 90's but is still big.

Good luck, this place rocks, if you can swing it financially I would do it.