Moving to San Diego,CA....... Any pointers?

[SipnDzl]

So I accepted a job offer in San Diego,CA ......
I currently live in New Hampshire and have never been to the city before.
If anyone lives there or has experience in this city please feel free to give me some pointers. This will be my first cross country move however, I have helped a good friend of mine move cross country twice.....( Helped him move to Vegas from NH and then a year and a half later helped him move back)

I guess I'm really looking for good insider information about San Diego other than what wiki and travel sites tell.

I will be staying at the Extended Stay hotel in Mission Valley and will also be working right off of Rt.8

Thanks

 

[Sage]

Welcome to SD! Any particular pointers you’re looking for?

For a starter, if you want to blend in with native southern Californians, don’t ever say “route” when referring to a freeway, otherwise you’ll instantly tip your hand as a foreigner. Whenever you want to refer to a freeway or a highway (we have enough of them here that we don’t make a distinction), say “the”, as in “the eight-oh-five” or “the fifty-six”.

For food, I have a pretty extensive mental catalogue of good places to eat, though most of them are a bit north of where you’ll be (mostly the Clairemont Mesa area – lots of good Asian food). You can send me a PM if you want any tips for that area. Closer to where you’ll live, there’s Phil’s, which you absolutely must go to – beware that the wait is usually about 45 minutes, but it’s so worth it. Hodad’s is also excellent, and if you have a big appetite try Hash House. And of course, there are plenty of In-N-Outs. And, as you may have noticed, Yelp is pretty popular here and generally quite a reliable indicator of how good a restaurant will be (note to take both the number of stars and number of ratings into account).

There is a huge microbrewery culture here, so if you like beer you’ll be very happy. In particular, try out Stone IPA (draft if you can – lots of places have it). There are also a lot of good brewpubs here, probably the most famous one being Karl Strauss.

SD is no LA in terms of traffic, but rush hour can still be a pain, particularly near the 8. Weekend traffic is usually pretty good.

The two main grocery store chains here are Ralphs and Vons (there are a few others, such as Alberton’s, Food 4 Less, etc.). I’m of the opinion that Ralphs is almost always cheaper and cleaner than Vons. The main Asian food chain is 99 Ranch (which people from NorCal incorrectly call “Ranch 99&#8221. The main specialty grocers here are Trader Joe’s (often referred to as “TJ’s&#8221 and Henry’s.

Um, that’s all I got off the top of my head. Questions?

 

[SipnDzl]

Wow! Lots of great info

How are apartment pricing? and what are some good areas to live? / places to avoid?
I have a Realtor looking for me but I haven't heard anything from them yet......

It sounds really great. I enjoy microbrews so this will be perfect!!!!!

 

[CTznOfTime]

Just don't go venture yourself too far south from there... you might not make it back at all... The thing is you would have a new adopted family...



What industry of work will you be working in if i may ask... or at least if you dont mind answering?



EDIT: by the way, seeing your avatar, you might want to go check out the local chapter of any BMW clubs...
well it depends if you are going to bring your car, and which model it would be...
i know they have a SoCal - SD clubs for E30, E36 and newer 3 series/


EDIT EDIT: looking at your sig, i see a E36 coupe model... you would love to share with the E36 So-cal club then
i have the '96 328i sedan 👍 as my baby daily driver and weekend warrior (girlfriend hauler)

 

[Danoff]

How are apartment pricing?

I'm going to guess the answer is bad... very very bad.

 

[Sage]

How are apartment pricing?

Pricing varies widely around here – this is California though, so regardless it’s going to be a lot. I live in La Jolla, which is on the high-end price-wise for San Diego, and most two-bedroom apartments run around the $2000 mark. As a general rule, the further east and/or south you go the cheaper it gets.

and what are some good areas to live? / places to avoid?

San Diego is generally relatively nice… even the seediest places are better than a lot of the “average” areas in LA (sorry if that doesn’t really help, but LA is really my only other mental reference point ). There aren’t any particular large swaths of area that pop into my mind for avoiding – just kinda depends on what you’re looking for. E.g., although east and south = cheaper, that also means you’ll have to deal with more traffic jams, because everybody travels west (and north) in the morning, and east (and south) in the afternoon. So, just depends on priorities.

Also, I’m not overly familiar with areas around the 8 – I’m more familiar with basically anything north of the 163.

It sounds really great. I enjoy microbrews so this will be perfect!!!!!

You’re in for a treat then. Also, be sure to check out the actual microbreweries – some of them have factory tours. I went to the Stone one and it was excellent.

 

[SipnDzl]

^ Good pointers......

The company is giving me 3 months at the extended stay to find a place. They are also helping with the moving of my stuff all I have to do is setup a storage place to keep my stuff until I get an apartment. My girlfriend is staying behind in NH until September because of prior engagements.....

As for the line of work......
I will be taking a position as an Operating Engineer/ Calibiration Specialist for a Flowable Fill Company ( P&P Thermo'O'Forte)...... basically a thermal grout insulator around high power underground power lines. I worked for the co. 3 years ago but things didn't work out do to their internal issues which they have since worked out.

 

[Jump_Ace]

Sweet! I'm really jealous btw S.D would be killer. 👍

Jerome

 

[SipnDzl]

I can't really find " The One Six Three" on any of the maps.....
Judging by where you are in La Jolla, you're really not that far away from where I'll be.
Maybe a weekend tour or something...

 

[Keef]

What a weird city. The place is split into a bunch of sections by valleys and all the highways go through the valleys. I bet it takes forever to get anywhere, just to get to the next neighborhood you have to go all the way out to a main road and find a bridge.

 

[Smallhorses]

My pointers:

Find Sage.
Take him out for lunch / dinner.
Let him pick the place.
It'll be great wherever you go, however, DO NOT under any circumstances try to keep up with him.
He has more stomachs than a cow, hollow legs, and despite only appearing to be about 135lbs, has a neutron star at his core which allows him to compact ingested food by the kilotonne into his body space!

TJ's is excellent, especially for their frozen fish selection, as supermarkets go.

Don't do what I did first time in SD and call La Jolla by it's "English" pronunciation!
I have no Spanish language experience and was told I'd be working there over the phone by a customer who said simply, "to head North from the airport on the 5 until I saw signs for La Jolla Village Drive."
I eventually called him from Carlsbad to say that I couldn't find La "Hoya" (that's what I was looking for! ) anywhere, but had passed by La "Joll-a" (with a hard "J" and double-"L") about 20 minutes ago.

The Old Town area is quite nice, and I always like the Solana Beach area to the North or Ocean Beach or Harbor Island area to stay when I'm down for business, generally working in the Biotech hub in Sorrento Valley right about where the 5 & the 8 split.

 

[Solid Lifters]

For an awesome fun place that serves the best tacos and burritos, it's Lucha Libre all the way!

Like omelets? Try the Broken Yolk Cafe. My favorite is the John Wayne.

Awesome Chili Cheese Burgers, Chili Cheese Fries and Chili Cheese Dogs at Original Tommy's. One of my favorites next to the already mentioned In-N-Out and Hodad's.

 

[Sage]

I can't really find " The One Six Three" on any of the maps.....

Crap, sorry, I meant to say Balboa (Balboa Avenue, not Balboa Park) – Balboa intersects the 163 so my mind got stuck on that.

Judging by where you are in La Jolla, you're really not that far away from where I'll be.
Maybe a weekend tour or something...

Sure, absolutely! 👍

What a weird city. The place is split into a bunch of sections by valleys and all the highways go through the valleys

Yeah that’s kinda what happens in a state with these things called mountains.

Find Sage.
Take him out for lunch / dinner.
Let him pick the place.
It'll be great wherever you go, however, DO NOT under any circumstances try to keep up with him.
He has more stomachs than a cow, hollow legs, and despite only appearing to be about 135lbs, has a neutron star at his core which allows him to compact ingested food by the kilotonne into his body space!

You make it sound like I eat a lot!

For an awesome fun place that serves the best tacos and burritos, it's Lucha Libre all the way!

Oooh, I’ve been meaning to go there for a while now.

Like omelets? Try the Broken Yolk Cafe. My favorite is the John Wayne.

And another place I’ve been meaning to go to. I wanna try the Ironman Challenge – 12 egg omelette, potatoes, and biscuits, eat it under an hour and it’s free.

 

[Solid Lifters]

Crap, sorry, I meant to say Balboa (Balboa Avenue, not Balboa Park) – Balboa intersects the 163 so my mind got stuck on that.




Oooh, I’ve been meaning to go there for a while now.

You mean, you haven't been?

I would've been sure you've hit that place already. Weird, fun place and awesmoe Mexi-Cal food! Request to sit in the 'Champion' booth, but you got to reserve it at least a day in advance.

And another place I’ve been meaning to go to. I wanna try the Ironman Challenge – 12 egg omelette, potatoes, and biscuits, eat it under an hour and it’s free.

Knowing how big their biscuits are (fricken' huge, man) that's a lot of food on that plate!

Why do I get the feeling you can pound that down in 20 minutes?

 

[SipnDzl]

Other than places to eat.... what are some of the good highlights?

 

[Sureboss]

Can a Chef ask what the frick are those "biscuits"? They look like scones...but why you'd have them with an omelette, or call them biscuits, I have NFI!

 

[Sage]

Other than places to eat.... what are some of the good highlights?

Balboa Park has most of the touristy attractions – the zoo, the museums, etc. There’s SeaWorld (never been there, surprisingly) and Legoland (been there a zillions times). The drive up to the Palomar Observatory is supposed to be pretty nice.

Um, haven’t really done much of the touristy stuff due to college so that’s about all I know off the top of my head. Lots of nice beach areas, particularly La Jolla and Coronado (the bridge connecting San Diego to Coronado is pretty impressive). Lots of farmers’ markets that I’ve been meaning to go to but never have. In terms of bars/clubbing, downtown is where you’ll find all the expensive high-end VIP stuff, while PB (Pacific Beach) is where you’ll find more college students going to.

Can a Chef ask what the frick are those "biscuits"? They look like scones...but why you'd have them with an omelette, or call them biscuits, I have NFI!

American biscuits are sort of like scones, but softer/fluffier (more doughy, if you will). They’re a very common breakfast food.

In America we don’t eat a lot of British-style biscuits, but when we do they’re usually referred to as cookies.

 

[Omnis]

As soon as they invent real-life Chipotlaway, I'm flying to San Diego too. First stop: Lolita's.

 

[Sage]

:tup:

 

[Azuremen]

I want to move to California every time I read these. More so because I was just down in Santa Barbara (talk about some money )

San Diego is quite nice from what I remember, though I was out around the Pacific Beach area. Nice weather and fairly clean... fairly. And there was this bar with 300 beers on tap, that was awesome. Sage, info on that place, because I plan to drive the whole coast in August or there abouts.

 

[homeforsummer]

I want to move to California every time I read these. More so because I was just down in Santa Barbara (talk about some money )

SB is gorgeous. If I suddenly happened into a lot of money, it's the first place in the world I'd buy a place.

On the whole San Diego theme, can anyone who lives there please tell me about a Chinese restaurant I went to there? I can't for the life of me remember it, all I know is that it was near the bay (I think near the downtown area), and when you go inside it it's like walking into a Chinese back-street, with loads of bridges, paper lanterns, and each of the booths is almost like a little shack. If I ever go back to San Diego I'd love to go back to that restaurant.

 

[Smallhorses]

...because I plan to drive the whole coast in August or there abouts.

I can offer some good tips for beer stops on the way down through Oregon & Northern Cali coast, coming down from where you are, and there's probably more within Washington to begin with. These are some of the 17 breweries we visited on our 2 1/2 week roadtrip last September that're located on, or close to the coast.

Pelican Pub & Brewery
Rogue Ales (Try to book 1 of the 3 apartments above the Newport Pub for the night!

Lost Coast Brewery
Six Rivers Brewery
Mad River Brewing
Eel River Brewing
North Coat Brewing
Anderson Valley Brewing Company

In SF there's Toronado Pub on Haight St. or The Beach Chalet.
Or you've got The Trappist just off Broadway (nice safe area!) in Oakland.
Moss Beach Distillery is worth checking out as you head south from SF along the coast and once you reach Big Sur, The Maiden Publick House is worth a visit before going to sit in the river for a while.

That ought to keep you going for a bit!

 

[Gil]

Hey Sage, is it still possible to follow the road by University Town Centre out to the cliffs above Black's Beach?
We used to go out there to watch the gliders, and hang gliders.
Didn't realize there was a nude beach at the bottom of those cliffs till after I shipped out.
We used to hang in El Cajon, cause we knew some folks up that way.

My information is decades old so, prolly of no help whatsoever.
When I lived in SD, ET was still showing in the cinema on Rosecrans, down by the Navy Training Center. And It was the main attraction at that cinema for the whole year I was there.

 

[Sage]

San Diego is quite nice from what I remember, though I was out around the Pacific Beach area. Nice weather and fairly clean... fairly. And there was this bar with 300 beers on tap, that was awesome. Sage, info on that place, because I plan to drive the whole coast in August or there abouts.

Ah, Yard House? I’ve actually never been there myself. It’s not an SD thing – I think there are a bunch of them across the western states. It’s definitely been on my to-do list though (I have a lot of SD restaurants on my to-do list... 39 in fact.)

On the whole San Diego theme, can anyone who lives there please tell me about a Chinese restaurant I went to there? I can't for the life of me remember it, all I know is that it was near the bay (I think near the downtown area), and when you go inside it it's like walking into a Chinese back-street, with loads of bridges, paper lanterns, and each of the booths is almost like a little shack. If I ever go back to San Diego I'd love to go back to that restaurant.

Sorry, no idea.

I can offer some good tips for beer stops on the way down through Oregon & Northern Cali coast, coming down from where you are, and there's probably more within Washington to begin with. These are some of the 17 breweries we visited on our 2 1/2 week roadtrip last September that're located on, or close to the coast.

And don’t forget the Stone brewery when you hit SD!

Hey Sage, is it still possible to follow the road by University Town Centre out to the cliffs above Black's Beach?
We used to go out there to watch the gliders, and hang gliders.
Didn't realize there was a nude beach at the bottom of those cliffs till after I shipped out.

Yup, La Jolla Village drive wraps around UCSD and then one of the offshoots is to Black’s Beach. And definitely still lots of hang gliding there.

 

[Smallhorses]

And don’t forget the Stone brewery when you hit SD!

Strangely enough we got talking to a guy from SD when we were at the bar with our racks of tasting samples at Mad River Brewery.

Yes, I'm sunburned, but I have beer, so I don't care!​

He said we had to check out Stone Brewery next time we're down there, so I'm figuring next time I'm down for business I'll have to collar you and make you take me along!

 

[Sage]

DEFINITELY! Hurry hurry!

 

[Sage]

For an awesome fun place that serves the best tacos and burritos, it's Lucha Libre all the way!

Went here tonight on a whim and had the Surf & Turf burrito. Quite excellent.

 

[gtsmashbros]

Just a warning you (should) have heard from someone:

Be prepared for an earthquake at any time.

I live in Torrance; it's much colder.

 

[Solid Lifters]

Went here tonight on a whim and had the Surf & Turf burrito. Quite excellent.

I knew you'd like it!

 

[eddiing]

^ Good pointers......

The company is giving me 3 months at the extended stay to find a place. They are also helping with the moving of my stuff all I have to do is setup a storage place to keep my stuff until I get an apartment. My girlfriend is staying behind in NH until September because of prior engagements.....

As for the line of work......
I will be taking a position as an Operating Engineer/ Calibiration Specialist for a Flowable Fill Company ( P&P Thermo'O'Forte)...... basically a thermal grout insulator around high power underground power lines. I worked for the co. 3 years ago but things didn't work out do to their internal issues which they have since worked out.

I am new to GTP but I've been living in SD ever since I got out of the Marines (Camp Pendleton). If you are looking for an apartment I would suggest you move away from the downtown / UCSD / SDSU areas because rent is way high compared to the surrounding towns/cities around SD. For example, if you go north a little bit (Poway, Mira Mesa, Escondido area) the average rent is around $1500 for a two bedroom apartment, northern SD areas are usually quieter as well.

I live at Poway and the drive from here to SD Airport is about 35 mins without traffic. 20 mins to UCSD without traffic. Hope this kind of gives you an idea.