Close to moving from Boston to San Diego!

[ChrisCst22]

After four months of planning (and at least four years of wanting to) on Sept 23rd my brother and I are packing up and driving to live in the San Diego area!

I'm psyched, I'm excited, I'm freaking out, I'm on the cusp of absolutely losing my mind, but it's all good.

I've lived here in Boston all of my 31 years. I....never have said I love Boston. I actually hate the place and always have. There's some great things about it for sure. But the traffic sucks, it smells like ass, and there's so many creepy jerks running around.

We've almost got everything planned out. We're taking my ten year old cat, Miller High Life (thats his name) and Miller High Life (the beer). We're renting a 16 foot Penske moving truck to take my two half stacks and tons of various guitar gear, as well as two sets of beds and bedroom sets, a couch and a few tables.

The one thing we still haven't done is found an apartment. It's a little difficult because a lot of the places I'm calling really want to meet us in person or have a laundry list of things they need from us just to see if we approved or denied. Anyone have experiences you can share with doing this? Luckily we have more than enough money saved up (about 20k) that we can use should we need to rent storage space while we stay in a hotel before we can find something there. That sounds like a plan right?

...I am so screwed, but I know it's going to be great.

 

[LJD]

cause SoCal doesn't have jerks, funny smells, or traffic.

How are you shipping your guitars?

 

[gush]

Wow, good luck.

 

[alantig]

I've lived here in Boston all of my 31 years. I....never have said I love Boston. I actually hate the place and always have. There's some great things about it for sure. But the traffic sucks, it smells like ass, and there's so many creepy jerks running around.

I was only there for three days - geez! And only one was actually in the city (okay, I did drive through on my way to Salem, and to and from the airport).

Good luck with the move - that has to be a scary feeling, moving across the country. But lots of people have done it in the past, in a lot worse conditions than it sounds like you're doing it, so I'm confident it will go well. Just remember - if you get invited to the Donner Party, don't go!

 

[László]

Beautiful town! Have a great move!

 

[CatStrangler]

I've lived here in Boston all of my 31 years. I....never have said I love Boston. I actually hate the place and always have. There's some great things about it for sure. But the traffic sucks, it smells like ass, and there's so many creepy jerks running around.

Its funny how two people living in the same place can have such very different views.

 

[Drew]

um...do you realize that San Diego is fast becoming one of the most expensive places to live in the country???? 20k won't last long out there!

 

[Brian Baker]

I moved from Virginia to San Diego in August 1980; have not moved back East yet, but I did migrate to LA in 1983. Neither is remotely like the east coast: weather, culture, housing, economy.

San Diego County is huge, there are dozens of communities. Coastal, inland, north and south. Spend some time exporing before you settle.

 

[andy474x]

How did I not know (or forget) that you live in Boston? I was there until a year ago, bummer we never met up to jam.

Its funny how two people living in the same place can have such very different views.

I can see Boston both ways. It's a very popular city, always something noteworthy going on, whether it's sports, politics, technology, education, music, art, Boston has it all. For someone who wants to be where the action is, Boston is a great city. Plus there's a lot of variety in the neighborhoods without having to go very far. I used to ride my bike from Southie, through South End, Back Bay, across the river to MIT/Harvard, then to Somerville, and they were all a little different, and with their own merits.

That being said, yes, much of Boston smells like ass. Especially parts of Southie and Chinatown. Traffic is a mess, I rode a bike for 4 yeras to avoid driving in town. Lots of crowds, and SO FREAKING EXPENSIVE.

Glad I lived there, but 4 years was enough for me.

Anyways, best of luck on your move, Chris! Hope you enjoy San Diego, I'm sure there will be a lot of new experiences awaiting you there.

 

[ChrisCst22]

The negative comments about Boston were very much tongue-in-cheek. There's a lot of great people out here. I'm really just ready for a change of scenery, and this last winter was just brutal. I'm willing to do whatever it takes to make it work. The fact is I'm looking for a lifestyle change, I need to get healthy and I want consistent weather. Being freezing and buried in snow just makes me want to drink and sit on the couch and I can't do that anymore. I hope that makes sense.

Thanks to those for the well wishes!

 

[andy474x]

The negative comments about Boston were very much tongue-in-cheek. There's a lot of great people out here. I'm really just ready for a change of scenery, and this last winter was just brutal. I'm willing to do whatever it takes to make it work. The fact is I'm looking for a lifestyle change, I need to get healthy and I want consistent weather. Being freezing and buried in snow just makes me want to drink and sit on the couch and I can't do that anymore. I hope that makes sense.

Thanks to those for the well wishes, and to the people who say I'm screwed, I know this is a forum to talk and be open and honest, but you just freaked me out a little bit more. But thats life I guess. Some will build you up and others will tear down.

If you're moving out of Boston, you'll be FINE. If you could get by there, you'll get by anywhere.

 

[alphasports]

Sounds like an awesome plan. I'm a Canuck and we don't have those cool places up here (read: nice weather for most of the year, cool west coast vibe). If I could I'd have moved down there decades ago. Good luck with the move but you'll realize within about a day of arriving in the area that you're gonna have a blast!

 

[gush]

My wife and I got married in San Diego. I enjoyed that city very much for the short time we were there. She has relatives out there and it is VERY expensive to live.

Good luck.

 

[sergiodeblanc]

Being freezing and buried in snow just makes me want to drink and sit on the couch and I can't do that anymore. I hope that makes sense.

It sure does. I don't know how I'm gonna do another winter without putting back on 20 pounds of wine, Netflix, and mozzarella sticks.

San Diego is Bangin'! I'm glad you're bringing the couch, cause I wanna crash on it.

 

[bodia]

I don't know how I'm gonna do another winter without putting back on 20 pounds of wine, Netflix, and mozzarella sticks

Flash back to high school.....finger down the throat so you can have more booze. That helps get rid of the moz sticks, thereby cutting calories.

 

[G-Man]

San Diego has all of he same issues other big cities have, traffic, crime, very expensive and a different culture than you are used to living in in Boston. Don't kid yourself, the reason to move to San Diego is the weather! It varies about two degrees summer to winter, never really hot or humid and cool ocean breezes, very little rain and no snow which is great. Any job prospects lined up? that is a huge question. The Boston market seems pretty hot right now.

 

[alantig]

If you're moving out of Boston, you'll be FINE. If you could get by there, you'll get by anywhere.

Wait - isn't that New York?

 

[alantig]

The negative comments about Boston were very much tongue-in-cheek. There's a lot of great people out here. I'm really just ready for a change of scenery, and this last winter was just brutal. I'm willing to do whatever it takes to make it work. The fact is I'm looking for a lifestyle change, I need to get healthy and I want consistent weather. Being freezing and buried in snow just makes me want to drink and sit on the couch and I can't do that anymore. I hope that makes sense.

Thanks to those for the well wishes!

Makes total sense. I've come to totally hate winter - which is ironic, considering I love hockey. Each winter seems to get more and more aggravating. I totally get that, but I can't get my wife to move to Phoenix. She has this silly notion that we should actually visit there first.

 

[toothace]

Like Andy, I too spent 4 years in Boston...glad I don't live there. I love to visit, but all the above mentioned negatives make me happy i'm in suburban CT. I spend a fair amount of time at UCLA, and it smells like ass there also. Haven't been to San Diego in about a decade, but remember the weather was fantastic!

 

[G-Man]

Yo Thoothace….Shelton, Ct in the house - home of the Wiffle Ball. When I grew up in Stratford, CT, on good days, is smelled the PEZ factory, on bad days, I smelled Rabestos brake pads.