Though I often feel the same way, as soon as someone says to me, “Sami, SD is boring,” I want to reply, “You’re boring. There’s tons of things to do here.” I think, as a tourist town, we want to protect our city from the ignorant criticism of visitors.
Still, maybe it’s just the softly trickling rain keeping me apartment-bound, but I am bored. Actually I’ve been carrying around a boredom monkey for awhile now. There’s sort of an ennui in happiness and stability, and this is not the best town in which to forage for chaos. In this heaven, we’re a bit oblivious to evil and all the fun it brings.
One time I was so bored I photoshopped pictures of a goat into my parents backyard and texted them to my brother, who lives in Berkeley.
I guess that’s part of why I got so wasted at Flick’s last night that the “kicky boots” and “bear arm” came out. Did I make out with Xanadu again? I didn’t wake up with her lipstick smeared on my face, so I’m guessing not.
This is a beach town, not a gritty cosmopolitan city with heated philosophical discussions in coffee shops. People flock here to relax, and the rest of us have to fight for our right to party. I am such a dork. Sorry. The closest I’ve had to a political conversation with someone in the past 2 months was a fight I picked with a constitutionalist about minority rights.
I’m a bleeding-heart liberal (except when Ron Swanson talks about pretty, dark-haired women and breakfast food and I want to be him) in a conservative, military town. The young hippies here drive me just as nuts with their pseudo-spiritualities and adherence to the astrological calendar. I don’t have time to care when the moon is in capricorn and uranus is over my hammy.
Here’s what San Diegans think we do when we’re bored:
- Surf
- Go to Julian
- Suntan regardless of season
- Tourist it up at Seaworld, Balboa Park, etc.
- Other outdoorsy stuff that sounds impressive on a dating profile.
This is what we actually do. Well, I do:
Drink alcohol. Beer is amazing here. Liquor is abundant and varied. Check out KnBs in Del Cerro.- Browse OkCupid. Mostly I use it to get new friends and you should too.
- Paint my nails.
- Thrift Shopping. If the sun is out and I have the day off, this is pretty much the only thing that will get me out in public. Because…
- Backyard / front-yard day drinking with my parents. They have 3 parrots and we have screaming contests.
- Arts and crafts. San Diego is one of the top 3 creative cities according to this bloke I discovered today named Richard Florida. I can always find a friend to do a photoshoot or collaborative paint, or make tutus.
- Find a band practice. I don’t play music, but I like to doodle while other people abuse guitars for 3 hours.
- Okayyyyyy I do enjoy nature crap. Sometimes. A night hike on Cowles will draw out good conversation with a friend.
- Video games with friends.
Here’s a video of me playing Dead Space 2. Warning, I suck.
Do you agree that SD is boring and what do you do to stay entertained? Comment below. You don’t need an account or anything; it’s easy to leave a comment.
Sorry about the short post! My friend made me start over from scratch because my first draft was yet another lesbian rant…
San Diego Survival Guide 
move to 90% of town in the midwest for a few years. then tell me how boring it is. spoiled! yikes!
I’m incredibly spoiled, like most of the people who live here.
Triggered.
Wandered in, looking for sh!t ta do. You kind of indirectly validated everything the author wrote.
Lot of privilege blindness in SD. And gatekeeping.
If you think SD is boring, you are high or just an incredibly boring person. *shrug*
Probably at least one of those things is true.
Right, because every item this person listed who supports San Diego as not boring, is actually, not boring themselves.
I came to San Diego for a week, for a little holiday. I’ve been living in NY for 3 years now and aside from that have lived in several small and large cities around North America. I think that San Diego is in a lovely location, has some cute/quaint areas, has some fun tours and activities, great restaurants, etc… But my main question is… Where are all of the people in the daytime? I was staying in the Gaslamp district and was expecting your average hustle and bustle of morning traffic, both walking and driving. Both tourists and locals. But when I left the hotel that first morning, at approximately 830-9ish, not only was it like pulling teeth to find a restaurant that actually served breakfast, but there was barely a soul on the streets or sidewalks! It was surreal. The one day where there seemed to be some kind of action was a Saturday and there was music playing in the street. I thought, ok, finally, maybe this is a weekend place, but I came to find out that it was a wedding. I found myself fantasizing about crashing the wedding just so that I could remember what it was like to have more than one person within arms length. Do they make soylent green in San Diego, is there an influx of Vampires? What’s the dillyo yo? Any input would be much appreciated!
I wanted to wait until I was back in SD to reply. All I can really do is concur. Where, where are all the people? They can’t really be at the beach every day, can they?
Of course, you can’t really compare us to a city with the population density of New York.
But part of what you’re experiencing is good-weather confirmation-bias. The sun makes you expect to see more people. I was in San Francisco last week for what turns was an unbelievably flawless bout of weather for them. I went to Dolores park in the middle of a Tuesday and it was packed — everyone wanted to enjoy the sunshine while it lasted.
In San Diego this would just be another Tuesday and we’d either be at work or sitting at home watching TV. There might be one jogger and one family at the local park.
For a better midday public experience, you might try getting out of the Gaslamp (which is only packed at night) and heading for North Park or Hilcrest. Of course, you’ll need a cab. And it will cost a bunch of money. Yeah, there’s a reason we call San Diego a “town” — you can’t expect it to act like a “city.”
To weaken your argument in regards to San Francisco you admitted that the general population of San Diego not really caring about being out in the sun.
Right…because we take it for granted. The moment we want it and it’s not there, we feel betrayed by our city.
People sleep in until noon, they got drunk, high whatever everynight. This is like one big college city, no delis, no good food, dirty streets, no eye contact, no conversations, no vibe. Actually nothing to do but go to the dirty beach and get high!
Got to go inland for the hustle and bustle Sorento valley and East San Diego gives you an LA Frisco fell
The only hustle and bustle going on in Sorrento Valley is people going to work. I’ve worked there for 20 years. Once work’s over, the place turns into a ghost town.
Are you fucking kidding me? Sorrento Valley is a failed attempt of Silicon Valley. East San Diego doesn’t even compare to L.A or S.F. Try living in California for at least 5 years before commenting next time. lol! San Diego as a whole attracts mid western and southern fat asses who look like they can barely afford a vacation. Not to mention, the up tight east coast transplants who get completely bent out of shape when we put them in their place on a daily basis.
Hostile much
I think a big problem here is how difficult it is to get to know people as a transplant. I moved here from Denver and noticed that people are very introverted; in contrast. It is a gorgeous city, but eventually, after you’ve been living here for a year and a half and you still don’t have anyone to go to the beach with, it can get boring. Also, I notice people look at you like your crazy if you try to introduce yourself. This definitely isn’t the entire city, but a good chunk of people that I met here. And coming from a city like Denver, where people absolutely love having “deep” discussions about anything “out there,” I noticed its hard to find people with similar interests in SD. This really would be the most amazing city if the locals weren’t so socially challenged and would step outside of their shells more often.
Arthur, you are absolutely right. Your average SD local is not interested in having “deep” discussions with strangers (or even at all). The social climate is very surface-level, with an emphasis on keeping things non-controversial and fluffy. I find it easy to strike up a conversation with anyone at a bar, but it is often one-sided (they’re just amused by my antics) and I don’t obtain lasting friendships that way. San Diegans are permissive of most things but receptive to few.
Some people join the SD Reddit group and find friends there, you could try hanging out in college areas (if that’s your age group), or attempt to make friends through OkCupid. I’ve detailed the last strategy in this post: https://sdsurvivalguide.com/2013/08/29/okcupid-for-friends-and-lovers-sd-survival-guide-critical-strategy-and-expose/
All of southern California is like this. Boring robotic anti-social
FYI, boring and robotic people aren’t anti-social! Instead, they’re asocial. So don’t confuse those two synonyms that start with the letter A.
But how can southern California have those characteristics? They don’t seem that way due to all the stereotypical blondes who are native to it.
Totally, wtf. Came from Denver as well. This place has no community. Dull and uninteresting.
Yeah, wtf? I’ve managed to find community but only after dating one of the most socially connected people in SD (and she’s only that way after some serious binge okcupid dating). Super boring except with considerable effort
Agree ! I hardly find any place boring because if you have an interesting view every place has something to show you. And out of all San diego can as it never be boring
I’ve lived in SD for about 7 years and I’m glad to be back home in LA!!! Jesus Christ how boring that city is I swear on everything I love! If you like tourist spots, golf courses, and wannabe bangers then yes SD must be a paradise for u. For me however it was a living hell.
Haha most San Diegans I know say they hate LA but I think they’re just covering up insecurities. I’ve enjoyed my visits to your home town except this sneaking suspicion I totally am not prepared for it.
It’s refreshing to hear these opinions about San Diego. I come from a small rust belt town and,l as horrible as that town was/is, there is more of a sense of community. S.D. is smoke, mirrors, and a surface-level endless summer vibe. L.A. does not live up to its bad reputation in my opinion. I love the neighborhoods there and the vibe is just more real. Haha golf. I hate golf so much.
Amen
Im from LA as well been here 10 years (not by choice) and it is a living hell.
People are passive aggressive AF for no reason. People are paranoid even though its a relatively safe city and are ignorant about culture.
Dont let them fool you. Even Palmdale is funner. Its the people that make it fun not the beaches.
What an interesting post. I was glad to find it. I’m from Georgia, which is WAY more boring than SD, but I’ve been out here 2 years now and I’ve come to the conclusion that the whole country is a bore, really…I’ve lived in Asia for years, and you can’t say that about where I was staying, but anyway…
I agree with you. Definitely a beach town, definitely a military town, and I personally find SD very sterile. The police run the show here like the rest of the country, but there’s good and bad to it.
The good is that there is order here. Of course with order comes ‘boredom’, but it’s better than too much chaos I guess. I’m a little older so my wild days are behind me.
I don’t know…I was trying to figure out why it’s so boring here, but your article helped me figure it out. And I love the comments people left.
I play music to keep life interesting. It’s a very unmusical town and yet that’s not entirely true cuz I’ve seen the hipsters going to their indie rock shows….I even dated one of them.
What keeps me in San Diego is the good healthcare, my bands, and my buddies. Plus I looked at a map of the country and I can’t figure out a better place to go.
Anyway, thanks for sharing. A great post. Helped me figure some things out.
Thank you for your thoughtful post! I think “sterile” is a very apt description. Anyway keep digging into the music scene – there’s definitely something there. We do have the casbah, after all. What’s your genre?
You are right san diego is a boring town the clubs suck, the people suck, and there is no culture. Oh well San Diegans are dumb. You want fun, culture, and great club scenes LA county is just up the road. Thank God for that.
Is San Diego expensive, boring, cold, and conservative? | SDvsALL.com
Is San Diego expensive, boring, cold, and conservative? - SD vs ALL
After living in bigger cities……yeah, it is not only boring but it has another very serious problem.There are no jobs or ways to make money.Unless you are military or molecular biologist, in SD you can either be a waiter or a barmen or a taxi driver…….that’s it.No people to run into, no caffees where they hang out…simply quite empty looking for millions that reside here.
you hit the nail on the head, in my opinion. there’s no industry there other than military or tech. everybody can’t be in the craft beer scene, and there’s only so much “small business” that can thrive. it’s sad because sd is a physically beautiful place but is economically dead for the majority of its residents. and yes– it is overly-policed as well. very scary to go down there and see all those huge police vans seemingly EVERYWHERE.
Like what you have to say californiaqueen. An interesting perspective. I am in Atlanta, GA now and all I can say is I think it’s cheaper to live in SD when you factor in cost of health care. Public transit is cheaper in SD than here for disabled passengers if you can believe it. Georgia is almost the worst in the nation for health care, being a racist, redneck, Republican, poor people hating state. That’s the one thing that SD offers is better social services. Look I know it’s boring in SD, ok? Look, if you’re poor out there, there ain’t really anything to do but go to the beach and visit your friends. I also go to the Library a lot, and that’s free. And as for the police…..they run the show in SD. Yes they are too heavily armed. Yes they are scary. And No, I don’t go anywhere near them. I hate cops. They have WAY too much power in this country. The only way to make San Diego, CA NOT suck is to reach out to people and make friendships. Those bonds are the vessels that will help us navigate the water of this boring, sterile, and yes, physically beautiful city….except for the lack of trees and grass. I wish it were greener, but I chose the coastal desert. Can’t blame anyone else for that. Maybe I’ll check out Oregon. I don’t hear too much bad about Portland or Eugene.
If they knew how to utilize the port there would be great jobs for so many. But it’s a hotel port not a real port
This isn’t exactly true. SD is not a town for the uneducated or the unskilled. If you have the right skill set, you will find good jobs. It’s like that all over the country now. Especially with manufacturing jobs leaving the USA. Now, our current president has promised to bring those back, but we’ll see. The days of making a living with “on the job training” jobs have been gone for a very long time.
This town sucks more ass than the plumbing at Starbucks. There is so much to hate here, that you will just scream after two weeks of living here. I got out, then moved back in January, and now I just hate life more than ever. There are way too many people here, and not enough infrastructure to handle it. This place is growing so fast that I can not imagine how traffic could get worse, but it does by the day. Just praying for another economic meltdown so the tourists STOP COMING HERE! I hate this place more than anywhere in the US, except for anywhere in the Midwest – Yeee-ikes, scary.
Hi!
I found your comment on this blog post very interesting. Was wondering if, a year and some later, you still feel the same way? Are you still in San Diego, or have you moved on? I live in San Francisco (have done for a little over 13 years), but am sick of the perpetually cold weather, and have been thinking about moving south to San Diego. I’ve had friends tell me that, as a bit of a City Slicker, I might find San Diego a bit boring, mainstream or sterile. Do you still feel the same as you did in your comment?
If I didn’t have an army of amazing friends, I’m pretty sure I’d find this town boring. Change your location on okcupid to San Diego and make some like minded friends (yeah it’s a dating site but you can make friends there too) before moving!
I was born and raised in SF and lived in various places throughout the Bay Area. We moved down here to San Diego county almost exactly a year ago. When we first moved I was excited with everything being a new experience. But that quickly faded. I can attest to practically every comment here.
It is boring as hell here. There are no people around during the day at all the hot spots, no people watching, no hustle or bustle. I found Little Italy to be really cute and quaint. But if it’s not a weekend evening or not during the Saturday farmer’s market time, there’s no one around! I find this to be true of practically every touristy area. No culture. No good food other than Mexican. No good coffee anywhere! Went to all the highly rated places…nothing! I always thought I was a beachy gal. But the beach gets old. No good hiking trails other than maybe Torrey pines, unless you like desert hikes with no shade and nothing to look at. Compared to the Bay Area everything is so spread out and there’s so many highways to take just to get to another part of town like from east county to north county. I think sterile is a great adjective that sums up San Diego. Sterile and one-dimensional, like its weather. San Diego is a nice place to visit but you don’t want to live here, especially if you’re used to da City.
There’s very little late night life here, and I’m not just talking about clubs. Restaurants are closed by 9 or 10 PM. Drug stores close by 10 PM. Gas stations are closed by midnight. Even the movie theaters are done by 11PM. Grocery stores are open a little later…midnight – 1AM, but that’s recent. I’m from Minneapolis, and there was much more open 24 hours culture up there. UTC area has four places that are open 24 hours, but that is not representative of the rest of the city.
The few events that are available aren’t affordable. You have to have at least a master’s degree in a STEM field to make decent money in San Diego.
Interesting post. Another angle on San Diego’s unique and bizarre situation, where you have such coastal beauty and yet so much lacking in community. I didn’t know that about the Master’s. I live on Social Security and it’s amazing that I survive out here, but there are plenty of homeless people surviving on a lot less than I have. Thanks for Sharing.
I totally agree, San Diego is so boring. I came here for New Years weekend and I’m cutting my trip short one day because I’m so over it. There are way too many flannel shirts and ratchet bars in this city. I love my books and brought some for the ride back home but I found myself finishing one just now and was so bored I legit googled “Why is San Diego boring?” and “Is San Diego boring?”. Your blog came up and I found comfort to my neurosis. I came here to help a friend settle into her new apartment so she wouldn’t be alone but i found myself being her wing man to her Online dating meet up for her next free meal and drink ticket. There are good places to eat, and hike so I’ll give San Diego that much street cred but all the people I’ve met so far have hardly anything to conversate about other than your typical hippie things and what restaurant or bar to hit up next. Not that I have any thing against hippies, I can totally hold my own in astrological and “live in the moment” talks but I crave and miss my hyper intelligent snobs who drink Expressos and can school me in politics or enlighten in a philosophical convo. Anyways, I’m sorry for this lesbian rant but my friend is POD (passed out drunk) and snoring and now I can’t sleep or wait to get back to my city. I wish I had more chill but I do not.
Labyrinth Life, you have interesting things to say. Reading your post made me feel better. There’s no urgency in San Diego, so there’s no real pulse.
“No urgency” — exactly right. Can I get that on a t-shirt?
Sorry, the access might not have been set right on my last link for this. I’ve since fixed it (Don’t worry: It’s safe) :
https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B654edNkzj-IS3ZLRnFGdEYwdU0/view?usp=drivesdk
Yup, there’s something seriously wrong San Diego. Ever since I visited Portland, Washington, and Canada over the summer I’ve been bothered. There’s life out there.
Dude right? And life is way too short.
Hey Lab, what cities do you like? I live here and I’m always asking people this question to get new ideas. It’s strange because there are elements about it that keep you here but I’m always craving something more/different.
It’s a boring town, run by a boring, conservative business elite that is scared that anything resembling grassroots culture will shift voting demographics. In response house parties and art shows are squeezed out until the people at the heart of any sort of culture movement eventually pack up for LA. If you follow the people that run this town, you know how milquetoast they are.
I live in Chicago. Born and raised and I have always wanted to live someplace warmer. Los Angeles was always my dream but after my visit there in 2009 I changed my mind because I didn’t like some things about the town and it just wasn’t what I expected. So flash forward to 2016 and I still have the desire to move elsewhere. The housing market in Chicago sucks and I cannot see ever buying a place here unless I want to live in the ghetto or burbs which I do not lol. Its also very segregated here but I wouldn’t necessarily say that it is racist though there have been discriminatory incidents. But anyway, I just want to leave mostly because of the weather and I’m just bored in general and need something new. I was considering San Diego but as I read an article about reasons to move here something prompted me to search for ‘is San Diego boring” because it kind of seemed that way as you never hear anything about the city. And that is how I came across this post. Though this is a small number of the populace confirming the city’s boredom, there has to be something to it if the consensus is the same right? I am an introvertish person but since I’ve lived in the city all my life I think I might miss the hustle and bustle and I do enjoy interacting with others. Plus I’m not married and don’t have any kids so I’d need friends to have a life. Oh well, back to the drawing board :-(
I’ve replied to this comment at length, here: https://sdsurvivalguide.com/2016/03/01/should-i-move-to-san-diego/
Thanks, Sami, glad I wasn’t the only one to notice. I often feel like a negative person because I feel San Diego might be sucking the life out of me. I feel negative because if you describe San Diego it is close to describing paradise, but for some reason the reality is completely otherwise. Hope that made sense. Hard to put my finger on why it’s boring. I keep coming back to the people
I refer to San Diego as Bland Diego…bland people, bland restaurants, bland nightlife…the second I stop talking, the conversation ends. This is a Midwest beach town with military that borders a third world country. The people are shallow and hypersensitive–God forbid you say anything negative about San Diego you get an infantile “if you don’t like it here, why don’t you leave”.
I have had thin skinned people eavesdropping on my conversations who get offended by comments I make. Then when I call them on it and tell them to mind their business, they move on like the pussies they are.
Even the weather and ocean is overrated. December through March is chilly and you cannot even go into the ocean without a wetsuit 10 months out of the year. I get a kick out of watching people freezing their ass off in February when they wear shorts and flip flops when it is 57 degrees–these must be the same schmucks who wear ski caps when it is 90 in September.
It seems as though bartender and waiter is the number one profession in San Diego with a 40 year old hoping to aspire to be the head bartender at Fluxx or open up a tattoo shop by his 45th birthday.
I have never run into as many 9th year juniors still in college (reminiscent of Animal House) or the GED wannabe crowd that fills the Gaslamp on weekends….on the other end of the spectrum, Del Mar is exciting at 7PM but turns into Dull Mar by 9:30PM.
I have never seen such feminine and soft guys in my life as I have in San Diego and so many non feminine women as in San Diego.
I should add, SD would make the perfect witness protection city–if you do not initiate a conversation all the time nobody will talk to you or ask anything of substance. If you want to be left completely alone or bleed to death in the street with nobody coming to your aid, SD is your town.
I moved from Orange County because I found the people snooty (especially Newport Beach); however, I have come to the realization that at least they have their act together–unlike here….with the exception of some wealrhy beach cities and Rancho a Santa Fe/Poway, most of SD reminds me of a glorified Whittier or Long Beach.
Do people from SD escape their bubble?…seems for many, their vast worldly travels consist of here, Scottsdale, Cabo and Hawaii…such a diversified life you live.
Of course, there is a benefit…I find the people so dumb and lame here I get by using 5% of my brain and am still smarter than 95% of the population. Every time my boss threatens to fire me I tell him to take a look at the talent pool here. He reconsiders, tells me I make a great point, I’m coming up on 30 years with one of the leading bellwether tech firms in the world, and I am retiring early in less than 2 years.
Your comments are very useful information. I live in San Francisco, and am sick of the perpetual cold up here (it’s almost ALWAYS 55 degrees), and have been thinking about moving to San Diego, for the better weather. Your comments offer some valuable insight. Perhaps I need to consider some other places (LA, perhaps)…
Bottom line folks: SAN DIEGO IS BORING UNLESS: You love the Padres, drink lots of beer, golf, surf, like to admire your plastic surgery face in the mirror, have fake boobs, have lots of money so u can buy a an expensive flashy car, you like to be tan all the time, you have half a brain, you like to listen to bubble gum music, you are a cultureless nit wit & much more!.
Why is San Diego so…?
I believe life is what you make of it. I don’t find San Diego boring at all. I find that the people who think it is boring are younger and or broke. I agree San Diego closes early, but I’ve lived in cities that close earlier. To the person that said she was from Minneapolis: I’m from Saint Paul, and downtown there closed at 6PM Mon-Friday, and was not open on weekends. San Diego is a party compared to that. I think San Diego is a frustrating place to be for a lot of people. The city is expensive and only a small part of the population makes enough money to get out and enjoy the city. You have to be in a STEM field or in healthcare just to compete for a decent paying job in this town. Don’t major in English lit or art history and expect to make a good living in San Diego. Everyone else makes ~$12hr, and that means living with people to pay rent, which is also frustrating, especially after a certain age. San Diego has a huge military presence, which makes it a more conservative city, but I don’t have a problem with that. I’m the type that when I do go to a coffee shop (I’m in one now), I plug up my laptop, put on the wireless headphones, and I get to work on whatever I need to. I don’t want to talk to other people, especially ones I don’t know. What city doesn’t have people like that? There are extraverted people in every city too, but I find they’re fringe people. Still, they exist, and you can find them if you look hard enough. In short, if you live in San Diego, and find it boring, look in the mirror for a reason why.
I have lived in SD and Orange County. SD is a giant suburb of LA in my opinion. LA wins my residence because I prefer to live in a big, international city, but that’s just me. I definitely enjoyed my two years in SD as well,
Similarities of SD and LA/OC:
1. Great weather – SD is a bit cooler than LA/OC
2. Great beaches – SD is more terrain-unique, LA/OC are larger and have more eye candy
3. Bad traffic – LA is worse, but SD isn’t that much better off
4. Great food – LA has more int’l variety, but SD wins the taco/burrito challenge
5. Pretty people – LA and inland OC is diverse, SD and coastal OC is all Barbie/Ken wannabes
Differences of SD and LA/OC:
1. LA is a CITY. SD is a town.
2. Shopping in LA is way way far better than SD. SD has a handful of outdoor malls that are all the same and that’s it. LA has endless unique shopping opportunities throughout it’s never-ending cavernous layout of neighborhoods.
3. Gaslamp is crazier than any neighborhood in LA. LA however has many different neighborhoods to party in depending on your preferences. SD has Gaslamp if you’re straight, Hillscrest if you’re LGBT, PB/OB if you’re in college, and TJ if you wanna get robbed. Good luck beyond that.
4. SD has more surfing and less people. LA/OC beaches have far more activities besides surfing, and more people
5. LA/OC is a grid, SD is windy roads. If you have a tough time finding your way around town, it’s a lot easier to be in LA/OC. If you don’t mind getting lost, then SD is your better bet.
6. Sports – LA wins hands down, although the MLB Padres and AHL Gulls do represent well.
7. Cost of living – they both suck. LA is a tad bit cheaper, and there’s more jobs.
8. SD is half liberal and half conservative. LA is way more liberal than conservative.
9. SD can become boring unless you like living in a small city. LA just goes on and on, and I could live there 20+ years and still get lost. SD I figured out entirely within my first six months.
10. SD is a city of mesas, so you drive up and down mini-valleys all the time to get from one neighborhood to another, similar to SF. LA is mostly flat. Take your pick depending on what you like.
11. SD airport is very convenient and beautiful, but good luck finding direct flights to other cities, and good luck getting home if you’re flight in another city is cancelled. LAX sucks because it lacks character and convenience, but you could be in Iceland and have your flight cancelled and re-book with another airline to get home faster than your original ticket.
12. Both cities are trying to catch up with the East Coast when it comes to rail transit. SD has a better grasp on this since the city limits are smaller.
I lived in San Diego for 3 years and left for a bigger city. While the weather and scenery are outstanding, the cost of living was just to high. San Diego is best suited for wealthy families or retirees. Its not a great environment for younger working class singles. The city lacks a certain energy and its really a smallish downtown area surrounded by suburban sprawl. SD has some charm and a really strong craft beer scene. The restaurants are decent and the Mexican food is omg delicious. Overall its a nice place to visit and live (if you are wealthy or earn 200k+ annually). However if you are younger (under 35) you may find it a bit boring and if you earn less than 100k you will be lucky to save any money unless you are extremely frugal and don’t travel much. If you love outdoor activities SD is a great place to be as well.
I have been living here for 14 years. I stay because I make a great living. I too tell my boss, “look at the talent pool out here” when she gets angry with me, If you do not make over 100,000 you will have nothing to do in SD. I can see Balboa park in 2 hours and the zoo. The people are dirt bag druggies that drink and smoke pot all day. No ambition no motivation just dull. Very hard to make friends and build relationships. TONS of HOMELESS all over, we have the largest Hep A outbreak in the country from human feces on the streets. The worst roads and downtown looks like a movie set from Twilight zone most days, just tumble weed. I will be leaving after I am done sucking every penny out of this cultural wasteland!
San Diego is expensive and dull. I grew up there. I lived there from the age of 4 to the age of 52. Nothing ever changes in a nothing town. I finally got out.
This is the most boring article ever
i am a native san diegan. san diego is an embarrassment. i go up to LA alot San Fran even San Jose. for being the 7th largest city in America San Diego and its hospitality industry has destroyed our city. these clowns fear industry, world trade, and diversity. especially kusi a red neck garbage station.
How has the hospitality industry ruined San Diego?
So glad I found this post. It’s Saturday morning and I have nothing to do. I’m a 38 year old dad living in Carmel Valley and I am incredibly bored. My life by definition is somewhat boring already, but when I do get some free time like when my wife takes our daughter to swim lessons, or we get a babysitter, at first I get really excited but then I just get really bummed because it feels like there’s nothing to do. I inevitably spend half an hour on Google Maps trying to find things to do. I’ve lived here 10 years now, half of that living in P.B. when I was younger. If you’re in your 20s, love drinking and going out with friends and coworkers, then I think San Diego can be pretty fun. Daytime hanging out at the beach, surfing, then going out to the bars is great. Especially if you like to get high. But once you outgrow that lifestyle it gets real boring real fast. There’s nothing at Balboa Park I’m interested in going to anymore. I’ve been to all the museums and the zoo multiple times. The collections never really change and nothing new really ever comes in. There’s a few modern art museums but they’re very small and not interesting. My favorite culture type thing to do is Birch Acquarium, for some reason that never gets old to me. Another favorite thing to do is go to Torrey Pines but I’ve gone hiking there over a hundred times already. I used to enjoy going up to the mountains but again that kinda gets old real quick. Gaslamp is just too touristy for me, and Little Italy is too small and crowded. At this age if you’re not surfing, cycling, or playing some kind of sport like soccer on the weekends, followed by craft beers with your buddies, you’re really out of luck. And even if you do that, once that’s over there’s not much to do. The relationships are somewhat fake and most people I’ve met are opportunistic. You have to clique up with people who can get you something or something for you so that you can afford to stay out here. Once I gave up the party life, I haven’t had any friends that I can call up and just ask how are you doing, how’s it going, want to come over for a little bit. Even the playdates with other parents are non-existent. Everything revolves around activities, i.e. instead of come over and let’s play it has to be let’s meet at basketball practice and then go home right after. There’s an incredibly competitive vibe too. Even when you’re driving to and from places people feel the need to race to their next event. It feels like everyone is in a big rush to get to their next boring thing to do. And I agree with the overall police and military presence making things feel a little too uptight. If you’re chilling at the beach and see two fighter jets fly over head, you can’t help but think of war. My advice would be to move here, enjoy the beach life until that gets boring, and then move somewhere else! Unfortunately you won’t be able to though because you’ll be addicted to the weather!
The bad thing about San Diego is most fun stuff happens near san diego itself. North county san diego is boring AF. Its not midwest believe me but it is boring.
Los angeles offers a lot more but its overwhelmingly crowded.
The suburbs are mostly people in their 40s up which sucks if you are young.