Superficial L.A. is reason to bask in its sunlight Last week, I was offered a job in Los Angeles. I was like, "Are you kidding? You want me to abandon my home, family and friends and all that's familiar? To leave my beloved Pacific Northwest in the glorious bloom of summertime to go apartment-hunting in L.A. in August?" Anybody want to buy a Belltown condo? Most of my friends and radio listeners think I'm crazy for going. Here are some of the top reasons they say I'll hate my new home. L.A. is a car culture. OK, this is a good point -- Los Angeles freeways are crowded, not empty like they are here. But on the bright side, while SUVs rule the Sound, the trendiest car in SoCal is the Earth-friendly hybrid Toyota Prius. My fiancée Sara just bought one and we plan to spend the long commute learning Spanish, tapping the brakes and watching the dashboard display switch from gas to electric and back. Read column by clicking this link. Jeff
I just was down in LA a few weeks ago (drove my Prius down from Canada). Compared to the northwest, LA is flat, dry, and dead. It's like living in the desert. That said, I could live/work in San Diego or San Francisco, I quite like those towns. Dave
Dave, it's like living in the desert, because it IS a desert!!! Our average rainfall in San Diego is around 10 inches per year, with almost all of our rain usually falling in January and February. Yes, it's on the coast, but our climate is definitely desert. The interesting thing about San Diego County (I think it's around 75 miles by 85 miles) is that you go up into the inland mountains about 45 minutes from downtown, and they usually get snow in the winter. It's pretty much a paradise, except for the fact that we don't have the lush greenery that wetter places have--but we also don't have the humid summers! That being said, the housing prices in San Diego (actually all of Southern California, and a lot of Northern California as well) are totally obscene. My parents moved here in the late 50's, and I remember in the late 60's or early 70's when the community of Rancho Bernardo first started. Top price at that time was $40,000, and it was a huge, beautiful model home. Sigh. Where's that time machine when I need it!!!!!!!!!!!
