Rick

has written 10 SperlingViews. Currently, Rick is living in Littleton, CO and has a little something to say:

Recent trip to Ithaca Posted On: 12/8/2007 8:00:32 AM

Traveled to Ithaca over the Thanksgiving holiday to relive the sights and sounds after a ten year hiatus. I haven't been to Ithaca in ten years since my graduation from college. Ithaca has certainly changed, in some ways for the better and in some ways not.
Driving through the residential streets of south hill, it becomes apparent that nothing has really changed. The houses still look the same for the most part and in some cases much worse vs ten years earlier. The roads are much worse. I'm not sure if the City of Ithaca has paved a road in ten years or so.
The Commons aka the "main drag" is virtually unchanged except for some new businesses and restaurants. Ithaca is still its old hippy self and very "green". The Commons certainly does draw some interesting looking characters but you can find such people in almost any city or village. People here really care about the environment and especially what kind of food they put into their bodies. It was very cold as I strolled through the commons, a balmy 29 F degrees BUT sunny!

Ithaca has many wonderful restaurants and coffee houses to choose from. Unfortunately, since my last visit Starbucks has moved into the downtown area. According to the locals, Starbucks was banned for as long as possible until Cornell overpowered the local activists. Speaking of Cornell, Cornell is the powerhouse of Ithaca. Cornell is the largest employer in Tompkins county. Between Cornell University and Ithaca College, Ithaca draws and maintains many intellectuals on all levels. Don't be surprised if your local barrista has a masters or PhD to boot. A new high rise hotel has sprung up since my last visit. It looks like a 9 or ten story Hilton Garden Inn.

The housing market has remained steady even over the course of the recent market downturn. Ithaca has about 30,000 residents but adds another 30,000 people or so during the school year. Ithaca has very good schools-education is a darling of the city. The schools on all levels are excellent.

The outdoor culture is amazing. There is plenty of activities to do in the great outdoors. Ithaca is known for its gorges and waterfalls. Ithaca also is home to many beautiful state parks. If you like wine tasting be sure to visit the local wineries, especially as you drive north along Lake Cayuga. Just name the activity and you can do it or find it in Ithaca such as mountain biking, 4-Wheeling, skiing, cross country skiing, snowshoeing, snowmobiling, swimming, biking and hiking just to name a few.

If you're considering moving to Ithaca, NY just be aware of the cost of living. Buying a home is not too expensive, but maintaining it can be more so. The property taxes are very very high(2.8-3.8% avg) and sales taxes are 8.25%. Welcome to NY. Heating Oil costs can also add to your monhtly bills during the harsh winter months.

If you like snow, wind and cold this is your place. You will get plenty of it during the long winter months. If you want more snow you can travel north and east to Syracuse, Rochester and Buffalo. The summer and fall months are so splendid to say the least. The weather is beautiful from May to October.

re: So much potential in SD squandered..... - 11/2 Posted On: 12/8/2007 7:09:59 AM

Thank you so much for speaking the truth about San Diego. I appreciate a realist, someone who has the mindset and guts to relay the faults of so called "America's Finest City"

just returned from Lexington with some sad thought Posted On: 10/12/2007 4:26:36 PM

My wife and I recently visited the Lexington Metro area. We were "scouting" out the area for possible relocation next year. The weather was extremely hot and humid. I was surprised at the lack of friendliness by the locals. The majority of the people we crossed paths with were reserved. I really was expecting outgoing, in your face southern charm on all occasions, but left Lexington disappointed. Don't get me wrong, I did meet a small handful of people whom were very upbeat and genuinely kind. Downtown Lexington seems to shut down after 6pm. We visited two malls that closed at 6pm on the weekend. This was very upsetting to say the least. Where is everyone? Also, on more than one occasion, many of the downtown restaurants were closed for breakfast or opened late morning. It eventually became a chore to locate a decent place to grab a bagel or such. Speaking of restaurants, the quality of service was subpar across the board. The servers seemed stressed and overwhelmed. I didn't get the sense I was receiving personalized service. On the upside: the food was excellent. Outside of the thousands of fast food parlors and chain/franchise establishments in Lexington, the city does offer some very nice local eateries with tasty fare.

If you like UK athletics and horses, Lexington, KY is for you-bar none. Basketball, football and thoroughbreds are in major supply all throughout bluegrass country.
Downtown Lexington certainly has a lot of potential to be a great city. The city seems to have a decent amount of space available for growth. There seemed to be a number of vacant storefronts waiting to be occupied.

Ok, now for all you non-smokers out there.....Lexington is full of smokers. Smokers everywhere!!! From what I read recently(2004), Lexington approved the ban of smoking in restaurants and some other indoor establishments. Regardless, Lexington has smokers, and plenty of 'em.

Ah, if you like horses, Lexington is the capital. Horse farms and horses everywhere. I think there are more horses than people!

I didn't see many dogs in Lexington, although I did see many dog grooming/dog spas and boarding kennels. Very interesting to say the least.

The other thing that really disturbed me was the lack of helmet wearing citizens. Motorcyclists and bikers alike were sans helmets. If you're a neurosurgeon looking for work-come to Lexington, KY.

Aside from the above comments I really appreciated some of the great features Lexington offers. The smoothest cleanest roadways I've ever seen and well marked too. Very low property taxes Low fuel prices, excellent police presence, a decent amount of parks, beautiful custom homes with lots of green space(very little cookie cutter style homes) and not many SUV's on the road.

Well, visit for yourself, once again this is just my observation.

Continued Comments from 2/25/07 Posted On: 8/13/2007 5:18:11 PM

Housing:
Forget about it. Not affordable by any means. Enough said. Move on.

Entertainment:
If you like to golf, surf, run, walk, bike then you’ll be very happy. If you like nice modern upscale restaurants, go elsewhere. If you like a large selection of nice clean updated movie theatres, go elsewhere. If you like to stay out late looking for a good time, go elsewhere. There is no “nightlife” in Carlsbad except for a few popular watering holes located in downtown Carlsbad.

Weather: The weather is the real reason 99% of people move here. The climate is really good. There is plenty of sunshine for most of the year. The summers are warm, NOT humid, very few bugs, and mild evenings; The fall is a joke. Don’t expect multi-color sugar maple leaves falling on your car or yard.

Shopping:
Yuck. If you like outlet stores, you’ll find plenty at the Carlsbad Outlet Center. Carlsbad has plenty of strip malls and one or two actual malls. Carlsbad offers a lot of commercial retail outlets. It’s very commercialized to say the least. The Forum outdoor mall is a very nice new edition.

Utilities, etc:
Electricity, water, trash, sewer, natural gas, auto fuel is very expensive. The local state sales tax is 7.75%. This number includes San Diego County and Carlsbad.

Animals:
Carlsbad is dog friendly, as is San Diego as a whole. Everyone has pets here. I wish Carlsbad had more off leash dog parks available but it doesn’t.

So people always ask me one question at the end of the day: Why do you continue to live here? Simple answer: I really like my job.

Continued Comments about Carlsbad from 2/25/2007 Posted On: 5/18/2007 6:30:13 PM

Soccer Moms/Stay at Home moms:
This group of people are found everywhere in SD, but especially in Carlsbad, You can easily spot 'em driving the kids around in a 30ft Cadillac Escalade with 22" chrome rims, Ford Excursion, Ford Expedition, GMC Yukon Denali, Chevy Suburban or the infamous minivan. I don't even know how some of these people see over the dashboard. Steer clear of these people, on the road and in parking lots. The women who drive such large metal beasts can't control such vehicles, and usually are distracted by a ringing cell phone, wild toddlers, or a loose dog.

GenX:
Disheveled, long, puffy, uncombed hair and surf all day is a good way to describe the look of Carlsbad Gen Xer’s. To some people, at first glance, one might think they’re homeless. It might sound crazy, but its very true. There are a lot of skateboarders as well. Don’t get me wrong, Carlsbad has some overachievers who probably spend more time at the library, and not the skate park or at the beach, but I haven’t seen ‘em.

Clothing styles:
You’re either IN or you’re OUT! If you’re from the east coast or grew up in a major city, you’ll experience some nasty clothing trends here in Carlsbad and other towns. Do the words frumpy, sloppy, outdated and tasteless ring a bell? Welcome to San Diego!

Retired Folks/Assisted living folk:
In abundance, just look for the Toyota Camry, or some luxury sedan and you will spot the blue hair crowd. I’m starting to believe that retirees are migrating from Florida to California. I think many Floridians are just outright disgusted with the climate in Florida, from humidity to bugs to hurricanes, to tornados.

Restaurants:
In two words-not good. If you like Mexican food then you've found heaven. There are so many Mexican restaurants here it is overwhelming. North County San Diego has very few dining options for decent quality food. Most of the restaurants here are expensive too. For the most part, you don't get what you pay for. Everything is expensive here!! Everything!! The sunshine tax is not a myth. I've had many bad meals here, ranging from poor quality food to small portions to really bad lazy service. If you're in a rush-forget about it. This is "manana" land. If you're accustomed to big city life or east coast style of living then you're in for something bad. The restaurants usually serve no later than 9pm during the week and maybe 10-11pm on the weekends if you're lucky. The better restaurants are located further south of Carl

Need feedback on Nicholasville Posted On: 5/18/2007 5:45:26 PM

My wife and I are considering moving to the Lexington/Nicholasville area. We would appreciate any feedback about the area. Thank you!

Welcome to Carlsbad Posted On: 2/25/2007 11:58:03 AM

I've lived in Carlsbad since 2003. Prior to moving to Carlsbad, I visited twice a year since 1997. A lot has changed in Carlsbad over the past ten years, some good and some bad. I have a lot of opinions about Carlsbad and of course San Diego in general. Living in North County San Diego is an experience. I've arrived at the conclusion that visiting a city on vacation is a much different experience vs. a local resident. Carlsbad is a city of about 100,000 people and growing rapidly.
If you're looking to move to Carlsbad, please visit on a number of occasions before relocating, it will make a difference in the long run. If you CAN deal with the following comments then you will enjoy a happy life in Carlsbad.

People: Too too many people for the overall infrastructure to handle. People seem to move here in droves. Many hail from in state and many from out of state flock to Carlsbad looking for that sunshine life. Lines are everywhere! Lines in/at restaurants, banks, traffic lights, retail stores, supermarkets-you name it there is a line to had here. The people range from very friendly to downright rude-aka a-holes. I would say a good amount of the people are truly nice people with good hearts. On the other hand, some of the so called friendly people are fakers and just pretend to be nice. Everyone here has the "no worries" attitude about life. No worries No worries. Wake up and smell the roses people!! Life is full of hardship and tragedy-don't play it off without any worries. On the other end of the spectrum the rude people are just plain rude. Don't expect many waves of "hellos" from passerby’s in cars and walking down the street or someone to hold a door for you. Don’t expect many people to compliment you either for whatever reason. I also find that many people in this town like to talk about themselves a lot, rather than ask you questions about your life or listen to what you have to say. Courtesy is non-existent here. If you sneeze, just God bless yourself and call it a day. For a place with so many "laid back people" everyone is in such a rush to go places. Where 'ya goin'??? As far as people diversity goes, I've met people from all walks of life, many religions and many ethnic backgrounds.

Soccer Moms/Stay at Home moms:
This group of people are found everywhere in SD, but especially in Carlsbad, You can easily spot 'em driving the kids around in a 30ft Cadillac Escalade with 22" chrome rims, Ford Excursion, Ford Expedition, GMC Yukon Denali, C

re: 2nd generation native Posted On: 9/1/2006 4:32:43 PM

I totally agree with your comments about San Diego. This city isn't worth its weight in gold. I've posted a comment on this website before listing all my personal issues with San Diego County and North San Diego County. I'm certainly siding with the previous post about San Diego never geared towards becoming a large city. The forefathers never saw it coming to this so called sleepy beachtown of sorts. Well, guess what? IT did in a big big way. When I see San Diego advertised in books and magazines, internet claiming only 1.2-1.5 million people I begin to sweat. The truth is San Diego County is compromised of approx 3 million people when you factor in North County San Diego too. We're currently either ranked the 7th or 8th largest city in America and growing by the hour-it seems. This was the busiest summer season I've seen in San Diego since moving to the area in 2003. Arizona, Oregon and many other out of state plates are seen on cars all over the county as you drive to and from your destination. The freeways and secondary roads are more congetsed this summer and there is no ryhme or reason for it-it just the number of people who are passing through the area, vacationing or residents. San Diego is stuck between two of the largest and busiest largely hispanic cities-Tijuana, MX and Los Angeles, CA. The amount of cars traveling between LA and TJ is too large to fathom. The 5 freeway is busy 24 hours a day. The only time I saw I-5 carless was on an early Tuesday morning at about 3-4am. It was hard to believe.

Aside from the cars on the road, San Diego residents must continualy deal with long lines at restaurants, stores, shops,etc. It seems like everywhere I go there are people, people and more people! Get out of my face. Give me space. Just a little bit please. If you don't like crowds don't move here b/c you're asking for trouble.

If you don't like attitude, reconsider San Diego. There is a lot of attitude here. Coming from the East Coast, I thought I was leaving some of the attitude behind but I was wrong, very wrong. The attitude followed my 3000 miles across the country. See, San Diego is not filled with many natives. SD is home to many transplants from all over the US and the world to be exact. I'm not sure where the selfishness or rude behavior stems from. I have ideas but I'm not really sure how to pinpoint it. I have good examples to boot. HAve you ever held a door open for someone walking behind you and recieved a nice "thank you" Well, NO

San Diego Dislikes Posted On: 4/26/2006 10:53:32 PM

What I don’t like about San Diego

FYI- I move to SD from Philadelphia in May 2003

Traffic
Bad Roads/bumpy roads/rough roads
Housing construction
Price of automotive fuel
Lack of quality public transportation
# of SUV’s on the road. Can't see ahead of you
# of cars on road at any given time
Rude people
# of drivers using cell phones while driving
9.3% income tax
7.75% Sales Tax
Small crowded airport
Laid back surfer mentality- "No worries" "No worries" "Everything is cool"
Too many Mexican restaurants, where's the diversity?
North County San Diego literally shuts down @ 9pm or 10pm M-TH
Lack of good quality restaurants and pricey
Too many tourists
Sensor controlled Traffic signals (not on timers)
Lack of commercial jet service from Palomar Airport only commerical props
Great bike lanes but too much Carbon Monoxide ingested/inhaled while biking from all the traffic and the increase in construction
Ultra expensive HOA fees
Mail delivered @ 4-5pm
Every mile is a shopping center
I’ve only been to the beach a handful of times since moving to San Diego
very Slow Drivers
Too many pick-up trucks jacked up higher than skyscrapers
Stupid Personalized license plates everywhere!
Light reflectors (lane) on Roadways
Drivers that pull out seconds before you reach an intersection(making a right on red)
Drivers who don’t use turn signals
Large # of Sex offenders in San Diego/Riverside Counties
Highest Gas Tax in the Country and proposal to increase gas tax
High Utility costs
Drivers that drive to end of freeway onramp and attempt to squeeze in

Any questions? I have some likes about SD, but as you can see not very many.

Read this before moving to San Diego County Posted On: 4/26/2006 11:29:57 AM

What I don’t like about San Diego

FYI- I move to SD from Philadelphia in May 2003

Traffic
Bad Roads/bumpy roads/rough roads
Housing construction
Price of automotive fuel
Lack of quality public transportation
# of SUV’s on the road. Can't see ahead of you
# of cars on road at any given time
Rude people
# of drivers using cell phones while driving
9.3% income tax
7.75% Sales Tax
Small crowded airport
Laid back surfer mentality- "No worries" "No worries" "Everything is cool"
Too many Mexican restaurants, where's the diversity?
North County San Diego literally shuts down @ 9pm or 10pm M-TH
Lack of good quality restaurants and pricey
Too many tourists
Sensor controlled Traffic signals (not on timers)
Lack of commercial jet service from Palomar Airport only commerical props
Great bike lanes but too much Carbon Monoxide ingested/inhaled while biking from all the traffic and the increase in construction
Ultra expensive HOA fees
Mail delivered @ 4-5pm
Every mile is a shopping center
I’ve only been to the beach a handful of times since moving to San Diego
very Slow Drivers
Too many pick-up trucks jacked up higher than skyscrapers
Stupid Personalized license plates everywhere!
Light reflectors (lane) on Roadways
Drivers that pull out seconds before you reach an intersection(making a right on red)
Drivers who don’t use turn signals
Large # of Sex offenders in San Diego/Riverside Counties
Highest Gas Tax in the Country and proposal to increase gas tax
High Utility costs
Drivers that drive to end of freeway onramp and attempt to squeeze in

Any questions? I have some likes about SD, but as you can see not very many.