No impressed by San Diego
-
1/29/2007
Moved to San Diego some weeks ago, and I am, so far, unimpressed by it.
I have lived in several US cities and have travelled to many cities in the world, with my favorites being NYC, where I lived for several years, as well as Philadelphia.
The good I have seen so far: Though these days have been for the most part cool, other times I have visited SD the weather has been beautiful, and the days clear and bright. I like the hilly terrain to look at (though it can be a challenge if you are used to a flat grid road system). I like the fact that drivers respect the pedestrians very much. And also I like the fact that there are many beaches nearby, as well as Mexico. I like the fact that the airport is so close and easy to get to. I like the fact that there is public transportation, and I think some of the parks are very nice. I like the fact that the zoo is surrounded by a great public park.
The bad so far: San Diego feels like a small town or a big suburb lacking infraestructure and cultural diversity. The architecture looks dull except for the attempt to make some houses look Spanish Colonial (Florida does a better job). There doesn't seem to be "flavor" to this city, and it feels very bland. NYC, Miami, Chicago, Boston, Philadelphia, etc. have very definite, strong and unique feeling to each of them. When you are in those cities, you KNOW you are in them.
The signs are pretty aweful on the road, and you can easily get lost among the curves and one way streets.
The tap water tastes aweful. Very salty. So I buy bottled water.
The downtown looks run-down. The area where I live is supposed to be nice (Mission Hills) but it is quite boring. There doesn't seem to be a pedestrian area where to go for a stroll in a city environment. People point to Hill Crest, but, unless I missed the best part, there appears to be only one street with two or three side walk cafes, and a couple of restaurants. It is hard to understand why San Diego doesn't take advantage of its great weather to give its city or neighborhoods some sense of sophistication or world-class look by simply lining up side walk cafes, restaurant, flower and souvenir shops, art galleries, etc.
Though I see people here complaining a lot about Hispanics, I have yet to find one who doesn't speak English. I guess most live in other neighborhoods.
About 90% of the people I have met are white, the rest some Hispanic, Asian and African American. All the young homeless peo
Pete | ,