Originally Posted by
civicmon
Tops: Houston. I had expectations entering without much preconceived notions and did not like anything about it. 90F at 9am, 90% humidity. Couldn't breathe, traffic was horrible at 11am on a tuesday... no wonder why the I-10 is going to 30 lanes. Traffic doesn't move otherwise..
Reno. Well, it's really not TOO bad. it's below the snow line (in most cases) which makes it fairly decent. Windy a lot, and downtown is tacky.
Atlanta: I had high hopes.. all the rappers talk about it. I even stayed in Buckhead... zzzz boring.. bad traffic and seemed really run down, even on Peachtree blvd...
Baltimore. I live 80 miles away and barely know my way through the city on 95. Never been to the harbor, despite the fact i know a guy who works for the Orioles and could get me box tix for any game.
I have to defend LA. I really, really like it. In fact, I find it to be more of a city than San Diego, Sacramento, Las Vegas, Phoenix and San Jose.. probably combined. The city has a LOT to offer. traffic does suck, the air's pretty bad and the people aren't the best this planet offers, but it's really, really got a lot of great restaurants and great neighborhoods.
For the record, I've never lived in LA.. been ~50 times... friends/family live(d) there... living there could suck.. i really don't know tho.
Orange County's a nice place to live, but a cultural wasteland like San Diego is.. San Diego is a gigant suburban sprawling city.
I'm just curious about why you found San Diego to be a cultural wasteland, or anyone else that may chime in that has disdain for SD? The reason I ask that I might be moving there in the next few months from LA.
I grew up in the Philly/NJ area, lived in San Francisco for 14yrs and now LA for 2yrs for the second time. I will agree on the various sentiments about LA, it is not for everyone. It is sprawl without a core center, downtown LA doesn't count in my opinion. Yes, it is a mix of all from people, food,arts,lifestyles, attitudes, etc, however the sprawl and the constant congestion of traffic everywhere including surface streets takes its toll. Overall quality of life here is just not that great, of course if you live in Malibu, Beverly Hills, and live a celebrity lifestyle that's another story.
I've been going to SD for the past 7yrs to visit monthy with friends etc, to me SD offers so much better quality of life. Big city with small town feel.
It has it all, cool neighborhoods, Gaslight District, Hillcrest, Coronado,University Heights, etc, great eats, Symphony,Opera,Globe Theatre,sports a real football team, great outdoor activities, highly educated population. Yes the freeways get congested like any city, but alas, the surface streets you can buzz all over the place.
LA is great to visit, and I do like many things about this town, but overall
just way too congested.