STYLETHREAD -- LET'S TALK SHOP!

kenzie · Chanel

For those of you who live in or are familiar with...

Karina · Chanel

RE: For those of you who live or are familiar with...

Kel · Coach

I have no advice either, but I want to say after reading all your post about all the trouble you have been having, that I am proud of you and think you are really brave for being determined to reach your goal.

ejc423 · Coach

RE: For those of you who live in or are familiar with...

jah · Dooney & Bourke

I'm pm'ing you. I currently live in ATL and am moving to San Diego at the end of this month (I spend a great deal of time in SD for work so know the city pretty well).

lynnie · Chanel

I actually haven't been to too many of those places- just Savannah- didn't spend too much time there and I'm not really sure the south is for me =/ But it IS beautiful, and I've heard Charleston is GORGEOUS, my dad always wants to take us there. I've also heard wonderful things about San Diego, and there are some very nice parts of L.A., I'm sure Crystal, Lilykind, and a few others could go on more about that. Of those cities, I wouldn't choose Las Vegas. It seems like a good place to visit- many people are happy to spend a few days there and then leave. If you lived in Cali, you could easily visit Vegas without having to live there. You should take a trip out to see the LA girls and then decide. Part of me has the California bug too, but not sure I have the guts to leave everything behind and move across the country.

gingembre1 · Kate Spade

SAN DIEGO!!!!

I give HUGE thumbs up to this city. I could go on and on and on about San Diego. In fact, anytime anyone goes there to visit I usually give them a long list of places to eat, visit, etc. I went to college at UCSD, lived in La Jolla/UTC area. Believe me, San Diego is the best place ever. It's relatively young, tons of stuff to do, BEAUTIFUL weather, the people are laid back, the beaches are gorgeous, the men are hot and wealthy, the food is AMAZING... Please, please, please choose San Diego so I can live vicariously through you. Work took me away from San Diego, and I would love more than anything in the world to move back there someday.

PM me for more specific reasons to live there, and also if you have ANY questions about San Diego.

Lilykind · Hermes

For all that I complain about Los Angeles, I do really like it here. The only place in the country I would rather live is in New York (lynnie, wanna switch places? ). From what I know about you, your personality is a perfect fit for here...you would have tons and tons of opportunities to immerse yourself in culture and performance. Plus you would have tons of places that you appraoch to sell your jewelry and tons of weekend fairs where you could have a booth. With LA, you get a little bit of everything (mountains, beach, valley...heheh). As long as you stay out of the Hollywood rat race, everyone's pretty chill and laid back. Oh, and fish tacos are the best food ever, and they're best had at Wahoo's Fish Taco, which is based out here.

Vegas is a four hour drive away, so you can always visit on the weekends. I have no advice on Vegas as I've never been there and can't really appreciate all of it anyway, since it's still not legal for me to drink or gamble. *sigh*

I love San Diego too, but I personally find it a bit too small. I was born in New York City, though, so you may want to take that with a grain of salt. La Jolla is BEAUTIFUL...so much so it makes me want to cry. The gaslamp district is darling too. Also, SD has the best weather in the country (it's WAY better than LA weather) and a very small threat of earthquakes. One of my friends lives there right now and he really likes it, except for the fact that there aren't that many Wahoo's out there.

kenzie · Chanel

I gotta say that I'm leaning strongly toward LA. For those of you who have been around here long enough, you'll remember that I have wanted to move there for years. lynnie, I have visited there a few times, so I am somewhat familar with it already.

Vegas is actually my second choice. My game plan when I graduated from college (way back when) was to move to Vegas for a year just for kicks and then on to LA. I am slightly obsessed with LA. San Diego is probably a tie for second with Vegas, but I've never been to SD, so I can't say for sure.

Thanks for all of your input, ladies!

gingembre1, I'm pming you.

-- Edited by NylaBelle at 12:07, 2005-09-04

honey · Gucci

i think la would be a good place for you. mainly b/c the la girls seem to love it, and you could make really great connections for your jewelry.

i don't have much to say about the other places with the exception of atl. take this with a grain of salt b/c i don't live there -- but my mom does, and i visit her frequently. in my humble opinion, it doesn't seem like that great of a place for young single people (though i do think it could be a great place to settle if you're a young couple/family) all the times i've been there i've never seen an exorbitant number of young singles/young couples (without children). like when my family goes out to eat and stuff, i've never really seen a lot of singles, or even young couples at restaurants/bars. (for what's it worth, my older brother lives in dallas and he and i are of the same opinion about the seeming lack of young people.) the overall impression that i've gotten from there is that it's great if you're looking to lay down roots, but if you're just getting started, it might not be for you. but i'm sure other ladies will have more insight.

NCshopper · Hermes

I was born and raised in San Diego, and yes, it's a beautiful, wonderful, amazing city, and I still very much consider it home, but there are some MAJOR drawbacks to living there.

1) The traffic is HORRIBLE. It was bad when I was growing up, but it gets exponentially worse every time I go out there to visit. There are two major freeways going North and South with as many as 11 lanes going in each direction and they're like parking lots from about 5 am-10pm. At this point, I think LA's traffic is better than San Diego's.

2) It's expensive. That's the main reason we don't live there. We've simply been priced out. Gas is expensive, electricity is expensive, food is expensive, and rent/mortgages are expensive. A small starter home or condo will cost about $500,000+ to buy and $700+ to rent per month per person (and you would have to probably have a roommate). An apartment just for yourself would be at least $1,000 a month. Every single one of my friends that still lives there still lives with their parents because of the expense.

I'm not trying to talk you out of moving to San Diego, because it's a great city and it's so much fun, but the cost of living is ridiculously high.

Feel free to PM me if you have any questions about San Diego--it's the city I still call "home."

P.S.--I'm glad to hear you're moving back in with your mom for a bit. I know it's not ideal for you, but it sounds like it's the best option you have right now. It sounds like this is a necessary step for you to start getting ahead.

halleybird · Hermes

I've spent a lot of time in LA, San Diego and Vegas, but never lived there.

-I adore San Diego -- it's beautiful and the weather is amazing. It is expensive, though, and it definitely has more of a "laid back" vibe vs. the kind of city vibe you get in LA. But if you like a smaller feel, some of the communities feel very homey and small-townish, which is really nice, too.

-I really like LA, but I am not sure I'd want to live there (that's just my personality, though). The traffic & general geographic spread of the city is a little overwhelming to me. Plus, it is pretty pricey. But on this side of the country, you can't beat the cultural opportunities & big-cityness.

-I really like Vegas, but I can't imagine wanting to live there. You'd have to live far outside of town to escape the casino atmosphere, and even though housing is cheap, they are all cookie-cutter stuccos. I don't think the crime rate there is very promising, either, and I am not sure how single people would meet outside of the downtown scene.

I know it's not on your list, but have you considered Phoenix? The housing is cheaper than in those other cities, we have great weather and we're only a 5 hour drive from LA, 6 hours from Vegas (and 4 hours from Mexico!). We are one of the fastest-growing cities in the US, so it's easier to get a job here than in some other cities.

I also have to say that I have only been there twice, but I LOVE Atlanta. The downtown area is really pretty, and above all, people are so nice there!

Good luck! I am so excited for you!

kenzie · Chanel

halleybird wrote:

I know it's not on your list, but have you considered Phoenix? The housing is cheaper than in those other cities, we have great weather and we're only a 5 hour drive from LA, 6 hours from Vegas (and 4 hours from Mexico!). We are one of the fastest-growing cities in the US, so it's easier to get a job here than in some other cities.

I haven't thought about Phoenix, mainly b/c I really prefer to live near the beach (that's why LA and SD are front runners). I know Vegas isn't close to the beach, but I would only want to live there for a year just for the experience, so that's not a huge deal. And if I lived in Vegas, I would want to live close to the casinos, again, just for the experience and b/c it would be short term. As far as a more permanent move, I would prefer a beach city/town.

I do like the small-town vibe that SD seems like it has. But then, I've been to LA and although it's a city, it doesn't feel like one to me (probably b/c I'm used to Northeast cities and have also been to Chicago, London and a few other European cities). I actually think that certain areas of LA (Santa Monica, Marina Del Ray, Brentwood) almost have a small town vibe but the also have the convenience of a big city and I like that.

lynnie · Chanel

it sounds like LA is the place for you!! Its close to San Diego and Las Vegas, and I think it has the most to offer of the cities you picked. If you find yourself loving San Diego- you could always move there next! I wouldn't pick Las Vegas simply because its a one year kind of place and you want to move there before you settle in your more permanent dwelling (LA or beach town)- I really think you'll love L.A. off the bat and should go straight there and follow your dreams!!!

Lilykind- i do kinda wanna switch places =) You can always visit me in NYC!!

daiz519 · Dooney & Bourke

Well I currently live in the LA area and I went to school in San Diego so here is my input: I really don't like LA and am only living here now because I am in grad school here and I needed to save money (I, too, am living with my parents at the moment). As soon as I can get the heck out of here I will be back in San Diego. I love it there so much!! I lived in La Jolla, University City, and the Del Mar area (I moved around a lot while in school).

For me, everything is just too far away and there is so much freakin traffic that I find myself staying at home when I'm not at work or in school. San Diego is just so gorgeous and I love the weather. I also love the beaches, the nightlife, and yes there is traffic in San Diego too but not as bad as LA (that might also be because I have to travel farther to work from home here).

Living in San Diego is not cheap though (depending on where you live but I would go for the areas closest to the beach which is why it's more expensive). I think a single bedroom apartment ranges from like 1100-1400ish though I had a friend who had a studio for something in the $900 range. If you share with someone it is much more affordable. I shared a 3 bedroom apartment with 2 other girls and paid something like $550/month.

Pacific Beach is a great area for young people--you'd live near the beach and be close to the beach bars. I have a few friends who live in this area and I always have a great time when I visit them.

I work in Brentwood (you mentioned you were interested in living in this part of town) and it is a nice area. However, if given the choice I'd go for San Diego.

Have you visited? I think if you are planning to move here you should visit both areas. I'm very biased towards SD but it also has to do with how you feel when you visit the places. If you have any questions about these places you are more than welcome to PM me. HTH

kenzie · Chanel

daiz519 wrote:

Have you visited? I think if you are planning to move here you should visit both areas. I'm very biased towards SD but it also has to do with how you feel when you visit the places. If you have any questions about these places you are more than welcome to PM me. HTH

I've visited LA, but not San Diego. I would love to visit there in the near future. If I were to live in LA, I would want to live in Santa Monica.

As far as the expense, Philly isn't that much better. I actually had a friend who lived in San Diego for a while and then moved back here b/c her family was here and she didn't seem to think that this area was much cheaper than San Diego. It's impossible to find a one bedroom here (in the decent areas) for less than $1000. So, I don't think that I would be too phased by the expense there.

But anyway, I definitely want to visit. It's hard to get a clear comparison between LA and SD b/c I've seen one and not the other.

dc · Dooney & Bourke

HOORAY!!! I am excited that you're giving this some real thought. I know you have been talking about moving to CA forever so I think that you should go for it. I get the feeling that the other cities on the east coast were somewhat of a compromise.

No matter what you do, don't forget we're all behind you, and wherever you go, you'll find a network of stylethreaders eager to help you enjoy your new town.

crystal · Kate Spade

hey NYLAbelle, you are so like me it's scary! i'm actually thinking about moving to vegas for a year right now w/ my best friend!! i live in santa monica right now (i posted in your other topic), but have always wanted to live in vegas cuz i love it there. i also want to live near the strip, but like i said, just for a year (maybe 2 max). my only issue is finding a job there, but there is a career fair on sept. 21 that i was going to go to. i decided not to anymore cuz we probably won't move til summer/fall 06 since my bff is accepting a job in irvine, ca & wants to stay for a year. but maybe you could go? i know it's short notice, but pm me if you want details. i think you should totally live out your dream while you are young (that's why i'm trying to do it now, i don't want to end up married w/ kids wishing i had lived in vegas for a year). go to vegas, then come to cali!!