As some of you know, I recently moved from Vermont where I had been staying with my parents (thanks COVID!) to California for a job that didn't happen. I had dreamed of living in California for years and only now that I am here, do I realize what those "dreams" are actually based on and it's not facts.
I have a pretty wide variety of music preferences; everything from country (mostly 90s country), pop, 90's r&b, opera, rock, classic and southern rock, etc.. I love listening to bands like Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers, The Eagles, John Denver, America, The Beach Boys and am realizing that it is through their music that I fell in love with the IDEA of living in California. These bands and the songs that they sing are still at the top of my playlist, but now that I'm IN California, things aren't as good as the music makes it out to be and it's not the fault of the artists, their song writers or even California. It is on me for not doing my research first and really digging into WHY I want to move to California and what would be different being here than on the East Coast.
Is the cost of living less than in NYC? Yes, but you still need roommates or to live far away from the city center or in a much less than desirable neighborhood. Are food costs less or more? I find the cost of everything to be more than it was when I lived in Brooklyn and part of that is the taxes (10% in LA County on many things). Are there a lot of jobs here? Sort of. Many of them are through staffing agencies and pay well under $40,000 which is unsustainable and utterly ridiculous. Jobs in DC (even entry level type positions [in the Admin field at least]) pay more and require less plus they actually prefer their employees to use public transportation versus requiring a vehicle, license and proof of insurance to be a receptionist (yes, there are many, many jobs with this requirement out here). Is the weather here better than back east? Depends on who you ask. Yes, the sun shines most of the time, but frankly that is extremely boring. Today, November 21, it is sunny and 78 degrees. It does cool off at night (this week we are in the 50's and even the 40's overnight which makes for chilly rooms when the heat isn't on). I have been here around 6 weeks or so and in that time, we have had MAYBE 4 days of no sunshine in the morning, but by afternoon, the sun is back out. It makes me really miss the changing seasons I always had growing up. Even in Charleston, there are seasons that change. Maybe not to the same extent that they do in Vermont, NYC or DC, but the leaves change, the air gets crisp and cool and it can even snow in the winter (although this is rare). Do I have beach access here that I didn't elsewhere? Sort of. I can get to many of the beaches in Los Angeles County, but it takes an average of 2.5 hours each way on public transportation. Do I have access to public transportation? Technically yes, but the buses in my city run only every 30 minutes and the transit system itself stops running at 11pm which means that if I wanted to see a movie after work (assuming I didn't work in the same city in which I live), I would likely have to take a taxi home because I couldn't guarantee that I would make the last train or bus. In NYC, the subways and buses run 24/7 and in DC their hours are as follows :Monday through Thursday, 5:00 a.m. until 12:00 a.m.
Friday, 5:00 a.m. until 1:00 a.m.
Saturday: 7:00 a.m. until 1:00 a.m.
Sunday: 7:00 a.m. until 12:00 a.m.
Technically, the weekday hours are the same amount time as LA, but start later and end later. The hours in LA don't change according to the day of the week or whether it is a holiday. Intellectually I knew that Southern California was extremely car centric, but I didn't realize until moving here just HOW focused on automobiles this region was. Yes, I can get places using the transit system and yes, they are working on expanding and improving is (in large part due to the 2028 Olympic Games), but it takes two to three times longer to get places using public transportation than it does driving, even factoring in traffic.
I have been to some pretty iconic places, yes and they were worth the trip. I'll attach some photos of Long Beach, the Venice Boardwalk and Santa Monica here. There are many more places I'd love to see, but getting there via public transportation is very challenging and frankly almost not worth having to take 2 trains and 2 buses.
I had much more freedom of movement in NYC not only with their public transportation system, but walking. From my apartment, I could walk to at least 3 different parks, lots of independent shops and restaurants and to several bus and subway stops.
My current city is about the size (population wise) of Saratoga Springs, NY or about 35,000 people. They have no independent police or fire department, only one very small park and most of the shops cater to the very large Asian population and many of the signs on stores and restaurants are in Asian languages and not English making it seem unfriendly to those who may not speak Chinese, Korean or other language.
Venice Boardwalk
Long Beach and Shoreline Village
Santa Monica
There is a lot to see and do in LA County, but so much of it requires a vehicle to get there. While I'm glad I made this move, even just for the experience and to say that I gave it a shot, I miss so much of the things that the East Coast has to offer to the point that I don't know that I will stay here.
