The best places in San Diego blog just posted this article on La Jolla being named the most expensive community in America (in a study done by Coldwell Banker).
The article is here but what I found interesting were the comparisons between California and other states, and the USA to other countries and cities in those countries.
I have no idea where or how they got their data but in figures I've seen before I had no idea there was such a huge price gap between Sydney and Perth, or that Shanghai was that expensive for housing! Interesting... hmm...
Showing posts with label La Jolla. Show all posts
Showing posts with label La Jolla. Show all posts
Thursday, September 11, 2008
Thursday, July 24, 2008
Huge gorgeous photos
Here are some photos of gorgeous Balboa Park, La Jolla, University of Southern California (USC) and various other places.
Sunday, June 1, 2008
Walkable neighborhoods
(I'm very annoyed with Blogger. I typed out my post and clicked Preview, uploaded a picture then the entry went blank and now I have to type everything from scratch again).
(hides in embarrassment for remembering lyrics to a Sesame Street song)
In Sydney you have the CBD (or Central Business District, or downtown) and you have your suburbs. There are exceptions where you have a CBD inside the city (such as Parramatta) or smaller CBDs (such as Chatswood, Hurstville or Strathfield) but generally there is the CBD and then there are the suburbs. However, it seems that in the US there are suburbs and there are neighborhoods. I'm not sure what the difference is other than it seems suburbs implies that they are further out from the CBD/downtown than the neighborhoods are.
I've decided I definitely want to live in a 'walkable neighborhood'. A walkable neighborhood is one where most of the necessities are nearby within a walking distance such as a newsagent/newstand, butcher, baker(y), grocery store, good restaurants in a variety of cuisines or a coffee shop, a park, maybe a library or a bookstore, good schools for the kids, drugstores, that kind of thing. It's better for the environment not to have so many people driving and better for your own personal physical health. Another thing is I think it's better for your mental health to be in contact with a wide variety of people on a daily basis.
I found this website Walk Score last night. It's really interesting. You plug in an address and it tells you the walkable 'score' out of 100.
I got an address from Craigslist (one I'd like to live in - hahaha yeah right, as if I could afford it!) and it came up with a score of 91/100! Pretty awesome!
Girard Avenue, La Jolla
Oh, who are the people in your neighborhood?
In your neighborhood?
In your neighborhood?
Say, who are the people in your neighborhood?
The people that you meet each day
(hides in embarrassment for remembering lyrics to a Sesame Street song)
In Sydney you have the CBD (or Central Business District, or downtown) and you have your suburbs. There are exceptions where you have a CBD inside the city (such as Parramatta) or smaller CBDs (such as Chatswood, Hurstville or Strathfield) but generally there is the CBD and then there are the suburbs. However, it seems that in the US there are suburbs and there are neighborhoods. I'm not sure what the difference is other than it seems suburbs implies that they are further out from the CBD/downtown than the neighborhoods are.
I've decided I definitely want to live in a 'walkable neighborhood'. A walkable neighborhood is one where most of the necessities are nearby within a walking distance such as a newsagent/newstand, butcher, baker(y), grocery store, good restaurants in a variety of cuisines or a coffee shop, a park, maybe a library or a bookstore, good schools for the kids, drugstores, that kind of thing. It's better for the environment not to have so many people driving and better for your own personal physical health. Another thing is I think it's better for your mental health to be in contact with a wide variety of people on a daily basis.
I found this website Walk Score last night. It's really interesting. You plug in an address and it tells you the walkable 'score' out of 100.
I got an address from Craigslist (one I'd like to live in - hahaha yeah right, as if I could afford it!) and it came up with a score of 91/100! Pretty awesome!
Girard Avenue, La Jolla
Friday, May 9, 2008
La Jolla
Everytime I hear or see or read something about California, Los Angeles, Orange County or San Diego my eyes and ears prick up. I'm like a sponge absorbing everything that I can so I can be informed before I move there.
Ideally, I think if I didn't have to worry about factors such as proximity to work, traffic and transport, cost, etc I would want to live in La Jolla.
Everything that I've read on it makes it seem so idyllic.
Check out the beautiful La Jolla photos on Flickr.
Map
Ideally, I think if I didn't have to worry about factors such as proximity to work, traffic and transport, cost, etc I would want to live in La Jolla.
Everything that I've read on it makes it seem so idyllic.
La Jolla (pronounced lah-HOY-yuh) is a wealthy seaside resort community of up to 42,808 residents within the city of San Diego, California.
The La Jolla area was known as “La Jolla Park” at least as early as 1886. The origin of the name is obscure. Some say it is a corruption of “ahoy”, called out by sailors seeking the attention of people on the shore. Promoters of La Jolla claim it is from the Spanish “la joya”, meaning the jewel. A more likely though less glamorous theory is that “La Jolla” is a corruption of the Native American word “Woholle”, meaning hole in the mountain, referring to the caves in the north-facing cliffs next to La Jolla Cove Park. The La Jolla band of Luiseno Indians, who inhabited the area for centuries before the arrival of the Spanish.
The most compelling geographical highlights of La Jolla is its ocean front, where residents and visitors can enjoy the alternating rugged and sandy coast line and view wild seal congregations. Popular sandy beaches, dotting the coastline from the south to the north, are:
* Children's Pool Beach
* La Jolla Cove
* La Jolla Beach and Tennis property
* La Jolla Shores
* Scripps
* Black's Beach (leading up to Torrey Pines State Reserve)
* Windansea Beach
Walking along the beach at all times (but especially at sunset) is popular recreation. Those ambling along may be able to glimpse the “Green Flash”.
Downtown La Jolla is noted for its jewelry stores, upmarket restaurants and hotels. Prospect Street and Girard Avenue also have several famous boutiques and restaurants (including local favorites, such as the Girard Gourmet and Harry's Coffee Shop). Notable for its architectural and historical presence is the La Valencia Hotel, which used to welcome movie stars on retreat from Hollywood during the silent film era.
Check out the beautiful La Jolla photos on Flickr.
Map
Friday, May 2, 2008
Cost of renting an apartment
I had a look at Craigslist again for the umpteeneth time and made a quick Excel spreadsheet of various suburbs and calculated the average cost of renting a 2br apartment/condo. Then I divided the cost by 2 since I'll probably be sharing with someone else.
Hillcrest - $744.07
Mission Valley - $867.53
University Town Center (UTC) - $885.90
La Jolla (shores/village) - $1,072.17
Little Italy - $1,288.50
Marina - $1,417.63
Gaslamp Quarter - $1,473.06
Obviously other areas are cheaper but I've chosen probably the most expensive areas!
Currently in Sydney we're paying approx. $1,462.00 AUD (which equates to $1,365.60 USD, $682.80 if you divided it by 2) a month, that's for a 2br apartment so that is slightly less than the cost of a 2br apartment in San Diego.. but our apartment is in a suburb 45mins out from the downtown area, whereas the above areas are in downtown or not far from it.
Hillcrest - $744.07
Mission Valley - $867.53
University Town Center (UTC) - $885.90
La Jolla (shores/village) - $1,072.17
Little Italy - $1,288.50
Marina - $1,417.63
Gaslamp Quarter - $1,473.06
Obviously other areas are cheaper but I've chosen probably the most expensive areas!
Currently in Sydney we're paying approx. $1,462.00 AUD (which equates to $1,365.60 USD, $682.80 if you divided it by 2) a month, that's for a 2br apartment so that is slightly less than the cost of a 2br apartment in San Diego.. but our apartment is in a suburb 45mins out from the downtown area, whereas the above areas are in downtown or not far from it.
Friday, April 18, 2008
So close I can almost taste it
If all things go well I hope to move to San Diego in August. That's not long to go now! If I can make it happen I will but I don't want to rush things. I want to be fully prepared - mentally, physically, financially.
As much as I would like to live in La Jolla/UTC I have decided I should live near a trolley station stop as I won't have a car when I first arrive which basically means downtown. I would like to live near Marina but I think it's too expensive. I'm worried about the noise pollution though - airplanes and trains? Wonder what it's like...
As much as I would like to live in La Jolla/UTC I have decided I should live near a trolley station stop as I won't have a car when I first arrive which basically means downtown. I would like to live near Marina but I think it's too expensive. I'm worried about the noise pollution though - airplanes and trains? Wonder what it's like...
Friday, March 7, 2008
La Jolla, Downtown, Hillcrest
I've been doing a lot of reading since I last wrote and am now considering either La Jolla, Little Italy, Gaslamp Quarter/Horton Plaza or Hillcrest. They are all so different, and I'm torn!
I would prefer La Jolla given I've barely heard a bad word about it (and it's so beautiful), but not sure if I'd 'fit in'. Also Hillcrest could be something new to me but also I am not sure it's my kind of area. Downtown sounds great, but I am not sure exactly how noisy it is there??
I've been 'hooning around' in my 'car' on Google Maps' Streetview which is quite fun!! It gives me a good idea of what certain streets/areas look like!
I would prefer La Jolla given I've barely heard a bad word about it (and it's so beautiful), but not sure if I'd 'fit in'. Also Hillcrest could be something new to me but also I am not sure it's my kind of area. Downtown sounds great, but I am not sure exactly how noisy it is there??
I've been 'hooning around' in my 'car' on Google Maps' Streetview which is quite fun!! It gives me a good idea of what certain streets/areas look like!
Sunday, February 24, 2008
Dreaming of moving to San Diego...
I've been toying with the idea of moving to Hawaii for about a year now but realise that the living costs there are too high and the pay rate too low and it's hard to find a job that's not in the tourism/hospitality area...
I thought and thought about the 'perfect' place for me to move to. Of course there are legal issues with visas and whatnot so I wanted to make it easy on myself and make it the States. I have citizenship but haven't lived there since I was 3.
I like California because it's closer to my home in Australia, than the east coast of the US. I HATE and despise cold weather. It has to be warm and San Diego is about as far south as you can get! Plus it's fairly close to L.A. if I need to go there for any reason. But there is no way I'd want to live in LA because it's too smoggy and polluted, big and spread out, and pretentious with its filthy rich and good looking people (I know that is a gross generalisation but in any case I don't want to live there because I don't want to breathe in bad air pollution, and deal with constant traffic jams).
I know it's a far way off, probably at least 9 months if not more till I move there but I am already planning.
I started reading the San Diego 'network' on Facebook and found out about this site.
San Diego Reader.
It describes each of the suburbs/areas fairly well.
Ideally I want to live near the beach. I love the beach. I am not a typical tanned, blonde beach bunny per se but I just love being near water. If not a beach then a harbour, lake, river, pond, anything. I can't wait to watch the sunsets as its a bit of a novelty for me, since I used to live on the east coast of Australia and can only watch the sun rise.
I just quickly looked on Flickr ..
Mission and Pacific beaches are closer to the city, but La Jolla beach looks nicer. From what I've read, La Jolla is a nice suburb. Actually all the beach-side suburbs are!
I'm an avid photographer and can't wait to capture all the beautiful scenes at my 'doorstep'. :)
I thought and thought about the 'perfect' place for me to move to. Of course there are legal issues with visas and whatnot so I wanted to make it easy on myself and make it the States. I have citizenship but haven't lived there since I was 3.
I like California because it's closer to my home in Australia, than the east coast of the US. I HATE and despise cold weather. It has to be warm and San Diego is about as far south as you can get! Plus it's fairly close to L.A. if I need to go there for any reason. But there is no way I'd want to live in LA because it's too smoggy and polluted, big and spread out, and pretentious with its filthy rich and good looking people (I know that is a gross generalisation but in any case I don't want to live there because I don't want to breathe in bad air pollution, and deal with constant traffic jams).
I know it's a far way off, probably at least 9 months if not more till I move there but I am already planning.
I started reading the San Diego 'network' on Facebook and found out about this site.
San Diego Reader.
It describes each of the suburbs/areas fairly well.
Ideally I want to live near the beach. I love the beach. I am not a typical tanned, blonde beach bunny per se but I just love being near water. If not a beach then a harbour, lake, river, pond, anything. I can't wait to watch the sunsets as its a bit of a novelty for me, since I used to live on the east coast of Australia and can only watch the sun rise.
I just quickly looked on Flickr ..
Mission and Pacific beaches are closer to the city, but La Jolla beach looks nicer. From what I've read, La Jolla is a nice suburb. Actually all the beach-side suburbs are!
I'm an avid photographer and can't wait to capture all the beautiful scenes at my 'doorstep'. :)
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