Has anyone here moved across the country?

[dwaynered]

I moved to SoCal from Philly two and half years ago. I drove by myself with two cats. I landed in San Diego. At first, I loved it here, however a lot of things have changed for me personally and I no longer feel at home.

I've been looking at moving to the North West, possibly Portland. It's waaaayyy cheaper and the social climate isn't all about physical or monetary gain.

This of course is just my relative point of view. I suggest in order to find out what life is about, jump off the edge of the cliff, figuratively speaking. Take a risk and be happy!

[jIgG]

you must not have a lot of speculators then and investors, rather ones that are leaving the market

Palm beach/Broward/Miami are cooling down. Investors have started moving up north as north as Jaxonville

But if you look at houses some were listed @ $410,000 and now are down in the $380s

I suppose near the beach it's a different story

Hehe and we're just the opposite of that, in the Daytona area, prices are actually hitting an all time high and most homes are even over-valued by up to 47%!

The good thing is, people are still buying their new and second homes by the beach :thumbsup:

Regards,

Lee

[jIgG]

I wont be buying, ill be renting

Probably best thing atm, well depending on where you settle.

Rents here are crazy 1/1 apartment inland away from the beach goes for $800-$1300 - $1300 if you want to live in a nice gated community. Fort Lauderdale rents are probably at least 20-50% more

There are speculators that are scared shitless about the market and I read they're renting high-end condos and houses at some crazy low rates like $1500-2000 just to get some cash to pay their mortgages

[hdkbill]

I have to move in late August and I'm seriously thinking of leaving new england and moving to southern california, either san diego or palm springs (not sure yet).
Part of me is very excited about it but I'm also scared to death of it.
Ive been to two cities in southern california and I loved it. I made some nice friends in both places.

I was just wondering if anyone here has moved far away and if you were nervous about it and how it turned out for you.

Marc,

I've moved across country several times and it's not so much of a big deal as long as you plan it out correctly.

Last move was from Delaware back to Palm Springs. Check out the housing prices or aparment rentals in both areas. Currently they are pretty high, but do to the economy and the glut of homes and apartments in the market, the prices are falling fairly quickly in both San Diego and Palm Springs.

If you are going to move yourself....the cost of a big uhaul truck is going to be close to $3,000.....plus fuel will cost you an additional $1,500.....then you'll have meal and lodging expense. If you wait until school is back in session, the cost of a uhaul will go down considerably. And, Palm Springs in August.......HOT. We have already his 115 degrees this summer....so plan on the 120's in August. When we first moved here in 1991, it was on August 1st and it was 121 degrees.

Good luck on the move....and welcome to sunny, southern California!

Bill

[chadknowslaw]

I moved from Iowa to Phoenix almost 5 years ago. I didn't know anybody here, I had no friends, and no job. I would say it was probably one of the best decisions I have ever made.

It did not take long to make friends and after renting for a few months I settled on a location and bought a house. I got active in local organizations so I quickly built up groups of friends with common interests. That was really very key to my success in the new place--getting involved. I can look through the local gay rag and there are so many organizations that it takes 4 pages of small print to list everything that is going on -- there are gay swimmers, hikers, campers, square dancers [?] bowling leagues, political groups, chess players, motorcycle riders, and car clubs. Whatever you like to do, there is at least one group of people doing that. And lets face it, other than at the bathhouse there won't be a group saying "Hey, check out the new guy!" and coming up to meet you. You have to seek out people with common interests. Staying active and making friends could make or break your moving experience.

Renting before buying is a good idea too, and like you said the Hillcrest neighborhood is pedestrian enough so that you will not need a car. I like the variety of shops there [love the used book stores! ] and restaurants, plus Balboa Park. David's Coffee Shop is a place I always find a friendly face no matter who is there that day. Since you have uncertainty, make sure wherever you go you don't sign anything more than a 6 month lease. 6 months is tolerable if you end up hating an apartment, but a year could get miserable.

As far as the weather, living in Phoenix I can certainly speak to the "dry heat" that you would experience in Palm Springs. Yes, it is a dry heat but so is fire. Anything over 110 is hot no matter what the humidity level might be. Some really good things about hot and dry is that there are few insects, mold is rare and generally fewer allergens in the air. I find it much more tolerable than the humidity of Florida [sorry Lee] or the cold and rainy season of San Diego. Every day the sun goes down and the nights and mornings are wonderful, so there is a break from the heat every day. I stay inside during the late afternoon hours. I remember my 3 years in North Dakota, and when it was really cold, it was cold 24/7. One winter we went for over 3 weeks without getting above zero. At least with heat, it is not 24/7.

Making a big move is exciting and scary but my experience was great. Your experience may vary. ;-) You can take what 1000 people tell you about this city or that city but you will never know how right it is for YOU until you try it. While I love living in Phoenix where there is no ocean, no humidity and no snow and I couldn't imagine ever leaving, for someone else this might be absolute hell. You can get glowing recommendations and bitter hate mail about any city in the world so you must weigh it all with a grain of salt, sort out the flax, decide what will be best for you and then dive head long into it.


Keep us posted!!

[abostonboy]

Marc,

Cali is awesome if you dont mind driving. Not like Boston, where you hop on a t and go anywhere.

Very nice whaeter IMHO. Winters it just rains.

Ft Lauderdale OMG, give me a fucking break. What club is good? Colisseum I think. Big deal. Lots of dummpy places dirt cheap. Hell yes. Like living in the bad part of Roxbury in Boston. And it takes a certian person to deal with the heat and hurricanes and rain and all that.

Everyone has a comfort zone. Don't be afraid to break it.

In life you regret the things you didn't do more than the things you did and may have failed at.

Just from what I know of you, you will be fine. You have the drive. That's what counts.

[abostonboy]

If I was you I would move to Plano or the North Dallas area, or maybe Ft Lauderdale like me, but to tell the truth I have never been to Ft Lauderdale yet but it has the best gay club in the US and Dallas has the 2nd best. Nothing in Ca is even in the top 10 or so, Tiger Heat is the best club in LA/Hollywood and only open on thus nights for like 5 hours. Other than that the clubs are smaller than my old apartment, and are rather boring, but not sure how bad it is in NE http://www.clubtigerheat.com/

If you have never been there how do you know it has the best gay club. Just because a mag or someone tells you, that doesn't mean it the best.

I was at White Party and went to that "best gay club" and dated a guy in Ft lauderdale and he took me to "that best gay club". Ugghhhh. Avalon in Boston is better.

The club scene in Miami Beach runs circles around that one for atmosphere.

LA has some good clubs. Nothing like bar/club hopping just about any nite in west hollywood. Each has its own charm for whatever mood u are in.

BUT WHO THE FUCK MOVES BECAUSE OF A CLUB. That's what airlines are for..... And circuit parties....

[abostonboy]

Marc,

take me with you.....

[Marc]

Thanks for the encouragement everyone.
Id just take a flight and UPS my stuff down, I just have some computers and files, I wont be moving furniture or anything big.

I agree you need to get involved in activities in the community in order to feel at home.

I agree that in life you regret the things you didn't do more than the things you did and may have failed at.
I regret not doing this years ago but couldn't due to family obligations. Now thats almost done and Im off.

Marc,

take me with you.....

sure come on down.
btw are you still on aolim? Sent you a message but not sure if you got it.
I have a new site about to launch and want your opinion.

[MiamiB]

The boyfriend and I did the cross country move...from Miami to West Hollywood CA. We had grown tired of Miami after years there and it seems to have gotten steadily more unfriendly since the Bush years...we needed to get out of that RED state and into a BLUE on with more openminded and well educated people. Besides that we love day trips and CA has soooo much more to offer than Florida!

I have been here exactly 1 year and love it. I would recommend it highly!

[abostonboy]

sure come on down.
btw are you still on aolim? Sent you a message but not sure if you got it.
I have a new site about to launch and want your opinion.

I maybe moving to LA area to be where the poker is.

I did see it, but you logged on and off real fast. Will be on aim or you can call me.

[maxpower]

I have already done most of the stuff to do in SoCal now, only a few more things on my list. I did the whole helicopter thing to Catalina, wend offshore fishing 3 times, and about to go one more time in a few weeks for some shark. “semi private charters are the best for me". Seen the amusement parks, all the towns/piers and about every other tourist thing to do that I really want to. Ect Big Bear, and Yosemite its just about over here, I will decide years form now where I really want to live, but really do not think Ca. is for me. If I did not work so much I would have been done with this area allot sooner and moved on. :spook:

[abostonboy]

Marc asks

"I was just wondering if anyone here has moved far away and if you were nervous about it and how it turned out for you."

And then all we hear is how bad Cali is from someone.

WTF!

[XXXWriterDude]

I have to move in late August and I'm seriously thinking of leaving new england and moving to southern california, either san diego or palm springs (not sure yet).
Part of me is very excited about it but I'm also scared to death of it.
Ive been to two cities in southern california and I loved it. I made some nice friends in both places.

I was just wondering if anyone here has moved far away and if you were nervous about it and how it turned out for you.

Back in 2001 I made the major decision of packing up my life and moving from Pennsylvania to Los Angeles so that I could pursue my dream of being a writer. Guess what? It happened! I'm a writer!

It was definitely a big step for me, and I was very nervous about doing it at the time. Luckily, a lot of my friends from college (all actors) had already moved to L.A. themselves to try and find work acting, so I felt like I already had a support network here in case something bad went down. That was key in my moving here. If I hadn't known a soul, I doubt I would have moved when I did.

The irony is that I hardly ever see those people, and I certainly never called upon any of them except to meet for lunch here and there and whatnot, not for emergencies or anything.

I struggled quite a bit with finances my first three years here, and also had a hard time making new friends. The friends I did make would come and go so quickly it was hard to keep up with them all. Los Angeles people can be very finnicky and flakey, so you just have to be true to yourself and not take it personally that they all have their heads stuck up their own asses.

After a while, I got used to it, and I started not caring anymore about making new friends, and lo and behold, I made some. Getting a job really helped turn my life around. Freelance writing for the gay publications doesn't pay very well (though it does make for VERY nice extra income), so the day job really made the difference. Thank God it's a day job writing for a magazine, though, and not some awful customer service job at a mortgage company or whatever.

Now I have a nice, steady income and I'm getting some of the best assignments and clips of my career. I've got some GREAT stories coming up that I'm very excited about. This past weekend, I met and interviewed Armistead Maupin and the director of THe Night Listener (the movie of ARmistead's last book), and I've got an interview with Steve Carell (The 40 Year-Old Virgin, Little Miss Sunshine) on the table as well. Last year, I published my first book.

So, it really turned out good for me, though it's far from over. I'm still just starting out. I want to get out of the gay/porn ghetto and write for more mainstream magazines (I contribute quite often to Amplifier, a rock and roll magazine) and eventually give up my day job and only do freelance, but in the meantime, I'm VERY happy that I made the decision to move to Los Angeles.

The thing is... I thought I was moving to L.A. for my career. But the truth is that I really moved here in order to grow up. Lots of people move to the big cities to lose themselves or remake themselves. I came here to FIND myself, and to reaffirm who I was. It's been a great learning experience for me. I'm more secure in who I am and what I want than I ever have been before. I have my problems with L.A. (many of them), but I wouldn't trade my experience here for the world.

If it's what you want, then make it happen. Just do it!

[XXXWriterDude]

I moved to SoCal from Philly two and half years ago. I drove by myself with two cats. I landed in San Diego. At first, I loved it here, however a lot of things have changed for me personally and I no longer feel at home.

I've been looking at moving to the North West, possibly Portland. It's waaaayyy cheaper and the social climate isn't all about physical or monetary gain.

This of course is just my relative point of view. I suggest in order to find out what life is about, jump off the edge of the cliff, figuratively speaking. Take a risk and be happy!

Definitely agree with this.

By the way, my experience driving to L.A. was INSANE! My Jeep Cherokee broke down TWICE on the way, we got stranded in Chandler, OK, then Laughlin, Nevada (stayed in one of the casinos), my friend had to take a shuttle over to Vegas and catch a flight home 'cuz he only had 7 days to do the trip and the trip ended up taking 8 instead of the 5 we had planned... my cat was doped up on tranquilizers and wouldn't eat or drink... it was like 118 degrees... we were almost assaulted by these guys who screamed "Faggot" at us in Oklahoma... it was one of the rockiest, most exhuasting experiences of my life. But boy am I glad I did it.

By the way, I made the same trip a year and a half later by myself, and had the TIME OF MY LIFE. One of the best experiences ever. Like a spiritual experience. I would highly recommend the experience of driving cross-country to anyone. It's amazing!