A question for the people on my friends list (especially those of you living on the west coast): If you could choose from the following cities to live and work in, which one would you pick, and why
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Okay, I've lived in/near all of the above, so when you have some specific questions, let me know. For short answer:
Santa Monica has gorgeous beachy sections that scream "California!" and a good sized bohemian population. It's also the location of many TV networks, including MTV. On the downside, there are some neighborhoods that are not-so-nice, and the New Yorker in you will be disturbed by the homeless people on some of the streets. On the third side (b/c this is good or bad depending on your preference), I adore the weather. S.M. is pretty much considered "West L.A."
Mountain View is a large, built-up suburb in Silicon Valley. Most people you meet will be part of the computer programmer culture, and there's a lot of stuff to do b/c it's larger than a standard suburb and isn't actually a suburb of anything. [It's too far from S.F. to be part of it, and shares culture with S.J. but is still distinct.] Mtn View also has a very, very neat restaurant row and plenty of fun shopping. The weather is rather Mediterranean.
Kirkland, WA. Okay, I didn't live here. I lived in Tacoma when I went to school there. In general, though, that area of WA is very . . . Pacific Northwest culturally. It also gets the famous Seattle rain, but has more temperate winters and summers than NY.
New York -- I can't be impartial here b/c I'm not a New Yorker. I'm a California girl who likes PacNW culture, and NYC was just not me. I'll try my best to be objective though. Weather = better than Ithaca, but this doesn't mean much in summer b/c you'll be on the Metro where there's no airconditioning on the platforms so it'll be crowded and stinky and my parents hate it. New York has a lot of European-style culture and great options for things to do at night. Plus, nothing beats the Metropolitan Museum of Art (and the Cloisters). It's got the best architecture as well. Another plus: this is the only city you've chosen that doesn't require a car.
Be warned, though. Culture -- these are rather indescrbibable --
Kirkland will be very PacNW in culture. Mtn View is a cross between PacNW and Stanford. Santa Monica is still west coast, but more LA than Berzerkly. NYC is snobby about being the biggest European city in the USA.
Hope that helped you. Ask me more questions when you get them. I'm good for this one. Also, if you want to take a tour, I currently live near S.M. and my parents live near Mtn View, so I can drive you around.
I totally agree with your comments! I was raised in L.A., did college stints in NYC and San Francisco, and currently live in Seattle (about 20 minutes from Kirkland). While I prefer NYC above everywhere else, I don't know you personally, tebing, so I don't know if you're more of a city person or a trees-n-nature kind of person. (Me, I'm an urban person and feel like Seattle is a good mix of the two).
That being said, Kirkland is pretty suburban. It's quieter thatn Seattle, and has easier access to fun outdoorsy things: hiking, boating, etc. But if you're looking to get away from Sucky Weather (tm), then perhaps the Pacific Northwest may not be the best choice. :) It sounds like Santa Monica might fit the bill.
I really like Santa Monica -- it's got some of that L.A. culture (which can be a positive or a negative), and traffic can really suck when you need to get to other parts of L.A. (hope you really like to be in your car)... but the weather is fantastic and can make it all worthwhile.
Santa Monica has gorgeous beachy sections that scream "California!" and a good sized bohemian population. It's also the location of many TV networks, including MTV. On the downside, there are some neighborhoods that are not-so-nice, and the New Yorker in you will be disturbed by the homeless people on some of the streets. On the third side (b/c this is good or bad depending on your preference), I adore the weather. S.M. is pretty much considered "West L.A."
Mountain View is a large, built-up suburb in Silicon Valley. Most people you meet will be part of the computer programmer culture, and there's a lot of stuff to do b/c it's larger than a standard suburb and isn't actually a suburb of anything. [It's too far from S.F. to be part of it, and shares culture with S.J. but is still distinct.] Mtn View also has a very, very neat restaurant row and plenty of fun shopping. The weather is rather Mediterranean.
Kirkland, WA. Okay, I didn't live here. I lived in Tacoma when I went to school there. In general, though, that area of WA is very . . . Pacific Northwest culturally. It also gets the famous Seattle rain, but has more temperate winters and summers than NY.
New York -- I can't be impartial here b/c I'm not a New Yorker. I'm a California girl who likes PacNW culture, and NYC was just not me. I'll try my best to be objective though. Weather = better than Ithaca, but this doesn't mean much in summer b/c you'll be on the Metro where there's no airconditioning on the platforms so it'll be crowded and stinky and my parents hate it. New York has a lot of European-style culture and great options for things to do at night. Plus, nothing beats the Metropolitan Museum of Art (and the Cloisters). It's got the best architecture as well. Another plus: this is the only city you've chosen that doesn't require a car.
Be warned, though. Culture -- these are rather indescrbibable --
Kirkland will be very PacNW in culture.
Mtn View is a cross between PacNW and Stanford.
Santa Monica is still west coast, but more LA than Berzerkly.
NYC is snobby about being the biggest European city in the USA.
Hope that helped you. Ask me more questions when you get them. I'm good for this one. Also, if you want to take a tour, I currently live near S.M. and my parents live near Mtn View, so I can drive you around.
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That being said, Kirkland is pretty suburban. It's quieter thatn Seattle, and has easier access to fun outdoorsy things: hiking, boating, etc. But if you're looking to get away from Sucky Weather (tm), then perhaps the Pacific Northwest may not be the best choice. :) It sounds like Santa Monica might fit the bill.
I really like Santa Monica -- it's got some of that L.A. culture (which can be a positive or a negative), and traffic can really suck when you need to get to other parts of L.A. (hope you really like to be in your car)... but the weather is fantastic and can make it all worthwhile.
Plus... the food... YUM.
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