Moving to San Diego for a bit

[purbeast0]

I've lived here for almost 20 years and my wife and I bought our house in 1999 when prices were reasonable. Our mortgage payment is less than what you would pay to rent a 2 bedroom apartment. I guess I'm economically viable.

My commute is 34 miles one way and it takes me almost an hour on most days. It's funny, when I first got the call for this job I asked where it was located and when they told me I said no way. So they said, what would it take for you to consider it? So I threw out a number and they said okay. I should have thrown out a higher number. I've been here for 5 years now.

yeah i don't see myself driving an hour each way, ever, for a job. but 34 miles, if it's a lot of highway, i could do as long as i can make my own schedule and go in and leave when there is no traffic, because that could easily turn into a 30 minute drive.

my commute now is like 27 or 28 miles but takes me 30 minutes pretty much on the dot. i specifically targeted areas that were going against traffic when job hunting too. but the fact i go in earlier makes it so when i leave there is never traffic. before i started going in this early, traffic on the way home was a crap shoot and would make me go a different way sometimes that would take like 35-40 minutes. thankfully i always go to the gym right after work so i could take out my rage on the weights.

 

[JulesMaximus]

yeah i don't see myself driving an hour each way, ever, for a job. but 34 miles, if it's a lot of highway, i could do as long as i can make my own schedule and go in and leave when there is no traffic, because that could easily turn into a 30 minute drive.

my commute now is like 27 or 28 miles but takes me 30 minutes pretty much on the dot. i specifically targeted areas that were going against traffic when job hunting too. but the fact i go in earlier makes it so when i leave there is never traffic. before i started going in this early, traffic on the way home was a crap shoot and would make me go a different way sometimes that would take like 35-40 minutes. thankfully i always go to the gym right after work so i could take out my rage on the weights.

In light traffic I can do it in 45 minutes. I also have a Fastrak pass which allows me to use the Fastrak lanes on the 15 freeway for the most congested part of my commute. That helps me beat the traffic. Also, you can use the Fastrak/HOV lanes free of charge on a motorcycle so I commute on that on the heaviest traffic days if the weather is decent (I don't have rain gear and if temps are in the 30s I'll just take the car).

 

[purbeast0]

In light traffic I can do it in 45 minutes. I also have a Fastrak pass which allows me to use the Fastrak lanes on the 15 freeway for the most congested part of my commute. That helps me beat the traffic. Also, you can use the Fastrak/HOV lanes free of charge on a motorcycle so I commute on that on the heaviest traffic days if the weather is decent (I don't have rain gear and if temps are in the 30s I'll just take the car).

sweet, now find me a dev job where i can make boku bucks, thanks!

 

[Tweak155]

In light traffic I can do it in 45 minutes. I also have a Fastrak pass which allows me to use the Fastrak lanes on the 15 freeway for the most congested part of my commute. That helps me beat the traffic. Also, you can use the Fastrak/HOV lanes free of charge on a motorcycle so I commute on that on the heaviest traffic days if the weather is decent (I don't have rain gear and if temps are in the 30s I'll just take the car).

Interesting. Didn't know something like that existed.

 

[JulesMaximus]

Interesting. Didn't know something like that existed.

It's a pay as you use system. You can buy the Fastrak pass at Costco or directly from www.keepsandiegomoving.com. Give them a CC number and they deduct $40 from your account and then charge you everytime you use it. The fee is based on traffic flow so if you use it when traffic is the most congested you pay the highest fee. There are signs on the freeway that tell you what the toll is to the next major interchange. Once you deplete the $40 in your account it automatically replenishes from your CC on file.

The pass itself is free and you mount it on your windshield. It also works for the toll roads in Orange County.

There are times when traffic is really heavy and the signs will indicate HOV only so you cannot use the Fastrak if it reads that.

 

[CZroe]

I'm too old (30) for college kids sadly.

You said you were "going there for school" which leads me to guess at what school. That recommendation was tongue-in-cheek and so was the one about La Jolla near UCSD, but which school? SDSU? UCSD? SD City College?

 

[Paladin]

Since you're 30 I'm guessing you're not going to want to hang out with 19-21 year old frat boys.
For both SDSU and USD I'd recommend Mission Valley. There are a ton of new/old apartments and condos, many in walking distance to malls, bars, and restaurants. And the trolley, which would get you directly to SDSU, and Old town and Little Italy and downtown for fun.
If you're going to UCSD I'll recommend the UTC area (University Towne Center). It's 5 minutes from the campus, and again close to malls, bars and restaurants.
In either case you're 5-10 minutes from the beach.

 

[blackangst1]

Gaslamp district is nice

 

[FearoftheNight]

Since you're 30 I'm guessing you're not going to want to hang out with 19-21 year old frat boys.
For both SDSU and USD I'd recommend Mission Valley. There are a ton of new/old apartments and condos, many in walking distance to malls, bars, and restaurants. And the trolley, which would get you directly to SDSU, and Old town and Little Italy and downtown for fun.
If you're going to UCSD I'll recommend the UTC area (University Towne Center). It's 5 minutes from the campus, and again close to malls, bars and restaurants.
In either case you're 5-10 minutes from the beach.

Ahh that's correct. I actually hated those dudes even when I was 19-21. Guess I'm just an old soul haha. My school is a bit east of UCSD (7445 Mission Valley Rd , San Diego, CA 92108). Doesn't the 5-10 minutes become really far with traffic? I was told that if I'm going to be in SD for a few months it's best to be walking distance to beach.

 

[FearoftheNight]

You said you were "going there for school" which leads me to guess at what school. That recommendation was tongue-in-cheek and so was the one about La Jolla near UCSD, but which school? SDSU? UCSD? SD City College?

haha chinese medicine school

 

[Paladin]

Ahh that's correct. I actually hated those dudes even when I was 19-21. Guess I'm just an old soul haha. My school is a bit east of UCSD (7445 Mission Valley Rd , San Diego, CA 92108). Doesn't the 5-10 minutes become really far with traffic? I was told that if I'm going to be in SD for a few months it's best to be walking distance to beach.

Westbound from Mission Valley to the beach usually isn't bad traffic, and you can actually get to a couple from Friars Rd, right off where your school is. Just take it west to Sea World Dr, and you'll have your choice of Mission Beach (with Belmont park/Roller Coaster), or OB (Ocean Beach - hippy vibe with a lot bars and great fish tacos at South Beach bar and grill).

But if you really want to live at the beach then I'll say PB (Pacific Beach - tons of bars and restaurants), just north of Mission Beach. The further north you go along the coast there, the more expensive it will get, all the way to La Jolla. Check Google maps for reference and get a feel...

 

[Dr. Detroit]

Schools were out and many people take time off so traffic has been decent the past couple weeks. That will change next Monday.

The 5 freeway is by far the worst for commuting traffic.

Come to Silicon Valley - We're number 3 & 5. SD is #43

http://www.techinsider.io/what-cities-have-the-worst-traffic-2015-8

Trust me - your traffic is light compared to ours.

 

[Ns1]

Come to Silicon Valley - We're number 3 & 5. SD is #43

http://www.techinsider.io/what-cities-have-the-worst-traffic-2015-8

Trust me - your traffic is light compared to ours.

Nob Hill to SFO, how long will that take me at 6pm on a Friday?

 

[FearoftheNight]

Westbound from Mission Valley to the beach usually isn't bad traffic, and you can actually get to a couple from Friars Rd, right off where your school is. Just take it west to Sea World Dr, and you'll have your choice of Mission Beach (with Belmont park/Roller Coaster), or OB (Ocean Beach - hippy vibe with a lot bars and great fish tacos at South Beach bar and grill).

But if you really want to live at the beach then I'll say PB (Pacific Beach - tons of bars and restaurants), just north of Mission Beach. The further north you go along the coast there, the more expensive it will get, all the way to La Jolla. Check Google maps for reference and get a feel...

Thanks! This is really specific and helpful. So far based on what I'm seeing my list is Mission Beach/Pacific Beach, La Jolla (expensive), and gaslamp. Anything I should add or anything I should take into account between the areas? ugh my flight is saturday...school started 3 days ago and I don't have housing yet.

 

[SSSnail]

Interesting. Didn't know something like that existed.

Yeah, as the commies in Commiefornia run out of other people's moneys, they started to think of more ways to rob their citizens. One of which is to install Fastrak (a.k.a toll roads) readers over existing HOV lanes, which, once upon a time was a way to reduce pollution by encouraging people to carpool.

Well, as you can see, money is king, and fuck the environment. Hypocrisy is alive and well.

 

[Paladin]

Thanks! This is really specific and helpful. So far based on what I'm seeing my list is Mission Beach/Pacific Beach, La Jolla (expensive), and gaslamp. Anything I should add or anything I should take into account between the areas? ugh my flight is saturday...school started 3 days ago and I don't have housing yet.

If you're only here for a few months I think your main issue is going to be finding a month to month rental. I don't know though, I've never looked at the rental market. I think those areas would be good, though living in the Gaslamp downtown might be fun, seems like it could be a pain to live there.

 

[CZroe]

If you're only here for a few months I think your main issue is going to be finding a month to month rental. I don't know though, I've never looked at the rental market. I think those areas would be good, though living in the Gaslamp downtown might be fun, seems like it could be a pain to live there.

*shrug*
He could always swing by one of the beach bum extended stay motels.

There are some really nice ones in OB. Check out the Ebb Tide Motel! Yes, still trolling. My niece once stayed in that dump.

 

[CZroe]

Yeah, as the commies in Commiefornia run out of other people's moneys, they started to think of more ways to rob their citizens. One of which is to install Fastrak (a.k.a toll roads) readers over existing HOV lanes, which, once upon a time was a way to reduce pollution by encouraging people to carpool.

Well, as you can see, money is king, and fuck the environment. Hypocrisy is alive and well.

I think HOV passengers can still ride for free.

 

[Ns1]

I think HOV passengers can still ride for free.

This. But nice rage post sssnail.

 

[purbeast0]

they added some stupid "express lanes" to the beltway that goes around DC and it's retarded. it doesn't help shit because there are huge traffic jams when those lanes merge into the normal lanes because they only are for a certain stretch of highway. but i guess they do help out for the people who exit mid-route. the prices on them are so expensive too, and instead of them just making the actual highway wider, they need to do that to make some money.

i also see idiots using them on the weekends going 55mph in them when i'm going 70+ on the normal lanes that don't have any traffic. have fun wasting money.

 

[SSSnail]

I think HOV passengers can still ride for free.

Hmm... Is that true? How do they tell if there are more than one people in the car when they issue the ticket?

The ones that I'm frequently travelling on, all I see are the "Fastrak lane start here" and no additional signs that state whether I can continue on without paying.
----------------------------------------
Anyways, so researching a bit more, I see that if I want to use the Express lanes without toll if I have more than one occupants in the car, I'll have to fork over some money for a transponder. No doubt I'll have to register the transponder and deposit a minimum amount of $25, at any given time.

Then, there's this "Note: 2-person carpools are charged a toll on the I-10 ExpressLanes Mon-Fri 5-9am and 4-7pm".

Yup, I'm still raging.

 

[Ns1]

Hmm... Is that true? How do they tell if there are more than one people in the car when they issue the ticket?

The ones that I'm frequently travelling on, all I see are the "Fastrak lane start here" and no additional signs that state whether I can continue on without paying.
----------------------------------------
Anyways, so researching a bit more, I see that if I want to use the Express lanes without toll if I have more than one occupants in the car, I'll have to fork over some money for a transponder. No doubt I'll have to register the transponder and deposit a minimum amount of $25, at any given time.

Then, there's this "Note: 2-person carpools are charged a toll on the I-10 ExpressLanes Mon-Fri 5-9am and 4-7pm".

Yup, I'm still raging.

1) Yes you have to pay a deposit for your transponder. It's awesome because it cuts down on the HOV riff-raff.

2) There's a switch on the transponder that allows you to select how many passengers are in the car

3) some freeways are 2+ HOV, some are 3+ HOV. All the ones that are fastrak enabled have the same HOV restrictions that were previously in place.

4) if you want to rage, rage at the minimum spend per month required on tolls and account service fee.

In conclusion: HOV/Fastrak lanes are awesome.

 

[SSSnail]

1) Yes you have to pay a deposit for your transponder. It's awesome because it cuts down on the HOV riff-raff.

Cool, because I can hold on to your money as well, for free! Send me your money, I promise I won't touch it. What was free and very convenient before, is now an inconvenient process that's designed to get more of your money. You know the last time I returned a transponder to SFMTA, it took them about 8 months to refund my money.

2) There's a switch on the transponder that allows you to select how many passengers are in the car

Yes, I read that part.

3) some freeways are 2+ HOV, some are 3+ HOV. All the ones that are fastrak enabled have the same HOV restrictions that were previously in place.

You obviously didn't read the part that I bolded for you. You can't carpool for free during the COMMUTING hours, regardless of restriction, you'll have to pay.

4) if you want to rage, rage at the minimum spend per month required on tolls and account service fee.

See #1, and that's on top of what I'm already raging about.

In conclusion: HOV/Fastrak lanes are awesome.

In conclusion: HOV lane is awesome. Fastrak is designed to rob me and like minded people. You? You just willingly allowed to be raped, and take it like a good pleb you are.

 

[purbeast0]

after weather went back to normal over here on the east coast, i'm completely jealous of the weather in SD and this is the kinda shit that made me start looking for jobs over there in the first place lol.

 

[Ns1]

You obviously didn't read the part that I bolded for you. You can't carpool for free during the COMMUTING hours, regardless of restriction, you'll have to pay.

Not on the 110/10 Fastrak. Can't comment on SD fastrak but I assumed the same; my apologies if not true.

In conclusion: HOV lane is awesome. Fastrak is designed to rob me and like minded people. You? You just willingly allowed to be raped, and take it like a good pleb you are.

If spending $100 over 3 years to consistently beat traffic is considered being raped, then I guess I'm getting raped. Have fun in traffic with the rest of the plebs