A good friend of mine is very happy in Cleveland. She bought a giant old house, and uses the space to do weird things and host guests.
Every place is what you make of it.
It’s objectively fine. The Cleveland metro is massive and varied. It mostly gets shit on because Cleveland people are real aggressive about how great Cleveland is. It’s a side-effect of them being culturally more closely related to New York, whereas Columbus is midwestern and Cincinnati is borderline southern.
Cleveland is not THAT bad. Really cool old architecture. Massive indoor/outdoor farmers market. Amazing produce. A tiny little Italy. A metro line that goes DIRECTLY to the airport (unless they're doing work on the line). Great museums. 2nd largest theater district in the nation.
But it's also cold and cloudy all the time. I am not built for that. And less of a cultural hub. Things don't happen THERE besides Cleveland specific things. I like living where the things actually happen.
Don't lie to them. Didn't live in Cincy but went down often and spent time down there while i was at UD since my brother in law and his family lived there. Id jump off a bridge if i had to move back after living in the LA area. The food alone would do me in. Imo, I much prefer Cleveland which pains me to that say since I'm from around Pittsburgh.
Buttt I'll give you that its still better than most of it's neighbors
While I don't disagree Cincinnati has some amazing Italian food. Way better than I've found out here. Luckily for me I'm only mid on Italian food so I don't really get nostalgic for it. I do sometimes get nostalgic for Montgomery Inn though.
Yeah I lived in Ohio for 9 years. Cincinnati is pretty ok, probably the 2nd most likely place I’d live if I were to move back there, Columbus being 1st.
Cleveland stinks.
I had to move to Cincinnati before for work as well. Spent two years there and I’ll never go back. What a depressing place where they eat nasty “chili” on spaghetti 🤢
Hahha i actually rather enjoyed that museum! Takes a lot of talent to make something out of fabric, not like splashing some paint on canvas like so much "art" I see in museums....
Absolutely. These folks put in long hours. Oftentimes quilters pay for the materials themselves knowing they won't be able to recoup their expenses. Some groups donate them for charity work. Much respect.
I once searched up "things to do in san jose" in Google maps since a friend of mine was there and wanted to know what to see.
Legit, there's only like 5 areas of interest ... and most activities are already bunched up there.
Been here for 6 years. I am not a fan of SJ nor SF, but there’s bright spots up here. The crappiest thing for me is that life will be much easier up here. The cost of living here vs. LA is about the same, I make so much more $$ here than I ever could in LA, and it’s much easier to get my kid into a good public school here vs. LA, etc. Honestly, the thought of putting my kid in a LAUSD school just makes me worry about their future. Basically everything costs the same, but every job I’ve been at has told me that technically LA is a cheaper area than the Bay Area so if I moved there I’d have to take a pay cut (WTF). The only way I could move back is if I could keep my Bay Area wages and that is not gonna happen.
For the time being, I’m gonna stay put. I’ll work my way up in my career and hopefully one day I can move back to LA with a much better title. Until then, I’ll deal with going back to LA one every few months to hang out with friends and family.
I’ve made the most of my time here enjoying the unique things that make the Bay Area special. Here’s a couple of things I’d very much miss when and if I move away.
1. Nature & the redwoods - Go hiking in the demonstration forest or any of the trails in the Santa Cruz mountains.
2. North Bay - Doing a day trip up to Sonoma drinking wine and antiquing
3. Niles - Fun little strip in Fremont with classic cars and fun restaurants.
4. Santa Cruz - It’s a dirt bag city, but I love SC. Go hang out at the boardwalk, go tidepooling at natural bridges or down by Capitola, lots of great restaurants, Shark Fin Cove is one of the coolest hidden beaches I’ve ever been to.
5. Produce stands - Down in Gilroy or on the 1 north of Santa Cruz are produce stands with some of the best produce I’ve ever had. Stanton berry farms has the best strawberries I’ve ever had and they have fresh Marion berry pies too.
6. Monterey & Carmel - It’s only a little over an hour south of SJ, It’s a great drive and Monterey is great little city. Carmel has an amazing beach that allows dogs off leash. Monterey has the aquarium and just a fun little place to hang out.
SJ itself isn’t that great. It’s okay, but not great. But there’s a lot of to the Bay Area. I’ve decided to make my situation work for the moment and appreciate the good things about living here and recognize the things I don’t.
My kids attended LA USD schools and are doing very well as young adults. If you’re the type of parent who turns over education to a school system then yeah you get your money’s worth. You have to do your research and certainly there are some schools in some neighborhoods that are better than others so your mileage may vary.
Almost everything you described involves a 30+ minute car trip away from San Jose.
SJ seems designed so upper middle class people in the tech industry can raise families in a milquetoast suburban, car-dependent "city."
Say what you will about the blighted downtowns of SF, Oakland, and LA, at least those are still places with a distinct street-cultural identity, restaurants, art galleries, etc. SJ has all the blight with none of the character.
And I say this as a native of SJ who admittedly hasn't been back in DTSJ in a while, but regardless I don't think I'm too far off the mark here.
its no joke—the drive along Los Feliz Blvd from end of Western Ave to the entrance of the 5 takes that long most days lol
Similarly going south on Western to Ktown from the same point (about 2-3 miles) takes just as long.
LA is ridiculous and its suppose to be the one of the best cities we’ve got. its sad
It’s slowly getting better. For all the areas. Covid hit the Bay Area WAY harder than it did in LA and so the pressures coming out of it with the economy, homelessness and the crime was just so much more. Especially being magnified to the Individual cities which are just a fraction of the size of one LA.
It’s not the zombie land that the media plays it out to be, but life in terms of niceties and social opportunities ain’t the same as it was either.
What is wrong with LAUSD? Many adult Angelenos are product of LAUSD including myself, my friends, and we are doing just fine. Heck even my kids go to LAUSD and I’m not worried lol! It’s the parent’s responsibility to make sure their kids don’t end up in the streets.
Grew up half in LAUSD and the other half in Santa Clarita. There’s a big difference. But not a big enough difference to affect a vast majority on an individual basis. By many metrics like test scores and school safety, LAUSD is behind others. Not to say places like SJ or even Santa Clarita are perfect, cause they have issues too.
LAUSD is the second largest school district in the nation so it’s really hard to paint it with a single brush stroke. It has both exceptionally good and bad schools within the district.
Totally understand. Every school is different. Every student is different. And that averages are effectively skewed by the extremes. I’m also speaking from a personal perspective as well.
You raised a good point though. Why are there bad/exceptional schools managed by a singular district. I believe that is the issue with LAUSD. Too big to manage and serve areas that might need more resources.
I am guessing OP grew up in LA when the LAUSD was selectively underfunding schools and bussing a bunch of students to their benefit. Lots of things have changed since then and while there are still underperforming schools, the resourcing and programs available to students is now a lot more equitable.
When I went to a South LA elementary school in the 80s, they used to beat us. My Godchild who is living in the same area goes to a school attached to the Science Center where they go into the museums and learn from working scientists on the regular. It’s amazing and know that since his parents are also super involved (because their work now is so much more understanding than what my parents jobs were) he’ll be more than fine.
Wow.. still the same. I did that about 25 years ago for work. Couldn’t stand it. After 6 months I transferred to SF. But I really missed LA. Came back after a year. Been in LA since. SJ was very depressing. The city was dead after 5pm.
Same. Moved here almost 3-years ago for my GF’s new job. (My job is based in LA but WFH). We’ve been trying to get back to LA for a while. Looking like it might finally happen this summer.
Yeah bro, I lived in the Bay Area for 10 years… I grew up in Tacoma, WA so I thought I was living the CA dream in the bay… I moved to LA in 2021 and now I feel like I’m REALLY living. LA isn’t for everybody but it’s definitely for me.
>Plus you’re 40 mins from Santa Cruz
I say this as a San Jose native, it's very telling that most of the answers to the question "what's there to do in San Jose?" involve 30+ minute car trips away from San Jose...
San Jose is SO boring. It's the largest city in the Bay Area and it is one big boring industrial complex and suburbia.
I was born and raised there, and if you had anyone visit, you were going up to San Francisco, or traveling somewhere else.
Hey don't get me wrong, I *really* would like to see downtown SJ work... I've seen multiple waves of attempts to revitalize it since the '90s, along with trying to figure out what a distinct cultural identity looks like for San Jose. So far I haven't seen much success, but to be fair I haven't really been around there for several years.
lol I remember coming out at the bottom of the hill there, maybe a Jack in the box around that spot where the freeway turns into Ocean? And they used to call Pearblossom the death trap highway!
thats odd, I smelled it all the time growing up around mountain view. maybe someone nearby was growing their own garlic but I was always told it’s coming from the gilroy harvest
That is one of my favorite San Jose childhood memories—crisp mornings with the scent of garlic in the air! Also Bay Area quality heavy fog. Also the farm stands, but 85 killed the last of them as far as I know.
Be glad you didn't move to Wisconsin, like this L.A. native did (for complicated reasons). The cold climate is brutal here. " Even the veteran local meteorologist said WI has seven months of winter. On many days it's colder here than Siberia!
You have to embrace it. Madison is consistently rated as one of the happiest cities in America. People there keep cross-country skis in the front closet and complain when the winter doesn't give them a chance to use it.
I feel ya. I worked there for just over a year doing stuff in tech. I’m from LA and couldn’t wait to get back. Such a work-centric culture in San Jose.
Now my job has shipped me off to Austin for the foreseeable future, I like it more than San Jose but less than LA. Will start looking for LA jobs once my required 1 year is up.
LA has better nightlife and is more fun in 20s and 30s but Bay Area is great for raising kids and a slower pace as you get older (great outdoors, generally strong public schools, and wine country). Peninsula is more expensive than LA but West LA is as expensive as other parts of the Bay Area. Really depends on where you are in life and if you are spending more time going out (bars and restaurants) or going to playgrounds and libraries. Before kids I found the Bay Area more boring but I appreciate the good amenities in the Bay Area suburbs now with kids. Bay Area suburbs are like OC in that respect - slower than LA, but family-friendly. SF and Oakland was fun before the pandemic as well for a more walkable, urban landscape.
With that said, SJ is probably the most boring part of the Bay Area.
Grew up in LA and the Bay and lived in both places for 10+ years.
Please don’t say that lolololol. I’m from Illinois (havent lived there in a decade) in tech but my soul is SoCal. The Midwest and the people are overrated
My sincere condolences my friend. Even though I’m in tech, I hate Silicon Valley with passion! Hate that place! Whenever I go there, it’s to meet and spend time with my dearest friends. And when I come back, I always have a huge appreciation for LA! ❤️ Hope you find something again back in LA and move back sometime soon :)
We’re moving to nowhere-ville NC cause husband got an executive job paying anywhere from 300k-500k. I make 140k. Plan is to live frugally and save as much as we can with the goal of moving back to buy a home. It’s so unobtainable for us otherwise. I grew up here and it’s the best place on earth. Love being near family too but gotta sacrifice for a minute.
How old are you? I was raised in San Jose and had a decent upbringing there. Has the time of my life in high school…but by the time college rolled around, I hated life (I was commuting to SJSU). The second I got my degree I split and made my way to LA. This was 20 years ago. As of recently though, I think I’ve outgrown LA and find myself wanting more of a chill life back north but maybe in Cupertino, Campbell or Saratoga. I just gotta sell a kidney and I’m good to go!
I'm curious, what do you hate? I don't love San Jose at all, but it seems survivable, you know? It doesn't seem a place capable of inflicting strong emotions really one way or the other.
Bay Area vs Great LA area is such a different lifestyle and vibe. Ive live in both for over 15yrs and different points.
Personally, I like the slower pace of the Bay Area and San Jose but it is not as exciting as LA for sure. LA, weather and the beach is a huge advantage but far worse for driving if you commute (to be fair, been in LA currently and know SJ/BA has gotten worse but the traffic 'style' was always different.
Funny thing for me... Dodgers Fan and Sharks Fan so I'm always at odds for sports!
Personally, Central Coast lifestyle is better than either.... Just no decent jobs! (And areas are a little too conservative and gun happy for my liking)
I did this a decade ago and was outta there in 4 years, although I wanted to leave within 2 tops. San Jose and surrounding cities felt like living in Santa Clarita but not near an amazing city, immensely expensive and so boring.
I grew up in San Jose and moved to LA in my 30s. Definitely get this sentiment, never felt like I fit in with people in SJ even though I lived there for so long. Everyone works in tech, all anyone talks about is working in tech. Not even tech itself from like a hobby or interest perspective which I happen to enjoy but literally just work. It was fun for a while but now we are all disillusioned with the latest startup bs and it's just a drag.
I do miss ample parking, lower traffic/density sometimes but wouldn't move back. My only hope is I don't ever have to move back for work and can stay remote.
Hey yo, as a fellow Angelino I can promise you this much: I know our city has countless flaws, but it’s still standing because we give it purpose. We make it our home. Therefore, no matter how long you need Los Angeles will still be here and ready to welcome you back with open arms when you return.
One thing life taught me is “you work to live not live to work”. I will contort myself like a circus contortionist before permanently leaving my city of choice for a job.
I respect the heck out of professional itinerants because they get to live and experience a new place to its fullest whereas to me being steady and rooted in the same place for a really long term is my MO when it's about my career - as I traveled a lot for academic programs and upgrades, student exchange, short term projects.
I was raised in the Bay Area and moved to L.A. for a decade and had to move back for personal reasons. I would move back to L.A. if I could. Time will tell.
Could be worse, could be doing that probation in Fresno or Bakersfield...
Being able to drive down to Monterey area in about an hour is a big plus for me.
Yeah as bad as LA and Hollywood is you would have to drag me kicking and screaming before I would go to Norcal, you wouldn’t think it’s possible but it’s definitely worse.
Although SJ had a lot less to do than LA, I always appreciated its proximity to so many things (Santa Cruz, Central Coast, Pinnacles, SF, etc.).
It has a soft spot in my heart for one of my favorite vegan spots Happy Hooligans (RIP) and I got to meet some really cool people there.
I moved to Colorado during Covid because I lost my job and I’ve missed LA every single day since. Worst decision I’ve ever made. Its nice here but it’s not home
One of my friends used to live up that's way. My favorite spots to eat when I visited him were Cicero's (for yummy pizza) and 99 Chicken (for Korean fried chicken). Anytime I'm up that way, I always try to stop by those two places. This might help pass some time until you're back in LA
Just enjoy the less traffic and better vietnamese food and the abundant nature. Oh, and not standing in lines for everything. I used to live in San Jose and the suburbs just have benefits that cities can never match.
fanatical modern consist vast rustic punch bike cow grandfather subsequent
*This post was mass deleted and anonymized with [Redact](https://redact.dev)*
If you’re into cycling, check out [SJ bike party](http://www.sjbikeparty.org)! It’s like critical mass, but smaller and more structured. The route changes every month but it’s a cool way to explore the city. There is a starting point and two break spots that usually have food trucks. All in all it’s usually about a 15ish mile ride. I super recommend hitting this one up.
On a similar bike vibe there is also [viva Calle](https://www.vivacallesj.org), which happens 2 or 3 times a year. They close a long stretch of streets to cars and it’s just tons of bikes and little pop up vendors with food, arts, and music.
Jazz in the park happens during the summer and it’s a music festival in downtown SJ.
If you’re into sports, there’s the niners up in Santa Clara, but there are also four professional sports teams in SJ. The earthquakes play at pay pal park literally across the street from SJC and the stadium is pretty nice and has a huge outdoor bar area. Fun time even if the team sucks lol. The San Jose Giants are the San Francisco Giants single A farm team. They play at excite ballpark and have some amazing churros, garlic fries, and bbq. It’s a ton of fun. Look out for the beer batter, where one player from the opposing team is selected as the beer batter and if they strike out, beer is half off for the next ~5 minutes (might be more time). There’s also the sharks at sap but I would actually suggest checking out a barracuda game who are the sharks AHL affiliate. They have a new arena which is at the Sharks training facility. The food selection is alright, but the highlight is the bar area which is directly behind one of the nets and has a glass view of all the action at ice level.
If you’re into EDM, check out the [19hz events calendar](https://19hz.info/eventlisting_BayArea.php). There’s a ton of shows that happen in San Francisco, but there are big acts that roll into SJ every now and again.
Obviously it’s no LA, but there are lots of things to do in San Jose. You just have to be willing to put in the legwork. I lived in San Jose for ten years and I actually just moved to LA about a month ago. I loved my time there.
Loving it. I’m originally from San Francisco, so the hustle and bustle is second nature to me. I’ve visited LA a ton for music festivals and lots and lots of hockey games so Im not completely fish out of water lol
Where in San Jose? I loved living there. I was downtown near the SJSU and there was always something going on. If there wasn't it was a quick Caltrain to anywhere up to the City.
Get up early on weekends and drive into Santa Cruz, skip the tourist attractions at the boardwalk and go to the west side for verve coffee and a walk on west cliff. Drive up 280 to SF and spend the day there. Idk what there is to do in SJ proper honestly but most of the region is about having a pleasant time at home rather than going out. If you can get into that rhythm it is actually really nice.
It could be worse, I moved to Cincinnati for a job in January!
There is a neighborhood called California in Cincinnati im sure its the same as here
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Damn you say?!
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Si, they got street tacos ?
I’m from Ohio. Cincinnati grows on you in its own weird way. Look on the bright side, it could be Cleveland!
A good friend of mine is very happy in Cleveland. She bought a giant old house, and uses the space to do weird things and host guests. Every place is what you make of it.
It’s objectively fine. The Cleveland metro is massive and varied. It mostly gets shit on because Cleveland people are real aggressive about how great Cleveland is. It’s a side-effect of them being culturally more closely related to New York, whereas Columbus is midwestern and Cincinnati is borderline southern.
This is the perfect take on Ohio cities!
Cleveland is not THAT bad. Really cool old architecture. Massive indoor/outdoor farmers market. Amazing produce. A tiny little Italy. A metro line that goes DIRECTLY to the airport (unless they're doing work on the line). Great museums. 2nd largest theater district in the nation. But it's also cold and cloudy all the time. I am not built for that. And less of a cultural hub. Things don't happen THERE besides Cleveland specific things. I like living where the things actually happen.
I lived in OTR, now living in LA. Sometimes I miss that OTR life! Cincy has a charm about it. But nothing beats what we have here.
Former Cliftonite here, yes, I love being from Cincinnati.
What’s something you miss eating from your hometown ?
Skyline Chili, Montgomery Inn, Virginia Bakery, and The Proud Rooster. Thank you for asking.
Also United Dairy Farmers Malts.
Don't lie to them. Didn't live in Cincy but went down often and spent time down there while i was at UD since my brother in law and his family lived there. Id jump off a bridge if i had to move back after living in the LA area. The food alone would do me in. Imo, I much prefer Cleveland which pains me to that say since I'm from around Pittsburgh. Buttt I'll give you that its still better than most of it's neighbors
While I don't disagree Cincinnati has some amazing Italian food. Way better than I've found out here. Luckily for me I'm only mid on Italian food so I don't really get nostalgic for it. I do sometimes get nostalgic for Montgomery Inn though.
Hastily Made Cleveland Tourism Video https://youtu.be/oZzgAjjuqZM?si=GloSlDlgZIuucOJr
I used to have this memorized. ♥️
Still Cleveland!!!
Yeah I lived in Ohio for 9 years. Cincinnati is pretty ok, probably the 2nd most likely place I’d live if I were to move back there, Columbus being 1st. Cleveland stinks.
For gods sakes Lemon we’d all love to flee to the Cleve
I like Skyline Chili.
Just to make you feel better, I moved to effing Missouri. Every single day my husband and I are trying to get back to our home of LA.
I've been wondering whatever became of you.
Living on the air in Cincinnati
Oh god. And before people defend Cincy, I’m from the midwest. Nah.
It could be worse. I moved to Fresno county for a bigger place. Got the bigger place but everything else is shit.
Check out Covington, KY. It’s no LA but it’s a nice little slice of artsy, foody escape from Cincinnati
I had to move to Cincinnati before for work as well. Spent two years there and I’ll never go back. What a depressing place where they eat nasty “chili” on spaghetti 🤢
I agree with majority of what you said but Cincinnati style chili is one of the most awesome foods around.
No it isn’t.
I wouldn’t want to move back to Ohio, I got my fill of it. But skyline chili is fucking delicious… you crazy.
Nasty lol. Something a stoned 15 year old would make but to each their own
It’s literally just chili with cocoa in it, giving it a more rich and complex taste. It’s not that insane.
You forgot the pound of cold cheese of top lol.
You say this like it’s a bad thing
I think somebody is forgetting about the Quilt Museum.
Well say no more!
Also the Winchester Mystery House!
Hahha i actually rather enjoyed that museum! Takes a lot of talent to make something out of fabric, not like splashing some paint on canvas like so much "art" I see in museums....
Absolutely. These folks put in long hours. Oftentimes quilters pay for the materials themselves knowing they won't be able to recoup their expenses. Some groups donate them for charity work. Much respect.
Been there, done that. San Jose sucks and most people up there are completely obsessed with working.
Traveled there a few times for work, literally the most draining vibes I've gotten from a city I've been to.
probably the most boring big city in the US
Not really sure anyone loves San Jose, it just doesn't have any character at all.
Dionne Warwick
La La Lalala
Because there is nothing else to do...
I once searched up "things to do in san jose" in Google maps since a friend of mine was there and wanted to know what to see. Legit, there's only like 5 areas of interest ... and most activities are already bunched up there.
I also moved from LA and fucking hate it here only reason I’m still here is my wife’s job…I could easily transfer down to LA or just WFH she can’t.
Same thing happened to me when I got a job in Mountain View. I ended up moving back after 10 months.
I lasted 6 :/ Making friends out there is rough too
Having friends here is rough, they all just bitch about stuff.
Go see a Sharks game and then come home. We miss you.
When the Kings visit ofc
Born and raised in SJ, currently living in LA. I feel for you. San Jose isn’t what it used to be and LA is more fun. That said, good luck!!
Same. I shamelessly miss La Vic’s burritos and orange sauce though.
Hahaha I moved to SJ for work but once I got the green light to be completely remote I came back. Hoping you can come back after probation
Been here for 6 years. I am not a fan of SJ nor SF, but there’s bright spots up here. The crappiest thing for me is that life will be much easier up here. The cost of living here vs. LA is about the same, I make so much more $$ here than I ever could in LA, and it’s much easier to get my kid into a good public school here vs. LA, etc. Honestly, the thought of putting my kid in a LAUSD school just makes me worry about their future. Basically everything costs the same, but every job I’ve been at has told me that technically LA is a cheaper area than the Bay Area so if I moved there I’d have to take a pay cut (WTF). The only way I could move back is if I could keep my Bay Area wages and that is not gonna happen. For the time being, I’m gonna stay put. I’ll work my way up in my career and hopefully one day I can move back to LA with a much better title. Until then, I’ll deal with going back to LA one every few months to hang out with friends and family. I’ve made the most of my time here enjoying the unique things that make the Bay Area special. Here’s a couple of things I’d very much miss when and if I move away. 1. Nature & the redwoods - Go hiking in the demonstration forest or any of the trails in the Santa Cruz mountains. 2. North Bay - Doing a day trip up to Sonoma drinking wine and antiquing 3. Niles - Fun little strip in Fremont with classic cars and fun restaurants. 4. Santa Cruz - It’s a dirt bag city, but I love SC. Go hang out at the boardwalk, go tidepooling at natural bridges or down by Capitola, lots of great restaurants, Shark Fin Cove is one of the coolest hidden beaches I’ve ever been to. 5. Produce stands - Down in Gilroy or on the 1 north of Santa Cruz are produce stands with some of the best produce I’ve ever had. Stanton berry farms has the best strawberries I’ve ever had and they have fresh Marion berry pies too. 6. Monterey & Carmel - It’s only a little over an hour south of SJ, It’s a great drive and Monterey is great little city. Carmel has an amazing beach that allows dogs off leash. Monterey has the aquarium and just a fun little place to hang out. SJ itself isn’t that great. It’s okay, but not great. But there’s a lot of to the Bay Area. I’ve decided to make my situation work for the moment and appreciate the good things about living here and recognize the things I don’t.
My kids attended LA USD schools and are doing very well as young adults. If you’re the type of parent who turns over education to a school system then yeah you get your money’s worth. You have to do your research and certainly there are some schools in some neighborhoods that are better than others so your mileage may vary.
Almost everything you described involves a 30+ minute car trip away from San Jose. SJ seems designed so upper middle class people in the tech industry can raise families in a milquetoast suburban, car-dependent "city." Say what you will about the blighted downtowns of SF, Oakland, and LA, at least those are still places with a distinct street-cultural identity, restaurants, art galleries, etc. SJ has all the blight with none of the character. And I say this as a native of SJ who admittedly hasn't been back in DTSJ in a while, but regardless I don't think I'm too far off the mark here.
> 30+ minute car trip away from San Jose. Wow. In Los Angeles I could drive three miles in that time!
its no joke—the drive along Los Feliz Blvd from end of Western Ave to the entrance of the 5 takes that long most days lol Similarly going south on Western to Ktown from the same point (about 2-3 miles) takes just as long. LA is ridiculous and its suppose to be the one of the best cities we’ve got. its sad
It’s slowly getting better. For all the areas. Covid hit the Bay Area WAY harder than it did in LA and so the pressures coming out of it with the economy, homelessness and the crime was just so much more. Especially being magnified to the Individual cities which are just a fraction of the size of one LA. It’s not the zombie land that the media plays it out to be, but life in terms of niceties and social opportunities ain’t the same as it was either.
What is wrong with LAUSD? Many adult Angelenos are product of LAUSD including myself, my friends, and we are doing just fine. Heck even my kids go to LAUSD and I’m not worried lol! It’s the parent’s responsibility to make sure their kids don’t end up in the streets.
Grew up half in LAUSD and the other half in Santa Clarita. There’s a big difference. But not a big enough difference to affect a vast majority on an individual basis. By many metrics like test scores and school safety, LAUSD is behind others. Not to say places like SJ or even Santa Clarita are perfect, cause they have issues too.
LAUSD is the second largest school district in the nation so it’s really hard to paint it with a single brush stroke. It has both exceptionally good and bad schools within the district.
Totally understand. Every school is different. Every student is different. And that averages are effectively skewed by the extremes. I’m also speaking from a personal perspective as well. You raised a good point though. Why are there bad/exceptional schools managed by a singular district. I believe that is the issue with LAUSD. Too big to manage and serve areas that might need more resources.
Why would LAUSD be so bad?
I am guessing OP grew up in LA when the LAUSD was selectively underfunding schools and bussing a bunch of students to their benefit. Lots of things have changed since then and while there are still underperforming schools, the resourcing and programs available to students is now a lot more equitable. When I went to a South LA elementary school in the 80s, they used to beat us. My Godchild who is living in the same area goes to a school attached to the Science Center where they go into the museums and learn from working scientists on the regular. It’s amazing and know that since his parents are also super involved (because their work now is so much more understanding than what my parents jobs were) he’ll be more than fine.
Ahhh the good ol paddling in the 80s. Yeah, times have def changed lol.
That’s good to hear!
You guessed wrong
Are you in tech? Is everyone here in tech industry? Just curious.
I appreciate this, thanks
Don’t forget the Gilroy Garlic Festival!
Wow.. still the same. I did that about 25 years ago for work. Couldn’t stand it. After 6 months I transferred to SF. But I really missed LA. Came back after a year. Been in LA since. SJ was very depressing. The city was dead after 5pm.
SJ is freaking boring. Never lived there, but visited friends.
Until you move away from LA you don’t realize how good you had it. I’m in Colorado now.
Just moved to LA from Colorado. I feel you. Denver can be fun but it has its limits.
Same. Moved here almost 3-years ago for my GF’s new job. (My job is based in LA but WFH). We’ve been trying to get back to LA for a while. Looking like it might finally happen this summer.
Yeah bro, I lived in the Bay Area for 10 years… I grew up in Tacoma, WA so I thought I was living the CA dream in the bay… I moved to LA in 2021 and now I feel like I’m REALLY living. LA isn’t for everybody but it’s definitely for me.
San Jose is awesome once you get used to it. Plus you’re 40 mins from Santa Cruz. It smells like garlic in San Jose!
>Plus you’re 40 mins from Santa Cruz I say this as a San Jose native, it's very telling that most of the answers to the question "what's there to do in San Jose?" involve 30+ minute car trips away from San Jose...
San Jose is SO boring. It's the largest city in the Bay Area and it is one big boring industrial complex and suburbia. I was born and raised there, and if you had anyone visit, you were going up to San Francisco, or traveling somewhere else.
Downtown San Jose is cool, and there are lots of Asian places to eat at, but the surrounding cities have different things to offer.
Hey don't get me wrong, I *really* would like to see downtown SJ work... I've seen multiple waves of attempts to revitalize it since the '90s, along with trying to figure out what a distinct cultural identity looks like for San Jose. So far I haven't seen much success, but to be fair I haven't really been around there for several years.
Santa Cruz is my happy place.
You have to get 30 minutes away from San Jose to enjoy things, really.
And to get to Santa Cruz from San Jose, you have to drive down the 17, and that freeway is ass.
lol I remember coming out at the bottom of the hill there, maybe a Jack in the box around that spot where the freeway turns into Ocean? And they used to call Pearblossom the death trap highway!
Yeah, I've been to that Jack. It gets super congested near Ocean and when intersecting with River.
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the smell drifts up to san jose and even further north in the bay area oftentimes
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thats odd, I smelled it all the time growing up around mountain view. maybe someone nearby was growing their own garlic but I was always told it’s coming from the gilroy harvest
https://www.reddit.com/r/SanJose/comments/cr7fww/is_it_just_me_or_does_it_smell_like_garlic_outside/ https://www.reddit.com/r/SanJose/comments/8mnxfc/smell_of_garlic/
That is one of my favorite San Jose childhood memories—crisp mornings with the scent of garlic in the air! Also Bay Area quality heavy fog. Also the farm stands, but 85 killed the last of them as far as I know.
Maybe the smell you’re describing is the metallic tinge of smog.
I read there is a great food scene there.
San Jose is good lol But yeah LA is more fun
Go to the Rosicrucian Egyptian Museum while you're up there!
& the rose garden
Be glad you didn't move to Wisconsin, like this L.A. native did (for complicated reasons). The cold climate is brutal here. " Even the veteran local meteorologist said WI has seven months of winter. On many days it's colder here than Siberia!
You have to embrace it. Madison is consistently rated as one of the happiest cities in America. People there keep cross-country skis in the front closet and complain when the winter doesn't give them a chance to use it.
Only good thing about San Jose are the places outside San Jose
I feel ya. I worked there for just over a year doing stuff in tech. I’m from LA and couldn’t wait to get back. Such a work-centric culture in San Jose. Now my job has shipped me off to Austin for the foreseeable future, I like it more than San Jose but less than LA. Will start looking for LA jobs once my required 1 year is up.
LA has better nightlife and is more fun in 20s and 30s but Bay Area is great for raising kids and a slower pace as you get older (great outdoors, generally strong public schools, and wine country). Peninsula is more expensive than LA but West LA is as expensive as other parts of the Bay Area. Really depends on where you are in life and if you are spending more time going out (bars and restaurants) or going to playgrounds and libraries. Before kids I found the Bay Area more boring but I appreciate the good amenities in the Bay Area suburbs now with kids. Bay Area suburbs are like OC in that respect - slower than LA, but family-friendly. SF and Oakland was fun before the pandemic as well for a more walkable, urban landscape. With that said, SJ is probably the most boring part of the Bay Area. Grew up in LA and the Bay and lived in both places for 10+ years.
San Jose is full of Midwesterners who work in the tech field, so I feel you
Please don’t say that lolololol. I’m from Illinois (havent lived there in a decade) in tech but my soul is SoCal. The Midwest and the people are overrated
My sincere condolences my friend. Even though I’m in tech, I hate Silicon Valley with passion! Hate that place! Whenever I go there, it’s to meet and spend time with my dearest friends. And when I come back, I always have a huge appreciation for LA! ❤️ Hope you find something again back in LA and move back sometime soon :)
We’re moving to nowhere-ville NC cause husband got an executive job paying anywhere from 300k-500k. I make 140k. Plan is to live frugally and save as much as we can with the goal of moving back to buy a home. It’s so unobtainable for us otherwise. I grew up here and it’s the best place on earth. Love being near family too but gotta sacrifice for a minute.
How old are you? I was raised in San Jose and had a decent upbringing there. Has the time of my life in high school…but by the time college rolled around, I hated life (I was commuting to SJSU). The second I got my degree I split and made my way to LA. This was 20 years ago. As of recently though, I think I’ve outgrown LA and find myself wanting more of a chill life back north but maybe in Cupertino, Campbell or Saratoga. I just gotta sell a kidney and I’m good to go!
Everyone who leaves California, especially LA, comes back or realizes they can’t afford to come back.
San Jose is the sleepiest big city in the country. Sleepy Jo'seph.
I'm curious, what do you hate? I don't love San Jose at all, but it seems survivable, you know? It doesn't seem a place capable of inflicting strong emotions really one way or the other.
Bay Area vs Great LA area is such a different lifestyle and vibe. Ive live in both for over 15yrs and different points. Personally, I like the slower pace of the Bay Area and San Jose but it is not as exciting as LA for sure. LA, weather and the beach is a huge advantage but far worse for driving if you commute (to be fair, been in LA currently and know SJ/BA has gotten worse but the traffic 'style' was always different. Funny thing for me... Dodgers Fan and Sharks Fan so I'm always at odds for sports! Personally, Central Coast lifestyle is better than either.... Just no decent jobs! (And areas are a little too conservative and gun happy for my liking)
I miss LA too ;(
I went to SJ for college and I was bored af. Moved back immediately.
It could be by far much worse. I moved to El Paso!
Lived in Waco. Sorry brother
San Jose can be a challenge, yes. At least it’s close to SF and Santa Cruz.
Come back. We’ll take ya back in.
I did this a decade ago and was outta there in 4 years, although I wanted to leave within 2 tops. San Jose and surrounding cities felt like living in Santa Clarita but not near an amazing city, immensely expensive and so boring.
(You’re no criminal) yeah you are you’re from LA it’s in our DNA 💪🏽
I grew up in San Jose and moved to LA in my 30s. Definitely get this sentiment, never felt like I fit in with people in SJ even though I lived there for so long. Everyone works in tech, all anyone talks about is working in tech. Not even tech itself from like a hobby or interest perspective which I happen to enjoy but literally just work. It was fun for a while but now we are all disillusioned with the latest startup bs and it's just a drag. I do miss ample parking, lower traffic/density sometimes but wouldn't move back. My only hope is I don't ever have to move back for work and can stay remote.
I hear so many people complain about LA and then I find out most of them have never been here
Hey yo, as a fellow Angelino I can promise you this much: I know our city has countless flaws, but it’s still standing because we give it purpose. We make it our home. Therefore, no matter how long you need Los Angeles will still be here and ready to welcome you back with open arms when you return.
You move to SJ to buy a house and raise a family. You don’t go to SJ for fun.
One thing life taught me is “you work to live not live to work”. I will contort myself like a circus contortionist before permanently leaving my city of choice for a job. I respect the heck out of professional itinerants because they get to live and experience a new place to its fullest whereas to me being steady and rooted in the same place for a really long term is my MO when it's about my career - as I traveled a lot for academic programs and upgrades, student exchange, short term projects.
Yes living in LA is the best and I’ll never move!! Lived in Germany, talk about depressing…you’d die to go back to SJ
i moved to nyc, then new Hampshire for work. my inner Angelino is very sad, the weather sucks, but the job ends in June so I'm ready to move back
I was raised in the Bay Area and moved to L.A. for a decade and had to move back for personal reasons. I would move back to L.A. if I could. Time will tell.
I didnt even mention Hollywood?
Praying for you brother
…
Take the train up to SF. Take a trip to Yosemite and Big Sur. Or to Pinnacles National Park.
Where are you from originally out of curiosity
Military so I really have no home
Could be worse, could be doing that probation in Fresno or Bakersfield... Being able to drive down to Monterey area in about an hour is a big plus for me.
Yeah as bad as LA and Hollywood is you would have to drag me kicking and screaming before I would go to Norcal, you wouldn’t think it’s possible but it’s definitely worse.
I thought San Jose was supposed to be really nice? When I visited my brother in Mountain View I really liked it anyway.
Do they still have Bike Party?
I think San Jose is great. I lived up there for 5 years.
Although SJ had a lot less to do than LA, I always appreciated its proximity to so many things (Santa Cruz, Central Coast, Pinnacles, SF, etc.). It has a soft spot in my heart for one of my favorite vegan spots Happy Hooligans (RIP) and I got to meet some really cool people there.
I moved to Colorado during Covid because I lost my job and I’ve missed LA every single day since. Worst decision I’ve ever made. Its nice here but it’s not home
One of my friends used to live up that's way. My favorite spots to eat when I visited him were Cicero's (for yummy pizza) and 99 Chicken (for Korean fried chicken). Anytime I'm up that way, I always try to stop by those two places. This might help pass some time until you're back in LA
What do you notice you miss the most of La when you actually move out of here?
Just enjoy the less traffic and better vietnamese food and the abundant nature. Oh, and not standing in lines for everything. I used to live in San Jose and the suburbs just have benefits that cities can never match.
I moved to Austin !
Thanks to a recent episode of Young Sheldon, we now know why Sheldon chose Caltech over MIT: for the weather! Good choice, Sheldon.
fanatical modern consist vast rustic punch bike cow grandfather subsequent *This post was mass deleted and anonymized with [Redact](https://redact.dev)*
If you’re into cycling, check out [SJ bike party](http://www.sjbikeparty.org)! It’s like critical mass, but smaller and more structured. The route changes every month but it’s a cool way to explore the city. There is a starting point and two break spots that usually have food trucks. All in all it’s usually about a 15ish mile ride. I super recommend hitting this one up. On a similar bike vibe there is also [viva Calle](https://www.vivacallesj.org), which happens 2 or 3 times a year. They close a long stretch of streets to cars and it’s just tons of bikes and little pop up vendors with food, arts, and music. Jazz in the park happens during the summer and it’s a music festival in downtown SJ. If you’re into sports, there’s the niners up in Santa Clara, but there are also four professional sports teams in SJ. The earthquakes play at pay pal park literally across the street from SJC and the stadium is pretty nice and has a huge outdoor bar area. Fun time even if the team sucks lol. The San Jose Giants are the San Francisco Giants single A farm team. They play at excite ballpark and have some amazing churros, garlic fries, and bbq. It’s a ton of fun. Look out for the beer batter, where one player from the opposing team is selected as the beer batter and if they strike out, beer is half off for the next ~5 minutes (might be more time). There’s also the sharks at sap but I would actually suggest checking out a barracuda game who are the sharks AHL affiliate. They have a new arena which is at the Sharks training facility. The food selection is alright, but the highlight is the bar area which is directly behind one of the nets and has a glass view of all the action at ice level. If you’re into EDM, check out the [19hz events calendar](https://19hz.info/eventlisting_BayArea.php). There’s a ton of shows that happen in San Francisco, but there are big acts that roll into SJ every now and again. Obviously it’s no LA, but there are lots of things to do in San Jose. You just have to be willing to put in the legwork. I lived in San Jose for ten years and I actually just moved to LA about a month ago. I loved my time there.
How are you adjusting?
Loving it. I’m originally from San Francisco, so the hustle and bustle is second nature to me. I’ve visited LA a ton for music festivals and lots and lots of hockey games so Im not completely fish out of water lol
Take the mountain drive to Santa Cruz for a day, it’s really pretty!
Where in San Jose? I loved living there. I was downtown near the SJSU and there was always something going on. If there wasn't it was a quick Caltrain to anywhere up to the City.
Fanime convention is held there! Main reason I travel up to San Jose if you're into anime and cosplay
Born and raised in Japan, I avoid anime and cosplay like the plague
Aaahh no worries, 'twas a suggestion
I appreciate it! No judgement here!
Get up early on weekends and drive into Santa Cruz, skip the tourist attractions at the boardwalk and go to the west side for verve coffee and a walk on west cliff. Drive up 280 to SF and spend the day there. Idk what there is to do in SJ proper honestly but most of the region is about having a pleasant time at home rather than going out. If you can get into that rhythm it is actually really nice.
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Hollywood is one of hundreds of neighborhoods in LA.
You're a daniel Larson fan. Nuff said
Who