maybe finding a new place to live, help needed

[sublime]

hey all-

i currently live in Boston and have for the 26 years i have graced this earth with my presence. i love this city, but also hate it. the drawbacks are first and foremost, the weather. i don't like the cold. i don't like snow, and i don't like rain. i am not certain i am going to move, but it will probably happen. anyways, i need help finding a general area to scope out. i figured the smaahhht people of OOT could help me. i will list the most important things i am looking for.

important (in no particular order)

weather (needs to be warmish year round. doesnt have to be hot, but cant be below 50 during any time period)

tax friendly

close to major sports team (preferably baseball)

relatively low cost of living

single hot chicks (also i don't drink, so take that into consideration)

i play poker for a living, so a poker room in the area is a big plus (whats Florida's [censored] problem?)

ocean nearby

closest to Boston is better (not a must, but if two places seem about equal to me, i will choose the one closest to my peeps)

since i pay my own health insurance, if a state offers lower health care costs, that helps also.

thanks

[Hamish McBagpipe]

Amarillo, Texas. I went for work there for a couple of months, would stay if I could.

[jason_t]

[ QUOTE ]
hey all-

i currently live in Boston and have for the 26 years i have graced this earth with my presence. i love this city, but also hate it. the drawbacks are first and foremost, the weather. i don't like the cold. i don't like snow, and i don't like rain. i am not certain i am going to move, but it will probably happen. anyways, i need help finding a general area to scope out. i figured the smaahhht people of OOT could help me. i will list the most important things i am looking for.

important (in no particular order)

weather (needs to be warmish year round. doesnt have to be hot, but cant be below 50 during any time period)

close to major sports team (preferably baseball)

single hot chicks (also i don't drink, so take that into consideration)

i play poker for a living, so a poker room in the area is a big plus (whats Florida's [censored] problem?)

ocean nearby



[/ QUOTE ]

Los Angeles meets quite a few of your requirements.

The weather here is perfect. It's warm year-round (I go to the beach in January), it doesn't get absurdly hot in the summer (the max so far this summer is 82 with no humidity) and it never goes below 50.

Los Angeles is obviously close to many major sports teams (and you'd be able to catch the Red Sox in Anaheim).

Single hot chicks are everywhere in this city. They're in the beaches, the mall, the Santa Monica Promenade, all over Westwood (the area around UCLA) and Hollywood.

There are cardrooms within fifteen minutes of my place and Commerce is 20 miles away.

Ocean. Check.

The conditions it doesn't meet:

[ QUOTE ]
tax friendly

[/ QUOTE ]

Sales tax is 8.25% (I think.)

[ QUOTE ]
relatively low cost of living

[/ QUOTE ]

One bedrooms start at around 1k per month. Eating out is the same as on the East coast, groceries are about the same but the quality of fruits and vegetables is beyond comparison.

[ QUOTE ]
closest to Boston is better (not a must, but if two places seem about equal to me, i will choose the one closest to my peeps)

[/ QUOTE ]

It's about as far as you can get from Boston but tickets can be purchased far enough in advance for about $200 (my best friend is from Boston and he goes regularly).


[ QUOTE ]
since i pay my own health insurance, if a state offers lower health care costs, that helps also.

[/ QUOTE ]

I'm sorry that I don't know anything about this.

Good luck.

[sublime]

thanks Jason-

i assumed California was going to dominate the suggestion list and i have no objections to moving there. the only drawback appears to be the distance from boston (my mom/stepdad and sister still live here along with a god child)

i did a quick cost of living calculation here (http://www.cityrating.com/costofliving.asp) and it appears the clost of living is cheaper in LA.

what are some of the local areas i would need to look at? i prefer to live as far from the city so i dont have to deal with traffic etc, yest still have a large % of people my age.

[billyjex]

san diego. it is an awesome town and is much better than LA.

[sublime]

[ QUOTE ]
san diego. it is an awesome town and is much better than LA.

[/ QUOTE ]

billy-

you write me some nice poker articles and this is the best you can do? please elaborate. this is a young mans life we are talking about!

[ceyoung]

Oakland/Berkeley, you said you wanted to be an A's fan.

[billyjex]

[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
san diego. it is an awesome town and is much better than LA.

[/ QUOTE ]

billy-

you write me some nice poker articles and this is the best you can do? please elaborate. this is a young mans life we are talking about!

[/ QUOTE ]

i'm 4tabling right now it's hard to elaborate!

i will later

[jason_t]

[ QUOTE ]
thanks Jason-

i assumed California was going to dominate the suggestion list and i have no objections to moving there. the only drawback appears to be the distance from boston (my mom/stepdad and sister still live here along with a god child)

i did a quick cost of living calculation here (http://www.cityrating.com/costofliving.asp) and it appears the clost of living is cheaper in LA.

what are some of the local areas i would need to look at? i prefer to live as far from the city so i dont have to deal with traffic etc, yest still have a large % of people my age.

[/ QUOTE ]

You could live in Santa Monica for example. It's about 13 miles from downtown. The crowd is young and there are shopping areas, bars, clubs and restaurants all over that you could get to w/o hitting the freeway plus the beach is nearby. If you wanted to go to the cardrooms though, you'd hit traffic during the rush hours very badly. However, I sometimes go in the early afternoon (say 1 pm) or late evening (9 pm) and the traffic isn't bad at all. Although staying until 6 am is dumb but I haven't learned my lesson yet.

If you wanted to live even further out, Pacific Palisades, Malibu and Pasadena are okay choices.

[BWebb]

Sublime, I currently live in Central California and I might make a move to San Diego.

Weather-As good as it gets.

Tax Friendly-No where in California, one drawback.

Sport Teams-Petco is awesome and you got the Chargers. A drive to Anaheim isn't too far, so you could still see the Sox annually.

Single Hot Chicks-I was there 3 weeks ago and it seemed there were a ton in the downtown area.

Low cost of living-Also, not in California. But I did notice a lot of condos and downtown building going on, so if they oversupply they could get a little cheaper.

Poker room-Oceans 11 isn't too far up the free, depends on traffic though. I also think Barona has a cardroom in San Diego. Probably more. Have no idea about how the games are.

Ocean-Obviously.

Not close to Boston.

Heath insurance-Your young, so it shouldn't cost you too much. Probably a little higher in Cali than other places.

They also have a pretty good mass transit system, so driving is not required that often.

[thatpfunk]

I was actually going to make an LA sucks post today.

Seriously, the place is miserable. Unless your industry DEMANDS that you live there, do not go. Traffic is so bad I can not understand how people deal with it. It takes an hour to get anywhere at anytime, there is never not traffic. I'm not even going to start with the smog/air quality.

I vote for san diego as it has the positives of LA without the negatives. Weather great, Oceans 11 is 30 min away, beaches good, girls hot, etc. Rent is expensive and that is probably the biggest drawback.

I won't try very hard to convince you to move here though, it is crowded enough.

(i know you love LA jason, but driving through the city today made me miserable)

[jason_t]

[ QUOTE ]


(i know you love LA jason, but driving through the city today made me miserable)

[/ QUOTE ]

I'm sorry. I hate the traffic too, but the rest of the city...

Hate New York City
It's cold and it's damp
And all the people dressed like monkeys
Let's leave Chicago to the Eskimos
That town's a little bit too rugged
For you and me you bad girl

Rollin' down the Imperial Highway
With a big nasty redhead at my side
Santa Ana winds blowin' hot from the north
And we as born to ride

Roll down the window put down the top
Crank up the Beach Boys baby
Don't let the music stop
We're gonna ride it till we just can't ride it no more

From the South Bay to the Valley
From the West Side to the East Side
Everybody's very happy
'Cause the sun is shining all the time
Looks like another perfect day

I love L.A. (We love it)
I love L.A. (We love it)

Look at that mountain
Look at those trees
Look at that bum over there, man
He's down on his knees
Look at these women
There ain't nothin' like 'em nowhere

Century Boulevard (We love it)
Victory Boulevard (We love it)
Santa Monica Boulevard (We love it)
Sixth Street (We love it, we love it)

I love L.A.
I love L.A.
(We love it)

/images/graemlins/heart.gif

[Randy_Refeld]

Rosarito Mexico

[sublime]

If it is going to be San Diego, which parts should I look to live in? Which parts should be avoided?

[thatpfunk]

South and East County should be avoided.

Downtown, Ocean Beach, Mission Beach, Mission Valley, Mission Hills, Pacific Beach, and La Jolla are good areas for younger people. North County is also nice and slightly closer to Ocean11.

[sublime]

[ QUOTE ]
South and East County should be avoided.

Downtown, Ocean Beach, Mission Beach, Mission Valley, Mission Hills, Pacific Beach, and La Jolla are good areas for younger people. North County is also nice and slightly closer to Ocean11.

[/ QUOTE ]

someone mentioned to me that San Diego is a "military town" what did he mean? does the presence of the military have any effect on the area?

[Michael Davis]

San Jose, Costa Rica would be a great choice. Even better the outskirts. Distance-wise I don't see that it's any different from LA. Far is far.

-Michael

[thatpfunk]

[ QUOTE ]

someone mentioned to me that San Diego is a "military town" what did he mean? does the presence of the military have any effect on the area?

[/ QUOTE ]

basically nothing. there is a marine base (camp pendleton) just north of the city but it doesn't effect anything for the regular person.

[bugstud]

vegas, baby, vegas. What, about 4-5 hours from coast or so? Only downside

[billyjex]

[ QUOTE ]
vegas, baby, vegas. What, about 4-5 hours from coast or so? Only downside

[/ QUOTE ]

it also has beautiful 117 degree weather this time of year!

[sublime]

[ QUOTE ]
San Jose, Costa Rica would be a great choice. Even better the outskirts. Distance-wise I don't see that it's any different from LA. Far is far.

-Michael

[/ QUOTE ]

is living in another country safe for an american white man?

can i pick up local chicks without fear of being kidnapped and held for ransome?

[bugstud]

[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
vegas, baby, vegas. What, about 4-5 hours from coast or so? Only downside

[/ QUOTE ]

it also has beautiful 117 degree weather this time of year!

[/ QUOTE ]

when the liquor tastes that much colder, it's worth it.

[battschr]

May I suggest...um...anywhere but where I live?

[Michael Davis]

"is living in another country safe for an american white man?"

Lots of places, no, but there are tons of expats in Costa Rica. It's probably the safest country in Central/South America. Of course I don't speak Spanish and that sucks.

There are reputedly tons of hot chicks there and they love welloff American men (of course).

Anyways, I'm going in September. Want to come?

-Michael

[sublime]

[ QUOTE ]
"is living in another country safe for an american white man?"

Lots of places, no, but there are tons of expats in Costa Rica. It's probably the safest country in Central/South America. Of course I don't speak Spanish and that sucks.

There are reputedly tons of hot chicks there and they love welloff American men (of course).

Anyways, I'm going in September. Want to come?

-Michael

[/ QUOTE ]

sure, who else is going?

[KaneKungFu123]

Miami seems like a better alternative to LA, - Poker.

[sublime]

[ QUOTE ]
Miami seems like a better alternative to LA, - Poker.

[/ QUOTE ]

i lived in miami for a while and loved it, however i was a heavy drinker/drug abuser at the time.

[spydog]

Phoenix (Tempe or Scottsdale)

Great weather.
Spring training + Dbacks.
Much lower cost than California. About the national average.
Tax neutral.
Plenty of hot chicks (Tempe=ASU, Scottsdale=Fake Boobs)
Plenty of casinos + Vegas is a $80 roundtrip on Southwest.
Ocean. Damn. No ocean.
Not very close to Boston, but SWA flys there for fairly cheap.

FWIW, I used to fly up to Vegas 6 or 7 times a year on Southwest to play blackjack. After 4 round trips I would get a free voucher to fly anywhere Southwest flys. So, I would basically spend $320 (80x4) to get a free voucher that I would use to fly somewhere more expensive (like Boston).

[jakethebake]

[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
Miami seems like a better alternative to LA, - Poker.

[/ QUOTE ]

i lived in miami for a while and loved it, however i was a heavy drinker/drug abuser at the time.

[/ QUOTE ]

I don't know when you lived here, but there's plenty to do w/o drinking/drugs. Decent weather, tax-friendly, etc too. The lack of decent cardrooms is the big drawback. There are plenty of SnG tournaments, as well as MTTs, but the state law capping limit bets at $2 pretty much kills those games. There are also homegames.

[sfer]

Dude, the answer is clearly going to be Southern California. There are like 4 full tables of 40/80 going every night just at Commerce. Just accept and plan.