April Swanking - Huntington Gardens - April 22nd

[Not Afraid]

Originally Posted by BarTopDancer

And for those of us in south county, the 5. I live south of the "Y", and I work across the street from the Spectrum. I have to drive over the 5 north every night before I go home, and the thought of sitting in that traffic to go somewhere *fun* or *swanky* in LA is not appealing. Heck, going to Disneyland in that traffic isn't appealing.

And it seems no matter when you go north, unless it's between 1am and 3am you will hit crummy traffic.

There are fun and swanky places in Orange County. Maybe not as many as in LA County, but they are here, and as NM pointed out, much closer and easier to get to.

It's not lke OC is a desolate wasteland, it just doesn't have the diversity and excitement of LA. The further South you go, the more mundane it gets with the exception of some of tbe more "liberal" beach communities (Laguna is a prime example). The problem I found with living in OC was that I, like Lindyhop, found it hard to leave. It DID seem to suck the life out of me. There's something about the comfort level that makes me lead a much more boring life. But, I LIKE cities and diversity. I like the excitement, the creativity, the vibe that just isn't there in OC. But, I love love love Long Beach. It has a city feel and a beach community vibe. Lots of unique experiences to be had here and we're freeway close to anywhere in LA - and to Disneyland. We're also freeway close to OC in general, but I rarely end up there for any other reason that to visit friends who live or work there.

But, I've lived on OC, worked for a major OC city, lived in Hollywood and in Long Beach for many years so I've experienced the differences firsthand. If you choose to live in OC there are many benefits, but hip happenings isn't really one of them and the drive you have to make to get to "someplace" is tedious. But, these are my priorities talking.

[Ghoulish Delight]

Originally Posted by Not Afraid

But, I've lived on OC, worked for a major OC city, lived in Hollywood and in Long Beach for many years so I've experienced the differences firsthand. If you choose to live in OC there are many benefits, but hip happenings isn't really one of them and the drive you have to make to get to "someplace" is tedious. But, these are my priorities talking.

Totally agreed. Even places that are kinda cool, like Laguna, don't hold a candle to the splendor of old-Hollywood, a-la the Avalon. Clubbing in OC is, well, clubbing, i.e lame. Clubbing at a place like the Avalon...is still lame, but at least you're at the freaking Avalon!

If I didn't have a job that I truly love, I'd seriously be looking for a way out of here. But I'm in a niche industry, and the few opportunities in SoCal that exist are here in OC, and I really do hope to be at this company for a long while. Hopefully, this summer will bring a move closer to the county line. As much as I enjoy the benefits of Irvine (clean, quiet, safe-ish), I'll trade it for proximit to something other than another Daphne's and another Dave & Busters.

[tracilicious]

Originally Posted by Ghoulish Delight

If I didn't have a job that I truly love, I'd seriously be looking for a way out of here.

That is us too. And AZ is a much suckier place than almost anywhere in CA. But a good job and family (ok, so I'd sort of like to move away from family ) keep us here for now. When we're ready to leave the job though, we'll leave the state. Probably for someplace where we can buy more than a one bedroom apartment for what we pay for rent here, though. CA is nice, but it ain't cheap.