I'm a New Yorker who visited California for the first time. Here are 9 things that surprised me most

[Zorro]

As a New Yorker visiting California for the first time, I was blown away by the landscapes, gorgeous weather, wildlife, and experiences.

Southern California — the San Diego area specifically — is truly stunning and quite different from the East Coast.

Read on for the things that surprised me most on my trip.

https://www.insider.com/things-new-yorker-found-surprising-about-visiting-california-photos-2021-12

Although it's been a bit wet lately, San Diego is a really nice place to call home.

[Mz Pip]

1. This could have been written

by my daughter in law, another New Yorker.

She flew to San Diego for a conference. Stayed over the weekend and flew back to NYC determined move to San Diego. She’s already picked the neighborhood with the best schools, signed up to take the CA Bar Exam, and booked a family vacation for February.

We live in Northern California but would be thrilled to have them on the west coast. The drive would be shorter than the nearly 10 hours it takes us to get door to door.

[CrispyQ]

2. That was wonderful!

So many reminders of why I love San Diego & now I want to go back so bad! Balboa Park is one of my favorite places.

[Zorro]

3. Most people who reflexively disparage California have never been there

One hears it all the time when visiting other states.

I currently split my time between Florida and California, and although Florida has exceptional natural wonders (I really like the daily sunsets and [most] of the local wildlife), my wife and I still prefer life in SoCal (have twice captured a mountain lion roaming around our house recently on our outdoor cams).

[underpants]

4. Easiest job in the world - a weatherman in San Diego

Tomorrow it’s going to be.... nice

Never been to San Diego but I have been to LA. This was in 2002. Proposed to my wife at Gladstone’s....at sunset. Yeah! I loved LA. She was working and I had the company rented car. Maybe it was just midday traffic but I had no problem. Had a great time.

[localroger]

5. New Orleanian here, and yep there's some great stuff out there

Balboa Park is indeed magical. The zoo is in the park of course, but there's also a pretty good high end restaurant in the zoo. In a treehouse. The maritime museum is also worth seeing; you can board and wander around several historic ships, including Surprise, the ship from Master and Commander. Of course my reason for going to San Diego was also to take the Blue Line to the border and have some dental work done.

I've also been to LA and particularly Santa Monica a few times for work, and to San Francisco a few times on vacation. SF is one of the few large cities anywhere in the US I would voluntarily return to entirely for fun. (Sorry, NYC.) Unfortunately the cost of living, particularly rent, keeps me in NOLA which of course fortunately has its own charms.

[myccrider]

6. Pretty nice place to live, if you can afford it

COL is a BIG problem for lower income folks here, especially rent/real estate. And climate change is going to make this place much less like paradise in the coming decades.

I look around and keep thinking of Joni Mitchell’s "Big Yellow Taxi" line "you don’t know what you’ve got ‘til it’s gone" and Don Henley’s "Last Resort", "you call someplace paradise, kiss it good-bye"

I’ve lived in the OC since I was 5 and have loved it…the beaches, the mountains, the desert, the recreation, the weather, the food, etc. (except the traffic! ) We’re financially comfortable enough and bought our home long enough ago to ignore the real estate prices, but the climate change crisis is going to destroy my home country, I’m afraid.

[waddirum]

7. I'm a midwesterner

with a Big Sur fetish. It’s my mental happy place.