Pedestrain City Recommendations?

Has anyone actually lived in downtown DC? I'm interested to know if there are pockets where the locals hit the coffeshops, delis, take-aways, and shops.

I just started writing a book that should be a best seller.

"I Don't Golf, I Don't Garden, I Don't Fish. Confessions of a Lost Retiree"
 
Used to sell a lot to the federal govt. Was in and out of the place every other day for a while.

Spent 3 straight weeks there once. During that two weeks I saw two of the more surreal things I've ever seen.

About 50 cops and an ambulance collecting at a street corner. Two guys hanging around just around the corner. You can see it coming. All of a sudden the 50 cops rush as a group around the corner and absolutely beat the snot out of these two guys. Just kicked the crap out of them for a full 10 minutes. Then the ambulance guys rolled the gurney over and scraped them up, put them in the ambulance.

Standing out in front of the ridiculously expensive hotel waiting for a cab. Homeless guy that looks like dog doodie warmed over comes staggering by, singing opera with the most beautiful voice I think i've ever heard. I wouldnt be surprised to see the guy getting the business from Simon Cowell some day.

Very expensive, crime can be pretty high, you can get some very cold snowy weather in the winter, humidity can be very high in the summer, you do get hurricane leftovers as well, and you have to deal with clots of political wonks.
 
OAP, As long as you have the stamina why not visit all of the above places for an indefinate amount of time, Boston is beautiful in late spring, the south is good to the bones in the winter, CA and AZ are good just about any time of year. It doesn't sound like you have strings holding you down and your health coverage will follow you, why not? If variety is the spice of life then taste a little of what this wonderful country has to offer.
 
CFB,
I visited DC a few times on the taxpayer's money. Selling spy satellites to the military. Kinda like selling snowcones in hell. I saw a bit of what you mention, it was a surreal place sometimes.

Outtahere, Only thing holding me back is health right now. Right now I can't make it past noon without a good nap. Totally exhausted. So I need to narrow to 2-3 palces and give each a good 2-3 week visit.

So far I'm looking at:
1. SF (for sure)
2. Seattle
3. DC
 
I worked for Blue Shield of CA (or as a contractor) for 20 years. All BC/BS have to follow the same rules that the BC/CS Association has set as a requirement to belong.

The main difference that I see between BC CA and BS CA is that BC is now a FOR profit company. BS of CA is still NON profit. Both have the 'Out of area' program so you may be able to just keep our current policy and have all claims transmitted to the Home plan which is your current BCBS plan. Actually any state you move to will have the same program. They all have to provide this program to keep their cross/shield.

It's called BlueCard. You should have an alpha prefix in front of your subscriber number that indicates to the other plans which plan is your Home plan. It is a program that allows people to travel or live out of state, yet get the discounts that they normally would get from their local preferred provider.

Good luck with your decision.
 
OldAgePensioner said:
Can anyone suggest a next USA home for me? Here's my wish list:
1. No need for a vehicle ( I loathe owning things)
2. Lot of diversions in walking distance.
3. Moderate weather.
4. Living costs are not much of an issue.
5. Good medical facilities.
Just a condo/apt with places nearby to eat, shop, and kill a few hours. I move 1-May so I've got 2 months to decide.
Click to expand...

How about Chapel Hill, North Carolina? Duke University and Univ. of NC both have top notch hospitals and excellent medical schools (I guess you recall Durham is a few miles up the road from Chapel Hill).

College town - plenty of restaurants and bars, coffeeshops and shopping. Pretty good bus system. Getting out of Chapel Hill to, say, Raleigh could be hard, but buses do travel between those two cities (rental cars are cheap too).

Chapel Hill is small, but lots of "culture" type activities going on - presentations on a multitude of subjects at the University. (the female college students don't look have bad either ;) ). Well educated folks in and around Chapel Hill (I'm a former resident, if that tells you anything... ;) ).

Weather is more moderate than DC. Cost of living is very moderate compared to SF and DC. You could probably get a decent small historic furnished apartment in the heart of things for $800-$1000/month. Maybe more for luxury.
 

OAP:  You'll probably be fine, regardless of where you "land".  A sense of humor (especially as you grow older), is a blessing. ;)

Of course, for me personally, absent two of those quoted activities, would have sent me back to the work-force long ago.

Take care, and hope you find what you're looking for.  You've had a rough go, and you deserve a break.

Jarhead
 
OAP, when you feel better, go get laid. If that doesnt make you feel better, try it again. I'm pretty sure it'll work eventually...
 
Justin,
As you recall, I was living on Gorman about the time your dad was matriculating.  Funny I never made it over to Chapel Hill.

In those days, if you went out the Hillsborough side of the library stack and veered left, crossed the street, there was a mom/pop diner (20ft wide/40ft deep) with a screen door and the chili dogs were $.35.

Jarhead,
Thanks for clearing the BC BS question.  I think my current plan is easily transferred.  And without golf, fishing and gardening, I had always considered travel as my reason for being.  With health problems, travel is on hold.  But hey, I just have to get busy when I can.  Thanks.
 
OldAgePensioner said:
Justin,
As you recall, I was living on Gorman about the time your dad was matriculating. Funny I never made it over to Chapel Hill.

In those days, if you went out the Hillsborough side of the library stack and veered left, crossed the street, there was a mom/pop diner (20ft wide/40ft deep) with a screen door and the chili dogs were $.35.
Click to expand...

Must be where the Wachovia bank is now. The Hillsborough street area is very different now compared to 20 years go.

I don't know if "small college town" was on your list of potential places to live, but chapel hill would fit your wishlist in general. It is pretty far left-leaning politically. That bugged me a good bit (mindless droids following either political persuasion tend to do that to me). Lots of organic/pet friendly/holistic/environmentalist kind of places/people/activities. I imagine Berkeley might be a good comparison (though I've never been to Berkeley).

OldAgePensioner said:
Getting laid is high on my To Do list.
Click to expand...

Once you get rid of the catheter, I think your odds will improve significantly ;)
 
I dunno, roll that thing up, put your pants on, and head out to the club...bet you get a few glances.

Probably beats a rolled up sock.
 
Justin,
I like the idea of being near Duke Medical and Chapel Hill looks nice. Could I buy groceries, visit Border's, eat a Chinese buffet lunch and see a movie, all without having to drive?
 
OldAgePensioner said:
Justin,
I like the idea of being near Duke Medical and Chapel Hill looks nice. Could I buy groceries, visit Border's, eat a Chinese buffet lunch and see a movie, all without having to drive?
Click to expand...

If you lived near downtown - almost. Groceries, movies and buffet are within walking distance. Border's is about 3 miles from downtown - walkable if you don't mind walking that far. There's sidewalks most of the way, but it is along a major road. The bus does run direct from downtown to Borders though. There are a number of other new/used bookstores downtown.

Movies:

Small, 2 screen theatre:
http://movies.raleighlist.org/Varsity-Theatre.htm

Where I lived in Chapel Hill, there were two different theaters in the shopping center around the corner from my condo.

Chapel Hill may be worth a visit to see if you want to live here. Rent might be really cheap for a summer sublet (May to August) when UNC students are out for the summer.
 
Well I worked in SF for a year. It's true you don't need a car. SF has lots of great restaurants in all price ranges and lots of cultural attractions.

However I hope you like that cool - almost cold year round damp weather. Personally I would much prefer a warmer, dryer climate. To quote Mark Twain - "The coldest winter I ever spent was a summer in San Francisco". But it's not just the summer that gets real cold. It's also cold in the spring and fall as well as the winter. Every once in awhile the sun shines through and it's a real event.

The other thing that I noticed about SF is that people like to stand in lines there. You stand in line for restuarants, movies, and anything else that people do. Often there is no seating inside for those waiting so you are outside in the damp.

For me I would much prefer to escape that killer fog to live in a suburb over the hills like Walnut Creek, Orinda where it's much much warmer and go by train a few times a month into SF for the resturants and cultural events. But you'll need a car in the Burbs.
 
MasterBlaster,
Yeah, the times I've visited SF, it was always cool, foggy. But I love the wharfs, Chinatown, the mix of shops, etc.

I'd love the climate in SD (Pacific Beach) but I think the beach scene would get old after a while.

Anybody live in Charlotte, Virginia Beach, or NY?
 
If by Wharfs, you mean Fishermans Wharf and Pier 39. Well those are for tourists. The locals wouldn't go there if you paid them. Nor would they eat at any of the Wharf restuarants cause there are better ones inside the city.

San Diego might be a good option. They are supposed to have the "perfect" weather there. Although they get about about a month of overcast (but not cold) weather there called the June Gloom. If you don't like the beach check out the downtown area. The downtown is re-gentrifying into somewhat of a yuppie area. If you moved there there are lots of restaurants and shops within walking distance. I live about 80 miles from SD and go there a few times a year for a day trip and always enjoy it.  I'll bet that poster Nords has spent a good deal of time in and around SD during his Navy service. Maybe he'll have some comments.
 
MB,
I just love all the seagulls, pelicans, etc., squawking and the boats moving in and out.

I also like tourist watching. :D
 
I'll second San Francisco since I live nearby, although I will say it's not as pedestrian friendly as you might expect... lots of hills, hardly any subway system, and most people do have cars.

If I was going to go carless I'd personally want to bicycle, and Vancouver seems ideal for that... it's like a flat San Francisco (an island city with lots of culture).

Santa Cruz and Berkeley appeal to me too... I'm actually considering moving to Berkeley myself, being a lefty leaning kinda guy.

Boulder, Colorado is another place I'd consider personally; I saw lots of people getting around by bicycle. In fact most college towns are set up for people who don't have cars.
 
OldAgePensioner said:
cube_rat,
Nob Hill sounds like it has a lot of what I'm looking for. Plus, SF's Chinatown is heaven to me. I could eat Chinese every meal.
Click to expand...
Sounds like SF would be good fit for your needs.
I lived in SF, Marin, East Bay and Walnut Creek. For not needing a car, having all the Asian restaurants you'll ever need, or any kind for that matter, a moderate climate (with warmer & colder not that far a way), you should be in The City - I recommend Telegraph Hill/North Beach or Russian Hill - My favorite place to live was the Filbert Stairs - a garden oasis in the middle of the city with great views - check out "The Wild Parrots of Telegraph Hill" and Bogart & Bacall's "Dark Passage" to get a taste. I would still be there if I hadn't started a family. :-* :-*
Actually, I've convinced the SO that we should spend an occasional winter there when we are able to begin our regular escapes from Minnesota. :)
 
fireme,
I hear lots of good things about Vancouver and I'm giving it a look. The hills of SF could be a bit much for me in my mid-late 50s.

DanTien,
Thanks for the suggestions on areas. I really want to be car-free, so I will compromise area a bit to remain sans vehicle.
 
They are really building up downtown SD, especially since they put in the new ballpark a few years ago (not quite as nice as Pac Bell park in my opinion, but close).  The Gaslamp District has lots of restaurants, shops and nightlife.  There is also Balboa park for museums, Old Town for mexican food, Coronado Island for more shops and restaurants (you can take the ferry over), and good medical facilities.  It's probably not as pedestrian-friendly or culturally diverse as SF, but you can still get around fairly easily.  The Coaster runs up and down the North County coast (from downtown to Oceanside) and stops in all of the North County towns (Del Mar, Solana Beach, Carlsbad, Encinitas).  There's stuff to do in all of those places.  Like you mentioned,  it's definitely a great beach town.  If that's not your thing, you'll probably get a little more in SF.  The trade-off is the weather is a bit nicer in San Diego.    I live in North County SD and you can't beat the weather.  Other than the June Gloom it is fantastic. 
 
Just had dinner at Carl Strauss next to the Wyndham hotel in San Diego (it's the cluster of buildings with lighted green hexagons on top, signature piece of the san diego skyline) last night. As a SD north county resident, I say you would be hard pressed to find a better mix, if you can afford the location. Another option, if you buy near Carlsbad village north of San Diego, you can take the train down to San Diego for big events and enjoy the pubs, live music, resturants in Carlsbad on a nightly basis.
 
J-Lu, Laurence,
SD is definitely high on my thinking list. I like the weather and the ladies. I also love the burgers at the Green Flash in Pacific Beach (where Emerald joins the sand) and Bullies in La Jolla has the worlds best Prime Rib au Jus.

Sounds like public transport will get me around just fine.
Thanks for the info.
 
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