Pedestrain City Recommendations?

[OldAgePensioner]

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.

 

[cute fuzzy bunny]

Except for #4 I'd say San Francisco, Portland or Seattle. I think to meet #4 you're going to have to give up #3 and maybe #5.

 

[mickeyd]

I was reading the other day that San Antonio Tx has had a good amount of downtown growth and redevelopment which includes condos and apts that have been converted from some other use. The weather is pretty good, cost is low, lot to do downtown, fairly good medical center, cultural activities. May be worth a look to you.

 

[haha]

As I read your list, you mean you are not worried about cost- i.e. you could live almost anywhere if you liked it. Hard to improve on San Francisco. You can also get along fine in Berkeley w/o a car, and the weather is a bit warmer. It would be easy to live in Seattle without a car, but you couldn't get around much outside of the downtown/First Hill/Capitol Hill areas. Live on First Hill, and you will be surrounded by almost all the major hospitals in Seattle, at least 20,000 doctors, and incidentally lots of pretty women. Nice supermarkets w/in an easy walk or cheap cab ride. Almost infinite distractions just down the hill at the waterfront.

However, Bay Area weather is definitely better. I moved here from there. In San Francisco the summers are cooler and the winters warmer and drier. Berkeley will be warm and sunny many days when Seattle is rainy and cold. And, you have BART.

If some lousy weather is not a problem, you could live in or around DC. With Rapid Transit you can live in PG county Maryland. My FIL& MIL live there and go into the District often. New York and Boston are also easy and pleasant cities to live in w/o a car. I lived for some years right on Huntington Ave in Boston, a stone's throw from the Museum of Fine Arts. Very pleasant walking city lifestyle. MTA stop just outside my door. But cold in winter, and it could get hot and muggy in summer. I only lived one summer in NYC, on Bleeker St. Very fun time and place. New York even lets you get to the Beach w/o a car-Jones Beach!

I never really feel the need to escape Seattle weather, but I sure felt the need to escape Boston weather about every February.

Good luck with your choice OAP.

Ha

 

[yakers]

Don't know how #4 extends but odly enough, a place like Irvine CA might work. The other thing is that most big cities have local enclaves that have what you are looking for I have seen them in LA, SF, San Diego, Chicago, Baltimore, Seattle, NY and others. Just a little neighboorhood with enough shops and nearby medical support, maybe a library. Connection to public transportation is good too. I think most cities have areas like this but it takes some exploring to find them.
My sister lives in Jerome, AZ, which misses 4 out of 5.

 

[wildcat]

What does everyone think of Santa Cruz, CA.? I haven't been there but I think I recall reading some good things about it.

 

[haha]

What does everyone think of Santa Cruz, CA.?  I haven't been there but I think I recall reading some good things about it. 

Small dumpy town in a beautiful spot, peopled by anachronistic hippies. Not a good place to live without a car, IMO.

Ha

 

[cube_rat]

Small dumpy town in a beautiful spot, peopled by anachronistic hippies. Not a good place to live without a car, IMO.

Ha

What he said.

 

[Nords]

What does everyone think of Santa Cruz, CA.?

Excellent surfing & other water sports!

But for the other 18 hours a day you'd have to put up with the rest of the issues...

 

[OldAgePensioner]

HaHa,
SF is definitely on my list and I'm looking at apts right down town, like Nob Hill, etc. Any comments on where to live. I'd love to eat every breakfast, lunch and dinner at some small dive near my flat.

Yakers,
I'm not sure what it was like when you went to school here, but within a block of Xavier Warde is Big Dawgs, J's Dawgs, Johnnies, Dowtown Dog, Tony's, Giordano's, etc. If not for winter, I would not leave Chicago.

So far I'm getting good vibes about SF, Seattle, NY, DC. I was in Baltimore once and didn't feel safe. Was I just paranoid?

 

[Ed_The_Gypsy]

OAP,

No, you are right about B'more. Trust your instincts.

Why not try Copenhagen? Visit sometime.

 

[cube_rat]

HaHa,
SF is definitely on my list and I'm looking at apts right down town, like Nob Hill, etc. Any comments on where to live. I'd love to eat every breakfast, lunch and dinner at some small dive near my flat.

OAP - SF is a fabulous city, albeit expensive. Nob Hill is right in the thick of things. You definitely will not need a car. You'll be in walking distance to great restaurants and the theater. Keep us posted on your decision.

 

[haha]

HaHa,
SF is definitely on my list and I'm looking at apts right down town, like Nob Hill, etc.  Any comments on where to live.  I'd love to eat every breakfast, lunch and dinner at some small dive near my flat.

I don't know anymore. I lived in a huge flat in the Castro, which is now about 100% gay. Different neighborhoods feel different; just look around.

So far I'm getting good vibes about SF, Seattle, NY, DC.  I was in Baltimore once and didn't feel safe.  Was I just paranoid?

No, I don't think so. It is a really violent city; you would want to live in the 'burbs and have a car IMO.

Ha

 

[OldAgePensioner]

Ed,
I visited Copenhagen for 3 days and I'm a big fan. The women were absolutely gorgeous. In an adventurous moment, I took a train/ferry ride from East Berlin to Copenhagen. Ate Brats and sauerkraut on the ferry. Arrived in Copenhagen at midnight with no hotel.

It was snowing golf balls. Got a great hotel room with a hot tub. Tivoli was closed but I still had a great time.

 

[OldAgePensioner]

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.

DC would have museums, art galleries, monuments, gov't building.
Seattle is kinda artsy but the weather scares me a bit.


..............................................................
Give me a restuarant and I'll fill myself. - Picasso (Homer?)

 

[laurence]

would you be willing to leave the U.S.? Vancouver and Victoria, BC are ideal for what you want. I fell in love with both cities. It's getting Canada to welcome you for more than six months that's the problem!

 

[OldAgePensioner]

Laurence, Vancouver has always been a favorite but my health issues are looming big in this decision. I need to keep BlueCrossBlueShield as my insurance and I have no idea what they would cover in Canada.

I've known a couple of people who lived in Vancouver and they rave about it.

I hope to live at least 5 years in big, interesting cities with lots of walking experiences.

 

[cute fuzzy bunny]

Nob Hill, Pacific Heights, North Beach, all not so bad.

Ha's advice on the east bay shows his experience; I've lived both in SF and in the east bay. Living in SF will give you a lot of foggy, chilly days, even in the summer. So will living in the east bay directly east across from the golden gate, around the El Cerrito area. Go north or south a few miles on the east bay, you pick up 10-15 degrees in the summer. RE is cheaper, you might actually get a little yard, BART can still zap you into town in 20 minutes; trains run all the time...about 10 minutes or so apart. Lots of nice eateries and shops in the area between Richmond (Do NOT live there) and Oakland.

 

[KB]

OAP

If you pick California to live, you have 2 choices for health insurance. Either Blue Cross or Blue Shield of CA. They are separate entities and compete for business in CA.

 

[OldAgePensioner]

KB,
thanks for that info. I will definitely look into it before moving there.

With the huge bills that I'm racking up, I'm really concerned that I don't give BCBS a reason to drop me.

 

[cute fuzzy bunny]

California also has kaiser permanente, healthnet, aetna, pacificare...couple of others. Check that healthcare portability, as Blue Cross of California is (I think) a different company from BC in other states.

 

[OldAgePensioner]

If I choose SF, I'm thinking about living in temporary/corporate housing. May only have a couple of ;arge suitcases with me. Life is not what I thought it would be just 10 short months ago.

 

[haha]

OAP

If you pick California to live, you have 2 choices for health insurance. Either Blue Cross or Blue Shield of CA. They are separate entities and compete for business in CA.

An insurance broker who used to post here named Art recommends Blue Shield of California over Blue Cross. I think he went into the reasons in some of his posts.

OAP, do you have company supplied retiree health insurance? If not, this is an area that you wan to be very sure you understand before burning any bridges.

Ha

 

[cute fuzzy bunny]

Art also liked to quote UFO web sites as valuable sources of information

 

[OldAgePensioner]

Ha,
my health insurance is a retiree benefit from Northrop Grumman and is with BlueCrossBlueShield(Illinois). A retired coworker in LA said his is also via BCBSIL, so maybe I don't have to do anything. But, you are right, I want all the facts in place before any move.

CFB,
are UFO sites generally accurate?