New to SoCal... New Ninja

ToNY97 said:

Welcome nyc escapee

You need to tell me about your journey from right to left coast. Reason and observations.
I visited la in april for the first time and was thoroughly impressed and jealous. As I've said before, if you have to live in an over taxed and regulated state Why not pick the one with better weather. Gas is ridiculously high and they need to worry more about water than high speed rail BUT wow what a beautiful place and quality of life.

I rode a fz1 at a demo event so I want to hear your comparisons.

Click to expand...

I did my time and got my parole...

Seriously I grew up in Queens (LIC and Jamaica) and my wife and I lived in the city. Interestingly I took my wife to LA for the first time this past Feb and she loved it! I always wanted to move here, twice before, something always came up. 3rd time was the charm with my wife getting a great work opportunity out here, so we did it. And loving it so far!

Interestingly we moved from the one city (NYC), and one borough (Manhattan), where nothing in SoCal gives us sticker shock. In fact my taxes went "down", once I got to drop that "city" tax. And everything, I mean everything (well except gas, by a little, and extra for earthquake insurance) is cheaper for us...

It's not just the weather, which goes without mention, but the general quality, less stressful, way of life. Riding the subway, while super convenient, it's a hassle, and a source of regular stress that you don't actually notice till you don't need to do it anymore. The general guarded, always ready for anything disposition you need to have living in the City, is not needed here at all... My wife, is originally from Michigan and hated how hard she had become from living in NYC for 12 years... So she is LOVING SoCal and does not miss NY at all....

I however, a die hard NYCer, do from time to time. I am there every month for work, for 3-4 days, and that satisfies my my itch, but no way do I want to go back...

I had an 01 FZ1 that I commuted with in the City.. Lane splitting the FDR from April to Oct. Great bike! Good power and nimble. A bit heavier that my Ninja but still great for zipping in and out of traffic and dodging cab drivers out to kill you... Oh yeah another thing about living in the city, my bike had been knocked down multiple times. Even in midtown... It's just a fact you live with riding in the city....

That an alternate side parking rules.....

Hey Tony97... By embarrassment of riches I mean there are some things here, that a pretty good compared to NYC...

An example is some of my friends complain about a particular Trader Joes being too crowded..

In the City, there are 3 Trader Joes (there is one in Brooklyn too) and they are all usually packed to the door! My wife worked on near the west 72nd street one, and had to go either, after work on Friday, where at times the line to just to GET IN THE STORE went out to the street, or she would wake up around 7am on Saturday, and head out there to be at the door when it opens at 8am, so she could shop without the hassle... Oh yeah, she still had to pay for parking in a parking garage.... $25... I kid you not... And she had to be back within the hour or it went up...

Not one, of the dozens we have been to here, that were ever as crowded as the ONE we went to in the City... Forget the one at Union Square or the one closer to us on the East 86, both of those are mad houses all the time...

So when friends here are telling us which Trader Joes they don't like, because of the crowds, it makes my wife and I laugh...