3. Buffalo Bills -- not an anti-football thing, but I have big problems with the amount of money being spent on a team that might not be here in a few years
Best: -Safest city in the country -Safest college campus in the country -Extremely family oriented -Great support of the university -Amazing local raspberries -A fantastic farmer's market -And the views!
Worst: -Winter -The valley can feel suffocating after awhile -Hard to get in to/out of in the winter...it's very isolated. -Not much shopping or many great local restaurants. -The valley is 98% LDS, which isn't a bad thing, of course, but it can be hard to find things to do and hard to meet people when you aren't LDS because everything revolves around and is organized through the wards (churches).
But the views!! (The mountains behind our house this past spring.)
Started TTC Summer 2008~
Started with RE Summer 2009~
October 2010 IUI-positive HPT & beta, c/p~
Natural pregnancy March 2013, m/c at 7 weeks, Trisomy 16~
Natural pregnancy June 2013
1.The Weather- from Nov-April its GORGEOUS and like 70-80 and clear sky's
2. Cost of living is actually amazing compared to other southern california cities.
3. All the amenities of a big city without all the chaos
4. Extremely diverse. which i love. Were known for our Golf, our Gays, CoachellaFest & Stagecoach, and Where the Rich come to die
Worst:
1.The Wather. From End of April-Mid Octoer its 90+....and come summer its 110+. ugh
2. Our economy is based on our Season (nov-april) so our population pretty much doubles during those months and its impossible to go anywhere or do anything bc there are snow birds EVERYWHERE
3. its pretty boring when it isn't in season. and even during season, theres so many snow birds that going out and doing anything sucks because everywhere is so busy
I will say, living here is awesome though. if you can get past the heat, it really is a great place.
@Madelyn0713 I'm pretty sure I go to your town once every three months because your local college endowment is one of my clients . I was just there 2 weeks ago.
I live in The San Diego suburb of Encinitas
Best:
1. Weather
2. Things related to weather like ability to be outdoors all the time and have fresh produce year round.
3. A focus on work life balance relative to a lot of other large cities
Worst:
1. Super expensive
2. Traffic (though nothing like LA)
3. Agree with @golfergirl08 about poor public transport or walk ability, though we have things within walking distance in our little suburb
BFP #1 9/2010 (lost our baby at 21 weeks)
BFP #2 8/2011 (ectopic pregnancy)
BFP #3 10/2011 (chemical pregnancy)
BFP #4 12/2011 (Abigail born 8/15/12)
BFP #5 5/2013 (Griffin born 1/23/14 with heart defects, now repaired!)
Best: 1)Weather- dry (I hate humidity) and mild winters. I'm originally from Chicago so the winters here are amazing! 2)mountains/ scenic- it's soo beautiful to look at and to take hikes 3)lots to do! Good museums, zoo, restaurants, etc
Worst: 1) traffic! The drivers are horrible out here. Nobody knows the 'rules' or they just don't care 2) gardening- it's dry out here and haven't quite figured out what plants to well in this climate
Best 1. Sports 2. Breweries / food scene (Michael Sympn galore!) 3. Living near the lake 4. Family friendly 5. Within driving distance of tons of big cities and the beach
Worst 1. Sports 2. Seasons 3. We live near some of the most dangerous cities in the US. Thank god suburbs are safe!
@sdlaura Really!?! No one ever comes here! Let me know next time you are in town - we can meet up if you want.
Started TTC Summer 2008~
Started with RE Summer 2009~
October 2010 IUI-positive HPT & beta, c/p~
Natural pregnancy March 2013, m/c at 7 weeks, Trisomy 16~
Natural pregnancy June 2013
Best: 1. The weather: love our sunny days and being able to wear flip flops & t-shirts everyday. 2. The beach 3. Lots of fun things to do, see & eat for all ages, families etc
Worse: 1. Bad traffic, traffic, traffic 2. High cost of living
Best 1. It's New freaking York! It's the best city in the world. 2. Hail a cab from wherever at whatever time I want 3. Find food and shopping any time of the night! 4. There are a 1000 songs just about this city 5. Celebrity sightings and TV show recordings 6. Public transport is good enough to not needing a car 7. Concrete jungle but we also have enough parks to compensate for that 8. Shopping! Shopping! And more shopping options
Worse? 1. It's New York- it's populated and some might be worried about the ongoing rat infestation 2. The winter in public transport might suck 3. Tourists! 4. It's one of the most expensive cities in the world!!
Best: 1. The seasons...all 4 of them rock for their own reasons. 2. Convenience. I can get to any store, mountains, beaches, city, or country with an hour-ish drive. 3. New England sports
Worst: 1. High cost of living 2. Densely populated
Best: - Having all 4 distinct seasons, including a gorgeous fall (my favorite season!) - tons of amazing history at our fingertips - the Red Sox and the Celtics... even when they suck, I love them! - progressive politics... first state in the nation with equal marriage ftw!
Worst: - ice storms. I don't hate snow, really... it's the icy sleet "wintry mix" crap that I hate driving in - Traffic... I swear we have the least efficient highways in the country
Suzy & Brian November 3, 2007 "...this one time, at band camp..." ;-)
TTC #1 since 9/2012
BFP #1 2/16/13, EDD 10/13/13, CP 2/21/13
BFP #2 6/2/13
Baby J-Bug 2/8/14
My Wedding Bio from back in the day
I second everything that @ramfan05 and @Avswolf said. The best is that there's something to do here in each season, you always have a stunning view of the mountains, and yummy Mexican food. In one day it can be snowing in the morning and warm in the afternoon. Some people hate that. But I like it. And my hair behaves on most days due to lack of humidity.
The negatives: the most in shape people feel out of shape due to the thin mountain air. And there's no beach. But there's got to be a reason to go on vacation, right?
@BB0214 yes to the thin air! DH's grandma lived in Wheat Ridge and we went to visit a couple years ago. There's a really big park by her house, so I thought I'd go for a run, and had been in pretty good shape, and I still felt like I was going to die after running just a fraction of what I can run here.
Even us natives feel It when we reach the higher elevations.
Yeah. I ran a half marathon in San Francisco once and had my best time ever. When I came home I felt like I was struggling to run even 1 mile.
Best: Cost of living is relatively low. Cardinals baseball. Pretty views over the Mississippi.
Worst: Frequent flooding (Mississippi in the spring). Hot summers. Ice storms in the winter. Middle of nowhere. We have some stores local (walmart, target, etc), but for Trader Joes/Whole Foods/Ikea/Costco, it requires a 2.5hour trip in to StLouis.
dx PCOS 2007
BFP #1 (natural) 12/23/2010. Stillbirth due to IC 4/2/2011
TTC #2 starting 03/2012
RE starting 07/2012
05/2013 BFP on a Letrozole (Femara)/trigger!
Cerclage, Procardia, Makena, GD (with insulin), MBR, and we made it!
Our Angel was born sleeping at 20 weeks due to IC.
Best - beautiful spots/recreation -get to experience all 4 seasons to their fullest - diverse -decent shopping/recreation etc not too far - the market downtown is pretty awesome - the capital - great children's hospital and other health care facilities and hospitals
Worst - while not huge, still big and not always easy to get around - 4 seasons winters can be pretty brutal - government city - really influences employment opportunities etc - probably not ottawa specific but construction everywhere
SW Michigan Best: 1. Lots and lots and lots of good beer. 2. Lots of "culture" 3. Right in the middle of Metro Detroit and Chicagoland 4. Close to lakes and has a lot of great outdoor activities all year. 5. Michigan fall is AMAZING. 6. Seasons---but see #1 under my worst list.
Worst: 1. Freaking lake effect effing snow. Stupid stupid snow every stupid day. Not a lot every day, but enough that roads are RARELY clear and dry. 2. There is no 2.
Is it bad that high COL doesn't even register for me in metro Boston anymore? It just is what it is... I expect that I'm going to pay double what my sister does for things in NH!
Suzy & Brian November 3, 2007 "...this one time, at band camp..." ;-)
TTC #1 since 9/2012
BFP #1 2/16/13, EDD 10/13/13, CP 2/21/13
BFP #2 6/2/13
Baby J-Bug 2/8/14
My Wedding Bio from back in the day
Best 1. Space to do things - garden, raise livestock, plant fruit trees, etc. 2. Low cost of living 3. We have 4 seasons (although this is also kind of annoying to me because I hate winter)
Worst 1. Nothing to do for fun. Everything fun is an hour drive away. 2. Shopping is also too far away. Closest grocery store is a 20 min drive. Closest Target is an hour. Closest IKEA is about 3-4 hours. 3. No beaches 4. No sidewalks. 5. Amish buggies everywhere 6. Winter 7. Crappy cell reception, TV reception, internet connectivity.
Blah, i'm not very happy with living here today...
Good: 1) we are in wine country and it's pretty scenic. Also there are nice wineries and more brewerys popping up too 2) family friendly 3) affordable for southern CA 4) close to San Diego and Orange County 5) good weather most of the year
Bad: 1) really got in summer 2) traffic 3) I love sports but our teams never do too well. Doesn't keep me from enjoying it though. Here is LO today cheering on our chargers!
Edit: breweries and "hot" in summer. I can't spell
Re: Best and worst things about where you live
Best:
-Safest city in the country
-Safest college campus in the country
-Extremely family oriented
-Great support of the university
-Amazing local raspberries
-A fantastic farmer's market
-And the views!
Worst:
-Winter
-The valley can feel suffocating after awhile
-Hard to get in to/out of in the winter...it's very isolated.
-Not much shopping or many great local restaurants.
-The valley is 98% LDS, which isn't a bad thing, of course, but it can be hard to find things to do and hard to meet people when you aren't LDS because everything revolves around and is organized through the wards (churches).
But the views!! (The mountains behind our house this past spring.)
Best:
1)Weather- dry (I hate humidity) and mild winters. I'm originally from Chicago so the winters here are amazing!
2)mountains/ scenic- it's soo beautiful to look at and to take hikes
3)lots to do! Good museums, zoo, restaurants, etc
Worst:
1) traffic! The drivers are horrible out here. Nobody knows the 'rules' or they just don't care
2) gardening- it's dry out here and haven't quite figured out what plants to well in this climate
Best
1. Sports
2. Breweries / food scene (Michael Sympn galore!)
3. Living near the lake
4. Family friendly
5. Within driving distance of tons of big cities and the beach
Worst
1. Sports
2. Seasons
3. We live near some of the most dangerous cities in the US. Thank god suburbs are safe!
I'll be there next in mid-November. I'll definitely let you know!
Best:
1. The weather: love our sunny days and being able to wear flip flops & t-shirts everyday.
2. The beach
3. Lots of fun things to do, see & eat for all ages, families etc
Worse:
1. Bad traffic, traffic, traffic
2. High cost of living
Best
1. It's New freaking York! It's the best city in the world.
2. Hail a cab from wherever at whatever time I want
3. Find food and shopping any time of the night!
4. There are a 1000 songs just about this city
5. Celebrity sightings and TV show recordings
6. Public transport is good enough to not needing a car
7. Concrete jungle but we also have enough parks to compensate for that
8. Shopping! Shopping! And more shopping options
Worse?
1. It's New York- it's populated and some might be worried about the ongoing rat infestation
2. The winter in public transport might suck
3. Tourists!
4. It's one of the most expensive cities in the world!!
Best:
1. The seasons...all 4 of them rock for their own reasons.
2. Convenience. I can get to any store, mountains, beaches, city, or country with an hour-ish drive.
3. New England sports
Worst:
1. High cost of living
2. Densely populated
Best:
- Having all 4 distinct seasons, including a gorgeous fall (my favorite season!)
- tons of amazing history at our fingertips
- the Red Sox and the Celtics... even when they suck, I love them!
- progressive politics... first state in the nation with equal marriage ftw!
Worst:
- ice storms. I don't hate snow, really... it's the icy sleet "wintry mix" crap that I hate driving in
- Traffic... I swear we have the least efficient highways in the country
TTC #1 since 9/2012
BFP #1 2/16/13, EDD 10/13/13, CP 2/21/13
BFP #2 6/2/13
Baby J-Bug 2/8/14 My Wedding Bio from back in the day
The negatives: the most in shape people feel out of shape due to the thin mountain air. And there's no beach. But there's got to be a reason to go on vacation, right?
Best:
Cost of living is relatively low.
Cardinals baseball.
Pretty views over the Mississippi.
Worst:
Frequent flooding (Mississippi in the spring).
Hot summers.
Ice storms in the winter.
Middle of nowhere. We have some stores local (walmart, target, etc), but for Trader Joes/Whole Foods/Ikea/Costco, it requires a 2.5hour trip in to StLouis.
dx PCOS 2007
BFP #1 (natural) 12/23/2010. Stillbirth due to IC 4/2/2011
TTC #2 starting 03/2012
RE starting 07/2012
05/2013 BFP on a Letrozole (Femara)/trigger!
Cerclage, Procardia, Makena, GD (with insulin), MBR, and we made it!
Our Angel was born sleeping at 20 weeks due to IC.
Best
- beautiful spots/recreation
-get to experience all 4 seasons to their fullest
- diverse
-decent shopping/recreation etc not too far
- the market downtown is pretty awesome
- the capital
- great children's hospital and other health care facilities and hospitals
Worst
- while not huge, still big and not always easy to get around
- 4 seasons winters can be pretty brutal
- government city - really influences employment opportunities etc
- probably not ottawa specific but construction everywhere
Best:
1. Lots and lots and lots of good beer.
2. Lots of "culture"
3. Right in the middle of Metro Detroit and Chicagoland
4. Close to lakes and has a lot of great outdoor activities all year.
5. Michigan fall is AMAZING.
6. Seasons---but see #1 under my worst list.
Worst:
1. Freaking lake effect effing snow. Stupid stupid snow every stupid day. Not a lot every day, but enough that roads are RARELY clear and dry.
2. There is no 2.
Bump Unofficial Glossary
TTC #1 since 9/2012
BFP #1 2/16/13, EDD 10/13/13, CP 2/21/13
BFP #2 6/2/13
Baby J-Bug 2/8/14 My Wedding Bio from back in the day
Best
1. Space to do things - garden, raise livestock, plant fruit trees, etc.
2. Low cost of living
3. We have 4 seasons (although this is also kind of annoying to me because I hate winter)
Worst
1. Nothing to do for fun. Everything fun is an hour drive away.
2. Shopping is also too far away. Closest grocery store is a 20 min drive. Closest Target is an hour. Closest IKEA is about 3-4 hours.
3. No beaches
4. No sidewalks.
5. Amish buggies everywhere
6. Winter
7. Crappy cell reception, TV reception, internet connectivity.
Blah, i'm not very happy with living here today...
Good:
1) we are in wine country and it's pretty scenic. Also there are nice wineries and more brewerys popping up too
2) family friendly
3) affordable for southern CA
4) close to San Diego and Orange County
5) good weather most of the year
Bad:
1) really got in summer
2) traffic
3) I love sports but our teams never do too well. Doesn't keep me from enjoying it though. Here is LO today cheering on our chargers!
Edit: breweries and "hot" in summer. I can't spell