San Diego (at least the part where I'm living) is most definitely not Seattle, and it's taken some getting used to. The main difference I've noticed so far is the driving experience.
In Seattle, getting around from Point A to Point B is relatively easy -- the city subscribes to a pretty strict numbering scheme that always gives you a clue on what direction you're traveling and what direction you need to go to get where you're going. The widest non-freeway roads are four lanes (two in each direction), and there aren't a lot of divided boulevards. People generally drive at or below the speed limit (especially when it rains), and while this can test your patience a bit, you don't often feel as though you might die.
The neighborhood where I now live, Mira Mesa, is 180 degrees different. Many roads seem to be 6 lanes wide (or more), there always seems to be a divider right where you don't want it, and people drive very aggressively. What's more, it's an endless array of *huge* strip malls and strip malls and business parks, and it's difficult for the newcomer to determine where something actually is and how to enter the parking lot (especially since, if you miss the parking lot, you'll likely have to do two U-turns while cutting across four lanes and driving an extra mile or two).
I will illustrate this with an example from today. I was heading west to the bike shop, and naturally, it was on the other side of the street. I figured this would be an excellent time for a U-turn, since I was now past the shop. The problem was that there was no driveway into the complex of the bike shop. So I took the next right and hoped that I could come in from behind the bike shop. No luck. So I had to go back out to the main road, turn left, and then go to the same intersection where I tried the U-turn before. Naturally, this street also had a divider, so I could turn right into the parking lot. I had to once again go past the parking lot where the bike shop was in order to pull a U-turn to get into the right lane to turn from. I'd guess this whole thing lasted about 10 minutes. So frustrating! These people need to learn the art of the suicide lane.
1 comment:
downtown/uptown/beach neighborhoods (the older part of the city before urban sprawl) are much better organized. the streets are all alphabetical, and 1-2 lanes. although I still feel like I need a GPS most of the time... you have to admit though, don't you love the freeways here???
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