<p>Golden Hill is spotty, it is true, but it has its neighborhoods. It can be charming- see the article on the Fern Street Circus which started in Grape Street Park. If you like OB, you will like Golden Hill (it is a “hidden gem”). Over by the golf course looking over towards the zoo has some appeal. OB is not very straitlaced, nor is PB, and North PB (Tourmaline area) is pretty much south La Jolla. I vote there!</p>
<p><a href=“http://www.sdcitybeat.com/sandiego/article-13201-fern-street-circus-is-coming-back.html”>http://www.sdcitybeat.com/sandiego/article-13201-fern-street-circus-is-coming-back.html</a></p>
<p>Escondido has it’s own center of gravity (coffee shops, major-ish performing arts venue, museums), as an alternative to San Diego, and CSU-SM is nearby for a college campus feel. Lower cost, easier access out of town (skiing and desert), but greater temperature extremes.</p>
<p>You will have a great time exploring. I see you do not need my input- your realtor sounds great- it’s just fun to give it. I don’t think you are hard to please- everything you say is spot-on.</p>
<p>The other two areas I would explore (honestly have no idea about) is the reclaimed-repurposed land where the naval training center used to be (around where High Tech High School is sited) and Chula Vista, which was starting a renaissance just as the whole economy was going the other way. It is either a value, or a mini-Detroit. I don’t know which way it went.</p>
<p>I want to live in a place where there’s plenty of kids, college students and 20-somethings. Young people and young families make for vibrant communities. </p>
<p>Mathmom… I am in the exact same situation as you. I live in a close-in suburb of Nassau County-easy commute on the LIRR, or driving into Queens and parking or driving into the city with no traffic can make it into midtown in 30 minutes…but our plan was always to sell this house and move back into the city. So prices in Manhattan and Brooklyn and now Long Island City have skyrocketed and while we can certainly sell our house we cannot sell it for what houses were selling for pre-recession. I am about a year away from retirement and DH is already retired. He would like to have a place in Florida for the winter while I am more interested in travelling while we can still easily do so and not tie ourselves down. We have many friends with two places and there are always headaches with house alarms, getting cable TV up and running again, car shipments back and forth and so on. I am just not interested in dealing with all of that and I don’t see myself ever leaving the NYC area. I have a former colleague who said NYC is the best place to be retired. Senior citizen fares on the bus and subway, senior rush tickets for the Met Opera, zillions of things to take advantage of, cheap theatre off-off Broadway, discounts for Broadway and so on and so on. While I love my house, DH and I realize it would be a difficult house to age in as house was built in 1927, steep stairs to basement from first floor, steep stairs from first floor to next level, house not on grade level. DH still does his own yardwork and shovels snow unless a major storm in which we hire people.</p>
<p>If you live in a 55+ community, everyone is not old and dying. I am over 55 and I certainly do not feel decrepit and dying. The age range in an over 55 is 35-40 years. That is like living in a neighborhood with the range of neighbors being 25- 60. I can’t imagine living in a community where everyone has the same hobby versus a community of people with diverse interests and backgrounds that are of various ages, including some older folk. </p>
<p>College communities used to be on our retirement community ideal. Walk to campus, audit classes, attend concerts. We have now realized that,just like in the 70’s, college campuses are filled with kids who want to party , park illegally and make lots of noise. God bless 'em but I don’t want to live near them.</p>