5 ms·
I moved here with my wife from the UK on a H1-B a few years ago now. Three weeks ago we drove (less than 1hr) to Stinson Beach, spent all day hiking the hills,
by stickydink 11y ago
I moved here with my wife from the UK on a H1-B a few years ago now.
Three weeks ago we drove (less than 1hr) to Stinson Beach, spent all day hiking the hills, spectacular views of the Bay, the City and the Farallon Islands in the distance.
Two weeks ago we drove to Monterey, took a Whale Watching boat ride for a few quid. We spent an hour watching a group of Orca hunt Sea Lion a couple hundred feet away.
Last weekend, we drove to Tahoe. Spent two days learning to ski, hung out with friends in our cabin.
This is all in February, the weather has been great. I don't know what we're doing next weekend, but it's probably not something that was in driving distance back home.
It's obviously a personal preference thing, but for me, the lifestyle matters far more than the job. Both me and my wife couldn't stand London any more. It's great for a visit, but that's my fill.
- arethuza 11y agoEdinburgh here - we've got the hiking, spectacular views (and then some), islands, aquatic beasties, skiing 2 hours away. Even some nice big bridges. You may have a point about the weather though! ;-) [NB Obviously I forgot to mention the history, culture, the festivals, an ancient castle on the plug of an extinct volcano, glorious architecture....] Weather can be a bit grim though.... (and has been particularly miserable this winter).
- m1sta_ 11y ago2hrs to skiing where?
- arethuza 11y agoThere are 5 ski areas in Scotland - most fairly handy for Edinburgh (OK - not the Lecht): http://www.winterhighland.info/ http://www.winterhighland.info/ OK not the 3 Valleys but on a good day they can be great fun. My personal favourite is Nevis Range: https://vimeo.com/10797924 https://vimeo.com/10797924
- cmdkeen 11y agoGlencoe 15cm of snow on the ground today according to Google. I live in Edinburgh and have always been able to live less than a 15 minute walk from work, often in my own flat, for very reasonable sums. Everyone I know in tech has been able to afford their own property within 6 years of starting work. I'd choose here over London any day of the week. You sort of get used to the weather eventually...
- arethuza 11y agoOne of my colleagues, who is from Spain, was struck by the speed of the clouds when he moved here.... :-)
- david-given 11y agoEdinburgh is one of the Great Cities of the world. I apologise for the BuzzFeed, but the pictures are worth it: http://www.buzzfeed.com/hilarywardle/edinburgh-is-the-best http://www.buzzfeed.com/hilarywardle/edinburgh-is-the-best
- arethuza 11y ago”This profusion of eccentricities, this dream in masonry and living rock is not a drop scene in a theatre, but a city in the world of reality.” Robert Louis Stevenson
- drcongo 11y agoI live in London, three weeks ago I drove (more than 1hr) 4 miles into the town centre.
- roymurdock 11y agoThank you for this well-placed gem of British humour. Although it begets the question - with the excellent bus and tube system, why drive?
- rawTruthHurts 11y ago"with the excellent bus and tube system" Let's just say "reasonably good"
- dipthegeezer 11y agoI'd say it was very good compared to just about any country that is not in North Europe. And I really don't have an issue with busses anymore in London. TFL have a fantastic API which tells you when the bus you want is arriving at a stop amoungst many other things.
- notlefthanded 11y agoI quite enjoy using Hong Kong and Tokyo's transit systems - subway, train, and esp. hk's minibuses - though as a visitor, i.e. not during rush hour.
- ghaff 11y agoThere are probably exceptions but I'm guessing that there are very few people who love their city's mass transit system if they have to use it daily at rush hour in all kinds of weather.
- rawTruthHurts 11y agoAre you ok with UK currency not being accepted on buses?
- lmm 11y agoI'm not sure I follow? There are plenty of fascinating things to see or do within an hour's drive of London - it's not like cars go faster in the US, and if anything there's more variety in a small area in dense England.
- 100timesthis 11y agoI think they are talking about beautiful natural places where you can spend sometimes alone. It's my biased interpretation, living in London I don't care about musicals, museums (just because they are always full of people) or anything with concrete in it or crowded, I just want a beautiful place where I can spend some time alone.
- laurencerowe 11y agoGetting out of London into proper countryside does take some time. One of the things I missed when I moved to London from Manchester was being able to take a train to the edge of town and walk out into the Peak District. Now that I live in San Francisco I can easily drive out somewhere nice, but still miss being able to take the train and enjoy a couple of pints at the end of my hike!
- bjfletcher 11y agoA direct train to Preston from London Euston takes 2h08m. Hire a car and you can get to places in Lakes District within the hour. :-)
- caoilte 11y agoGood call. It would have to be Munich for a similar Euro experience.
- lukesheard 11y agoI have to complete agree with this. I was lucky enough to live in the Bay until September last year and the variety is just unparalleled. There's something about having the moderate whether where you live and then being able to travel in at most 5 hours between a desert or a ski resort that is unrivaled.