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East to West


show details 3:35 PM (6 minutes ago)

I moved to Pacific Beach or "PB" as everyone else calls it four months ago from Miami, Florida. I've heard from non-PB residents the standard: "It can be a bit rowdy over there" and "Great place for your 20's." Compared to South Beach I'd consider PB fairly tame, I mean you don't have to deal with the paparazzi holding up traffic because of the Kardashians or Jersey Shore kids. I was told, "PB guys don't date out of PB," "Why?" I asked. I didn't get the feeling people were pretentious here. "It's because PB guys don't leave the beach... the girl has to be within walking distance." Initially I found this hard to believe, but now I understand. PB is a city within itself, and if I didn't have to commute to work I probably wouldn't leave very often either.

Living here I've noticed you can see the same person multiple times throughout the day. Siting #1: Ralphs 10:00am Siting #2: Sandwich shop 2:00pm Siting #3: Beach boardwalk 5:00pm Staying in a small beach town you have to get used to seeing people you know all the time, and despite a few awkward run-ins it has been somewhat comforting. It allows you to make friends fast, even if it means that late night Ben and Jerry's splurge was seen by your boss.
Probably the strangest experience I've had was going to a taco stand at 1am. I must have been the only one who wasn't drunk and stuffing my face into a tub of refried beans and cheese. Unlike the East Coast, where pizza is the weekenders choice, here you have the hilarious, yet frightening scene of half-asleep and drooling-mouthed teens sopping up beans!

Time isn't an issue to most PB locals. Perfect strangers will tell you the most intimate details of their personal life at 7-Eleven and ramble on until you interject with a piece of your history. Just the other day my evening stroll on the pier turned into a thirty minute conversation of a fisherman's lost leg in Vietnam. If anything, it creates a great character base for my stories. I've learned to be less critical.

I've got to say though during the week PB is generally a peaceful place to live. Beautiful sunsets, a long sandy coastline, and an overall positive, laid-back attitude makes it feel like home. If you go to the boardwalk around 6:30pm every night you'll see tourists and locals alike stop in their tracks completely mesmerized by the sunset. It's like going to the movies and for just a moment everyone is silent, taking it all in. In our little utopia here in PB tacos are two for one on Tuesday and the surf determines most people's mood.

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show details 3:35 PM (6 minutes ago)

I moved to Pacific Beach or "PB" as everyone else calls it four months ago from Miami, Florida. I've heard from non-PB residents the standard: "It can be a bit rowdy over there" and "Great place for your 20's." Compared to South Beach I'd consider PB fairly tame, I mean you don't have to deal with the paparazzi holding up traffic because of the Kardashians or Jersey Shore kids. I was told, "PB guys don't date out of PB," "Why?" I asked. I didn't get the feeling people were pretentious here. "It's because PB guys don't leave the beach... the girl has to be within walking distance." Initially I found this hard to believe, but now I understand. PB is a city within itself, and if I didn't have to commute to work I probably wouldn't leave very often either.

Living here I've noticed you can see the same person multiple times throughout the day. Siting #1: Ralphs 10:00am Siting #2: Sandwich shop 2:00pm Siting #3: Beach boardwalk 5:00pm Staying in a small beach town you have to get used to seeing people you know all the time, and despite a few awkward run-ins it has been somewhat comforting. It allows you to make friends fast, even if it means that late night Ben and Jerry's splurge was seen by your boss.
Probably the strangest experience I've had was going to a taco stand at 1am. I must have been the only one who wasn't drunk and stuffing my face into a tub of refried beans and cheese. Unlike the East Coast, where pizza is the weekenders choice, here you have the hilarious, yet frightening scene of half-asleep and drooling-mouthed teens sopping up beans!

Time isn't an issue to most PB locals. Perfect strangers will tell you the most intimate details of their personal life at 7-Eleven and ramble on until you interject with a piece of your history. Just the other day my evening stroll on the pier turned into a thirty minute conversation of a fisherman's lost leg in Vietnam. If anything, it creates a great character base for my stories. I've learned to be less critical.

I've got to say though during the week PB is generally a peaceful place to live. Beautiful sunsets, a long sandy coastline, and an overall positive, laid-back attitude makes it feel like home. If you go to the boardwalk around 6:30pm every night you'll see tourists and locals alike stop in their tracks completely mesmerized by the sunset. It's like going to the movies and for just a moment everyone is silent, taking it all in. In our little utopia here in PB tacos are two for one on Tuesday and the surf determines most people's mood.

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