Commuting in Cali

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Specializes in ICU/stroke.

Hey all, new member long time lurker. I have been searching threads but can't find anything recent enough regarding housing/working in San Diego. First off, I just accepted my first travel assignment to Palomar Medical Center in Escondido in October. I have been a critical care nurse for 3 years now and am excited about the change. However, I opted for the housing stipend and have a few concerns. I visited San Diego twice last year and fell in love (from silver spring, MD), which is why I tried to find a job in that area. I have read that the commute can be terrible so I moved my apartment searches from pacific beach/la jolla to Encinitas. Do you think the commute would still be bad (I will be working night shifts)? I would ideally like to live by the beach with nice nightlife (single 26 y.o. Male). Any other location suggestions? Also any furnished apartment/housing recommendations with parking would be appreciated. I will have a fun adventure driving across country as I hopefully will fall in love with the area again and make a permanent move after my contract.

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Specializes in Vents, Telemetry, Home Care, Home infusion.

Hope a San Diego area nurse can help you with this query.

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Hi! I am not a San Diego nurse, but I lived in North San Diego County for about 5 years. If you will be working night shifts the commute won't be terrible. Assuming you will be driving the 78 east to Escondido from a beach city, there will be heavy traffic headed west in the mornings, and east in the evening. That being said, the traffic isn't horrible and is certainly manageable. Now taking the 5 will be bad, so you may want to consider a closer town to the 78. Carlsbad is a super nice area, Oceanside is a little bit on the rough side. I am not sure of any furnished apartments in the area, but if you have any questions just let me know!

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Specializes in ICU/stroke.

Thanks! I'll look into the housing along the 78/accessible. Still looking for more support from others though :)

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PB, La Jolla, North Park, Gaslamp, or Downtown are the best for single, 26 male, night life loving nurses.

However, if you are day shift, the commute may be difficult especially during rush hour (especially when you have to be at work by 7 and you had a late night the night before). If you are night shift, then it should be ok but i'm not a fan of driving that far after a long night of work.

By the way, when we go out, we usually take Uber or carpool. I don't see the need to live where the party is at. The places i mentioned above tend to be the high-crime areas as well so i prefer not to live there (being a female nurse in her late 20's). Either way though, you will live and be happy with whatever you decide to do. Good luck! San Diego is beautiful.

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Your commute will be 30 minutes to an hour and your rent will be sky high if you stay with the locations you choose. I absolutely agree with the previous poster that stated that Carlsbad is a nice choice. If you live in "the village" (central Carlsbad) you can walk to several bars and restaurants. The money you'll be shelling out and the drive you'll endure are NOT worth living in downtown, PB, OB, or La Jolla. As someone said before, take an Uber or carpool. If you're seeing a game at the stadium, you can take the coaster train down and not have to drive at all besides to and from the train station in Carlsbad. the closest proximity to the hospital is San Marcos, which has nicer areas and has the college, which gives it a younger feel in some places. and congrats on Palomar. The place looks like a 5 star resort and is a fun place to be, in my experience. i'm on my second semester of clinicals in this particular facility, and I did a happy dance when I got my new assignment. I loved the people, but obviously my experience is limited, and my interactions with staff and admin aren't the same as a student.

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Specializes in ICU/stroke.

Thanks for everyone's replies. All very helpful. If anyone has more info on Carlsbad I'm liking it more and more than Encinitas, especially with a 20ish minute commute. Although I did hear Encinitas has a better nightlife. It's not everything, just looking forward to living on the beach a bit :)

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Thanks for everyone's replies. All very helpful. If anyone has more info on Carlsbad I'm liking it more and more than Encinitas, especially with a 20ish minute commute. Although I did hear Encinitas has a better nightlife. It's not everything, just looking forward to living on the beach a bit :)

speaking from a travel nurse perspective -for a first assignment esp in areas like San Diego I would have let the travel agency find my housing because rental cost are ridiculous in SD and difficult to find esp for short term leases. That being said, there is a forum on facebook for travelers-its called Gypsy Caravan and within that forum there is a subforum that has postings about places/rooms to rent in different parts of the country. I have seen some-not a lot for San Diego. Good luck with your assignment.

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I am currently in the same position, only I have lived in SD before while I attended Law School at California Western School of Law. I am tentatively pursuing housing through my recruiter and at the same time searching for housing on craigslist via the room shares and making sure to check the furnished box. I am also using AirBnB to look for potential room rentals that way.

AirBnB is more expensive but the site is geared toward short term furnished rentals and there is a lot of them, many near the beach. PB is about an hour commute with traffic to Palomar Medical Center in San Marcos/Escondido area so I would stay a little north. The craigslist rentals are priced lower but many of those people just want a roommate for long term lease situations. If you send out a lot of emails and text messages and phone calls to the craigslist ads (I have sent out like 30 and I have about 4 leads) you should be okay. I also got a tip from a potential landlord that a lot of the ads on craigslist are also cross listed on AirBnB. He suggested scheduling to stay at an AirBnB location for a while and then communicating with the landlord to see if the rest of the visit could be negotiated privately. AirBnB takes some money off the top from both the renter and the landlord so it sounds like it could work.

AirBnB sounds fun, staying at a different location after every few weeks would allow someone to see a lot of SD! Also, I have found that many of the listings on either website which are furnished are not occupied by the owners and you could get lucky and end of renting a room in a house where you have it to yourself for some of the time but at a fraction of the cost.

So far the rentals I have focused on range from about $600 a month to $1100 a month. The cheaper rentals are farther from the beach and if you find really cheap rentals it is a scam and don't ever send money without making sure you are not getting ripped off. The more expensive rooms are really nice and closer to the beach.

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Specializes in ICU/stroke.

Good point. I love it here. Found cheap housing in normal heights. Not close enough to the beach, but still only 20 Min away from everything. Driving back is hell though after night shift, ended up building a routine working out until traffic died down.

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Specializes in Surgical/Trauma/Transplant ICU.

Hi there! I actually grew up in the Encinitas/La Costa/Carlsbad area, so I know a lot about the locations you're interested in!

I highly suggest not moving farther South than Encinitas if your commute is going to be to Escondido... The 5 freeway can be very heavy during the night, typically during rush hour times; however, traveling North during rush hour is much easier than traveling South. Additionally, you will also have to get on the 78 freeway to get to Escondido. The 78 tends to be more relaxed than the 5. There are many main streets you can take from Encinitas, Carlsbad, etc that will take you up to the Escondido/Vista area (Palomar Airport Road, Rancho Santa Fe Rd, etc).. So concerning your overall stance, I would say anything from Encinitas to Downtown Carlsbad are my favorite locations.

If you're looking to be more centralized regarding outlet stores, chain restaurants, grocery stores, etc. then La Costa (my hometown) and Carlsbad are the best. Encinitas, La Costa, and Carlsbad can all be expensive... Encinitas I would say is the most expensive because the houses are pretty individualized and you're by some of the nicest beaches. La Costa and Carlsbad are more track-home style towns... This is great if you're trying to save money because you have more options with houses, condominiums, etc.. If you're looking for a home near a good nightlife scene, I would recommend Encinitas. Downtown Encinitas is awesome from D Street Bar and Grill to The Office (a hole-in-the-wall bar). Also, Union is a great new spot. Regarding Downtown Carlsbad nightlife, I don't know much. I know Coyote Bar and Grill is a very popular spot to drink and listen to some cool bands. Also, Ignite in Carlsbad/La Costa area is fun for Sunday Funday or sports games. (I'm not too educated on Downtown Carlsbad)... I love love love Solana Beach, it's a little farther South than Encinitas. The towns connect, so it'd probably be a 5-10min longer commute. It can get pricey though!

Overall, La Costa and Encinitas will always have my heart; La Costa for the loving neighborhood feel, and Encinitas for the great So-Cal lifestyle...

If you have anymore questions, let me know!!

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