So I feel that I should talk about the move to California from TN. The one thing that I looked up on Google and the many other search engines before me leaving, was a checklist for moving out to CA. Or at least some advice. One thing that I realized is that when you move across the country it is WAY more than throwing some bags in a car and finding the nearest Highway headed west. (As much fun as that could be) It should be a series of preparations and this is my own personal advice, so take it for what it is.
First, save up. Save as much money as you can and calculate your moves very carefully. I say moves because with me, I knew that when my lease ended in the apartment in Nashville, I would be in the car on the way here. I also knew that I wanted to do this a year before I really made the move.
When January of 2009 rolled around I had a sit-down with my parents and told them that my plans for life were to finish college and succeed at whatever I do ( a good generic dream that everyone has, ha). Clarifying the fact, I told them that by fall of this year (or spring 2010) I wanted to go to Art Center and follow my original dream of being involved in Transportation Design. To my parents surprise, they were behind the idea, So thats when I really dug in looking up critical information for making it to Pasadena.
By March, Dad and I flew out to visit and truly see it in person. You have to physically be wherever it is you want to move, one for the fact that you need to just see it to get the full effect, and two for the fact that my dad didn’t believe that the school was going to be worth an additional 5 years and untold art supply bill costs plus the 2000 mile difference. It was inspiring to see how wrong we both were on our perceptions of Pasadena because while he was really blown away by not only the scenery and the school (and all the AMAZING programs it offers) I just remember standing in the hallway at Art Center and looking into a shop class busy at work carving what I now know were speed forms, feeling nothing but relief. I was so worried that this would not feel right and not be for me, that I got so sick the day I first visited the school, but I was SO wrong. It was perfect (see:www.artcenter.edu and look up Transportation Design.....its a WOW).
Either way the flight home was great because my dad and I had a good discussion regarding me wanting this and choosing to go forward with the plans of moving out. I wanted to look up apartments and find out cost of living. It is EXPENSIVE out here. Period. The cheap apartments are double anything you’ve ever paid, and half the size.
Craigslist was the overall champ in the apartment finding battle but I think that next time I would look up general apartments. In the second visit out here my Mom, Dad, and Spouse came out here to do some more research and see the apartments that we had looked up. We came out in June and probably visited 8 or 9 places and the cheapest ended up being a loft in the heart of Pasadena. The positive sides that it is owned by an individual and I only have to deal with him but have great building security and parking and concierge. It was the only place that had the killer amenities. However after living here for these first 5 and a half months, I want a place with walls and a pool and a couple more windows! I am very happy though for getting as lucky as I have on my living situation, and I suggest that the best advice for apartment searching out here is devote one whole day to visiting as many as you can. Be smart and practical.
Be prepared to have a very fast pace. Everything from stop lights to check out lines move at a noticeably different pace. Not that you have to speed everywhere you drive, or run everywhere, just make sure you try to blend in as quickly and efficiently. Don’t get frustrated and never be afraid to ask for help. The one great quality of California is that the people love the freshly moved crowd because they love to help, or be the ones to help.
I know I mentioned it before, but everything is expensive, food, clothes, gas, art supplies. Its all ridiculous and you just have to adjust. Ive successfully gone without cable TV or Internet this whole time because its WAY expensive for bare-minimum access. Thats the one thing I had to give up to have some money go into food, and supplies.
IKEA will be either the best thing or the worst thing to happen to you. Me, its both, because I love everything there and its so well priced that I end up buying a-lot and racked up a bill.
Be mindful of the climate here. Theres forest fires and no rain for MONTHS. It was 80 degrees outside until the last week in November, I still wouldn't classify it as cold outside right now either and Christmas is next week. Its just, chilly out.
Find the Wal-Mart Supercenter. The only one I can find is halfway to Narnia but you cant go wrong. They have everything for nothing.
They call them Freeways out here, not Highways. So help you god if your on one of them in between 3pm and 7pm. If you don't like driving in the rain, don't drive when it rains here. The roads are 3400% more slippery than any rain slicked road back south. Why? Because theres about 9,000,000 more cars on the road therefore more car junk all over the roads for the 60 days of dry weather in between the one rain days that we get. Oily and slick.
Drive to the airport once. Then take the train. Be honest with yourself on which is faster and cheaper and use the hell out of it.
I know I have so much to add but I feel that this is a good introduction to what time was like leading up to the move and the first month out here.
