Maybe Heading Back to LV

[Guest FourAces]

I have lived the last 10 years mostly in Texas with a brief pit stop in Florida.

Most of the past 10 years has been in the DFW area. Its weird as a Southern Californian I never thought I would ever call anywhere in Texas home. But it has a certain comfort level for me here. Maybe I'm just getting old however, I do like the medical options should I need them here ... the people are friendly ... the traffic is not too bad ... the weather is reasonable ... the cost of living is good ... and the central location makes it about a 3.5 hour plane trip to anywhere in the country.

Now I'm strongly considering moving back to Las Vegas where I had lived about 5 years prior to coming out here. As with Florida and Texas I like that Nevada has no state income tax. I am kind of mixed on the weather especially the terrible summers ... the cost of living is somewhat comparable to DFW maybe a bit higher ... its obviously closer to friends and family in Southern California ... the medical facilities are not the greatest which for some reason concerns me ... I do have a top notch doctor there one who is well respected nationally ... and I wnjoy casino living so I have more entertainment options.

Yet I am hesitant to make the move though this would be a good time to do so should I feel it best. I'm at the age where I want to settle down in one city now ... not lay down and die but find a place to call home.

Sorry to ramble on if you wanna subtract this from my contest post number I understand

Anyone have any ideas or suggestions on the matter? Oh I added the pic as a way to encourage participation in this thread He's from Fratmen.

[Guest EXPAT]

You couldn't pay me any amount of money to live in Las Vegas. I don't like the climate - too dry. And it's just too much Vegas. Why don't you just live in Southern California if you have friends and family there? I am sure that it is cheaper in Vegas (especially now with the housing market in free fall).

[Guest CharliePS]

The upside of moving to Vegas is that real estate has never been cheaper there. The downside is that neighborhoods and residential buildings are half-abandoned, the malls are empty, and the state has no money to maintain services, partly because of those low taxes. I suspect you will find the general atmosphere more depressed and depressing than when you lived there during the go-go years.

I think we all reach a point when we want to settle permanently in one place, so you should research your options very carefully before deciding that Vegas is that place.

[Guest FourAces]

You couldn't pay me any amount of money to live in Las Vegas. I don't like the climate - too dry. And it's just too much Vegas. Why don't you just live in Southern California if you have friends and family there? I am sure that it is cheaper in Vegas (especially now with the housing market in free fall).

I do think your point is somewhat on mark but not for me.

While I grew up in Southern California and lived there the majority of my life it does not appeal to me much. The cost of living is outrageous, traffic is a 24/7 nightmare, crime is through the roof and taxes are way too high. I much rather visit and enjoy than put up with the day to day BS.

[Guest FourAces]

I think we all reach a point when we want to settle permanently in one place, so you should research your options very carefully before deciding that Vegas is that place.

Charlie I think this hits it on the head. I guess as I get older I'm looking to settle down somewhere well I think I'll be comfortable and happy during my ongoing years. Ironically maybe I have already found that place here in Dallas ... maybe I am just the type of person who will never settle in one place for any length of time ...

Its not that I am ready to retire. But I am not far from that point either. I was in Las Vegas about 5 months ago and agree away from the strip it was pretty depressing.

I guess I will keep looking or commit to the metroplex. I tend to like the southwest though no clue how this came to be or even why. Maybe I will look around the Phoenix area some. I know the weather is no better than LV but maybe the city has more to offer? Anyone here know this area at all?

[Guest lurkerspeaks]

I am the Phoenix representative here at MER.. what do you want to know? the real estate market here is still in the tanks, so property is very cheap.. I have been here since 1989, and have no plans to move anywhere, unless I hit that damn powerball..the summers are brutal, but 8 months out of the year the weather is great..Swimming at christmas...and if you like to take road trips, you have Flagstaff that is two hours to the north where you can snow ski in winter. You have the beaches of Rocky Point Mexico (if you are brave enough to go to Mexico) that are about 3 hours away. Las Vegas is a mere 4 hour drive. San Diego is a 5 hour drive. LA can be reached in about 6 hours. Montreal is a 7 hour flight away.. We have a total nude strip club (ok, not a great one ,but we do have one).

Phoenix has a pretty decent gay community. The Phoenix area (Tempe) is home to ASU, so lots of college boys available for a small donation.

If you have any more questions about Phoenix, feel free to ask me, either publicly or private..

[Guest simon]

Anyone have any ideas or suggestions on the matter? Oh I added the pic as a way to encourage participation in this thread He's from Fratmen.

You had me up and until you equated your thoughtful post for help to a Craigslist like posting with hook-up imagery and importance.

Sorry. I'd suggest for you to stay put for the time being. Until, at least, when you're capable of making decisions, or more importantly, creating meaningful conversations which might, without the support of sexual imaginary as a bribe, lead to somewhere which might benefit you better than a hot cock on a naked boy.

Not, by the way, to impune the already thoughtful and gracious responses from others which you have received above.

Sometimes, one's best answers to life are found within themselves. Online psychiatry has always been, at least to me, an undesirable form of abortion.

Good luck to you.

[Lucky]

Poker Player housing

[JKane]

Most of the past 10 years has been in the DFW area. Its weird as a Southern Californian I never thought I would ever call anywhere in Texas home. But it has a certain comfort level for me here. Maybe I'm just getting old however, I do like the medical options should I need them here ... the people are friendly ... the traffic is not too bad ... the weather is reasonable ... the cost of living is good ... and the central location makes it about a 3.5 hour plane trip to anywhere in the country.

You're saying the traffic in DFW is good? Not anywhere in the vast sprawl between D and FW! My one experience with medicine in DFW was a high-volume assembly line geared to move through as many medicare patients as possible. The people are friendly but there's also a hell of a lot of closed-mindedness, racism and anti-intellectualism.

The weather is reasonable? Bloody hot to bloody cold with stops in between for *massive* thunderstorms, ice storms, snow storms, tornadoes and maybe a plague of locusts? DFW airport is a good resource but ties you to American Airlines a bit.

On the other hand, Vegas is a place I like in small doses but can't stand for much longer. Maybe having real money there makes it better, but for me after I'm spent in a week there's nothing to do that doesn't involve spending money and even then most activities require a walk through a bloody casino.

What about opening up beyond these possibilities? Austin or San Antonio are very nice, and much less closed-minded. Ok, have no other options for Nevada... but New Orleans is awesome, and has a casino (crappy Harrah's, sure, but it's nice because it's one of a million things to do)... you didn't mention Laughlin, so you're not looking for a place to crawl away and die... so maybe live instead!!! Los Angeles is a lot more affordable now, areas one would never consider before are becoming very interesting possibilities--like downtown. Though taxes and other living expenses are still higher, I'll grant.

[Guest FourAces]

You're saying the traffic in DFW is good? Not anywhere in the vast sprawl between D and FW! My one experience with medicine in DFW was a high-volume assembly line geared to move through as many medicare patients as possible. The people are friendly but there's also a hell of a lot of closed-mindedness, racism and anti-intellectualism.

The weather is reasonable? Bloody hot to bloody cold with stops in between for *massive* thunderstorms, ice storms, snow storms, tornadoes and maybe a plague of locusts? DFW airport is a good resource but ties you to American Airlines a bit.

LOL - I take it you're on the DFW welcome committee

Well I do know the stretch that you speak of and it is a harsh trip. But I have also spent many more hours parked on the 405 or 5 or 91 and so on. The difference is I normally do not have to use the route you mention ... whereas in LA / OC I am always on a freeway that is near stopped or stopped.

I've been to Austin and I know many people love it there but I was bored out of my mind. Aside from the 6th street area ... there did not seem like much more to do there than here.

I have mixed feelings about Las Vegas ... btw thanks LUCKY for the condo board link lol Unlike when I was younger I am kind of thinking like you about the place.

@ LURKER thanks for the info on Phoenix I might hit you up for a bit more.

Anyway I do appreciate the feedback from all. I'm gonna visit a few places that I have never spent any time in and make a decision after that.

If anyone has suggestions on other cities to visit let me know. Thanks.

[JKane]

New Orleans! Austin didn't bore me until I'd been there!

[Guest Ace]

Aces;

We'd LOVE to have you back here in Vegas! As you WELL KNOW there is more to do here than just gamble.

I live 20 mins from The Strip & really only go there for work. YES...the housing market is STILL depressed, but there are some GREAT deals to be had here & the cost of living is relatively inexpensive.

Palm Springs, L.A, Arizona, etc are a short distance away as well.

I know I'm one of the few who say this, but Vegas has been VERY good to me & I like living here.

If you have any other questions/concerns, please feel free to contact me privately.

Good luck!

[Guest epigonos]

FourAces as a native Southern California who has lived here all my life I tend to agree with your observations regarding this state. We have governor moonbeam AGAIN who wants to spend billions on a high speed rail system between San Francisco and L.A. which most votes don’t appear to want. He also wants to raise the sales tax and place surtax on high income earners. Only New York and Illinois are in worse financial shape. Frankly I remain here only because of my age and the fact that all my family and friends live here.

The one exception to the California nightmare, however, might be Palm Springs. The city has a vibrant gay community, excellent medical facilities and the housing market is very favorable right now. Being a big city fan it has the added advantage of being near the L.A. basin yet far enough away to avoid the hassle. Ontario airport in close which works well if one wants to avoid L.A. International.

I loathe Las Vegas and always have. The weather is NOT good period. As far as I’m concerned the weather is unbearable 24/7/365. It is cold and frequently windy in the winter and god awful hot in the summer. I will admit that, for me personally, heat is more annoying than cold. As previously stated there are many neighborhoods with large numbers of abandoned or unsold homes. The entire state is terrible depressed. They do have a popular newly elected governor who appears to be trying to turn things around.

Phoenix has never had much appear for me. Again it is simply too hot in the summer. It does have excellent medical facilities. Although the city of Phoenix itself isn’t all that great there are surrounding areas like Scottsdale that are VERY nice. The state also has a very depressed real estate market which is good news for anybody considering buying.

Have you considered Albuquerque or Santa Fe New Mexico? Santa Fe is lovely although rather expensive. It can also get fairly cold in the winter. It has a small of interesting cultural life and is only fifty miles from Albuquerque. Albuquerque has grown remarkably over the last few. It now how has numerous nice suburbs. Albuquerque is warmer than Santa Fe in the summer but not as cold in the winter. If you are into winter sports both cities have ski area nearby. If you are at all interested in Southwest Native American culture both cities has great offering within the cities themselves and in close proximity.

[Guest CharliePS]

Epigonos is right about most advantages of Palm Springs, except that he doesn't come here in summer, when it can be pretty damn hot--think 100-120F.--for weeks on end; there is not much that one can do out-of-doors after 9am from June to September. The traffic also picks up considerably during the tourist/snowbird season, from about November to April. One can drive--there is no public transport--to L.A. for urban amenities, provided that the only road through the Banning Pass (I-10) isn't closed by an accident or other incident (last year it was shut one day for twelve hours while police investigated a shooting incident); the only alternatives are very long detours north or south around the mountains, or a single steep and winding two-lane road over the mountains. There are three large medical centers, but only one real department store (Macy's), one large bookstore (B&N), and one Apple store in the entire valley. If none of those things bother you, then this might be a good choice. There are several large casinos, though certainly not the variety found in Vegas.

We looked seriously at Albuquerque when we were searching for a retirement home. It is relatively cheap and fairly lively, partly because of the large state university in the center of town, but it is a long way from anywhere else, other than Santa Fe, and it does not have good air service. A distant cousin of mine, who is a journalist there, warned us that there are all sorts of environmental problems which are largely ignored by a relatively incompetent local and state government.

You might want to look at Tucson, which has more character and a better climate than Phoenix, although I don't know enough about it to recommend it.

[Guest epigonos]

CarliePS you are absolutely correct about the heat in Palm Springs during the summer. I personally hate heat so I would never consider living there year round. The only reason I mentioned it was that if FourAces is considering moving to Las Vegas the summers in Palm Springs are certainly no hotter. I also think Palms Springs has a far better sense of being a community than Las Vegas. The only thing Las Vegas has going for itself in comparison, as far as I’m concerned, is greater entertainment possibilities. If casino gambling is an interest it is available in Palm Springs and in nearby Morongo.

Now Tucson is the epitome of a hick town. The summers are only slightly milder than Phoenix. The roads in the city are terrible. Medical facilities are not wonderful and many people find that they have to go to Phoenix for special medical needs. It is true that the University of Arizona is located there but it hasn’t done much in the way of civilizing the town. It is a city of transplants and thus in my opinion doesn’t have much of a soul or personality.

[Guest FourAces]

Its funny when I began this thread I was in a very reflective mood. I also was searching for a place to settle in ... not quite ready for retirement yet but a city I could feel at home in during the remainder of my time on Earth. I honestly did not think I get even one reply and here I have a group of well thought out ideas from (aside for one) the more respected posters in this community. So I just want to note my appreciation.

Mew Orleans just does not appeal to me there are simply too many issues within that city. After having spent a fair amount of time visiting Palm Springs over the years its going to be a bit off the beaten path for my tastes. Though oddly several close friends have suggested the PS PD areas so who knows.

I have taken a look at other parts of the country and none really grab my interest. Either weather, location, cost of living or whatever.

The plan now is to visit a few places over the next 30 - 60 days. I'm going to head to Phoenix / Tempe area, my hometown of San Diego, Santa Barbra, Albuquerque and Las Vegas.

Who knows after this long search for "home" I might find out they I'm already here and just don't realize it as yet. OK now this is starting to sound like a sequel to LOST

[Guest epigonos]

FourAces in your last post you mentioned two cities I know quite well. I spent four years in Santa Barbara and love the place. It is a beautiful city with a lot going for it. I’ve always thought I would like to own a home in the Riviera section of town overlooking the Pacific. The homes there are not huge; many were built in the thirties and forties and have considerable charm. A major problem with Santa Barbara is that housing has always been and still is extremely expensive. The weather is generally very nice; however, the summers can frequently be quite cool and foggy. Medical services are fair to good but the proximity to L.A. makes that situation much better. Air transportation to and from Santa Barbara can be difficult and expensive. Most people use a shuttle service to LAX.

As far as I’m concerned San Diego has the best weather in the world bar none. I love the San Diego Zoo, the Gaslamp District, and the Del Coronado Hotel. San Diego has a more active gay community than Santa Barbara. There are some older sections of the city that have been gentrified and are quite nice. Nearby La Jolla is wonderful (and expensive) although difficult to get into and out of during the summer. The San Diego International Airport is considered one of the most dangerous in the United States but doesn’t seem to have experienced many major accidents. Scripps Hospital and medical facilities north of San Diego are excellent.

The REALLY MAJOR PROBLEM with both Santa Barbara and San Diego is that they are both located in California. The state government is virtually paralyzed and nearly nonfunctional. All the Democrats in the legislature want to do is raise taxes and expand social services networks. All the Republicans in the legislature want to do is lower taxes and let the states social service networks and infrastructure collapse. The one thing you can count on is that taxes on middle and upper economic groups are going to increase and services are going to decrease. If I weren’t 71 with all my family and friends here I would abandon ship and move.

[Guest FourAces]

Well I returned very early this morning from my search for my home .. a place where I belong.

I spent two days in Santa Fe, NM. A beautiful city friendly people a reasonable size city and a nice cost of living factor. I can see why many, especially artists, proudly call this city their home. I will most certainly be back for a longer visit down the road.

After a lovely trip to Santa Fe I spent two days in the Phoenix area. I know for such a large city two days is not much time. However, I tend to get the vibe from places pretty quickly. There really was not anything that impressed me about Lurkers hometown (sorry guy). It reminded me of a typical city with plenty of big city issues.

I had not been to Las Vegas for a wile so I headed there next. After less than 24 hours I left. I have lived in Las Vegas and spent many days in the city and just had no interest in living there again. Away from the strip its really become depressing.

Since I am from California and know it well I decided to skip it altogether. So from Las Vegas I went to go somewhere I only had been to once before decades ago,Portland, OR. As my travel partner put it,why? lol. It was OK but a little too much white trash for my taste.

Upon my return to Dallas I learned home really is where the heart is. And that I do like it here and feel comfortable here and the metroplex offers me nearly all on my wish list. I guess sometimes it takes a journey to figure out I have been right where I want to be the past two years.

Thanks to those who offered all the insight and suggestions.

[Lucky]

Ah, but now the Texas rangers have the Japanese sensation Yu Darvish pitching for them, at least when he is not posing!

[Guest FourAces]

Ah, but now the Texas rangers have the Japanese sensation Yu Darvish pitching for them, at least when he is not posing!

MMMMMMMMMMMMMMM He is sexy. Yes I was ready to write a email to Nolan Ryan when it looked like the deal ws gonna fall through .. but had I known he was so hot looking I might have attended the negotiations in person

[TampaYankee]

Seems like your search your a home was very successful and reaffirming. The best part as unintended consequence... no moving expenses.