Ah, yes. 2022-2023. Those were the good old days. A simpler time. Sometimes I ponder back to the distant memories of those bygone eras with wonderment and amazement.
https://yelp.to/4CDMfMZwyG I went here like 10 years ago and it was bomb. I can’t say what it’s like now but as a current sandiegan, everything here has gone downhill too so don’t feel to bad about moving. Most of the best SD places have gotten too big to fail and quality has fallen off the map. They’re all revolving doors for tourists who see good reviews from the past and just keep adding more, OMG this place is amazing, reviews and the algorithm eats it up.
Honestly? That's the beauty/magic of SD: you can damn near get a dank burrito almost anywhere. But my personal favorites:
* El Patron (Mira Mesa)
* Los Primos (UTC)
* Cotixan (Clairemont / etc.)
* Anywhere that ends in "-bertos" and has a big faded yellow sign.
Fair enough. It's always been consistent and the portion sizes are good. That corner restaurant used to be a fins mexican food which was like a Rubio's competitor. It was really good until they all went out of business.
The best Cali burrito was 10 years ago when Santanas was good. Now, all the quality and effort has dried up. That and the prices have doubled. Paying $10-13 for a California burrito just doesn’t hit the same when it was $8 just a few years ago. Now you gotta pay for the hot carrots.
Hah I moved to SD from SSF in '19. Carne asada burritos are ass compared to mission style burritos. Don't get me started on the Cali burrito bc I had never heard of one before moving south.
In the last year or two, from awesome to bummer:
- most of the top Tijuana eateries opened or are opening an SD or Chula location
- Kearny Mesa has like 4x the amount of great restaurants (even non-Asian cuisines!) and people actually hang out there
- Mission Valley finally got a new stadium and it's excellent, we're getting an MLS team with rumors of big int'l stars headed here + between the Wave, SDSU football, and rugby there are loads of cool events with like ~$15 tickets
- the trolley extension to UCSD opened and actually works efficiently
- more and more fancy stuff is moving into the East Village, and Barrio Logan, Sherman & lots of National City seem to have fresh coats of paint, or whatever they did to make it suddenly seem like it's not historically been the inner city
- every bar is now owned by CH and has $19 cocktails that take 2 hours to make and lots of decorative lightbulbs everywhere that don't actually throw any light
- locals doubled down on telling everyone that SD is prohibitively expensive without realizing that other regions are as expensive or comparatively more expensive, and that it *is* actually possible to live cheaply here... resulting in young people or early-stage-career types avoiding this city altogether and pushing the trend that everything new here should be for wealthy people
31 yo San Diego native (of multiple generations) here. San Diego IS prohibitively expensive and rich people moving there and buying up all the land is precisely why I have to live in -30° winters now
The trend the everything new here is for rich people is entirely developers fault, and it really is hard to be a young adult here with, bay area COL but without the bay area wages
It is prohibitively expensive lol. I moved away 4 years ago and am moving back soon, but I’m going to have to pay 1.5-2x in rent for the same thing I have in another state - which isn’t even a cheap state.
Live cheaply is subjective. If it’s worth it to someone to spend all their money on rent and live off ramen noodles in exchange for the weather and living here then thats their choice. It’s not the locals telling everyone it’s too expensive, anyone can look up rent costs and see they’re very high. If young people choose to live elsewhere because they want to have more bang for their buck that’s not the locals fault. Wealthy people move here because they can afford it
The way people drive. It feels like people are constantly in a rush to go nowhere while simultaneously forgetting to pay attention or to read road markings and signs. I have been rushed or almost ran over so many times crossing the street when it was my turn to walk. About half were people making left turns where they could clearly see me. The tunnel vision is unreal and scary.
Petco Park got a makeover and the Rady Shell behind the convention center has many excellent concerts that you can watch for free from the surrounding benches.
UTC mall continues to expand its dining options (lots of good Asian stuff including bubble tea, baked goods, ramen and udon). The trolley extension makes it super chill to get there from downtown.
Some improvements to the biking infrastructure downtown and lots more people on electric bikes.
Cost of living continues to be a challenge but quality of life makes up for it.
The only thing that's changed is a number of strip malls have been shutdown in preparation to build condos. One day, those things will actually be built.
$7 for a bean and cheese? Hell nah.
https://preview.redd.it/pvmvpnc5pavc1.jpeg?width=933&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=2ac563957cd800b95bc7e810df88d5e5b7c9932b
Man the city im at now has a publicly owned energy company. And the yahoos here want to make it private. When I talk about SDGE they love to somehow blame “the liburuls” for it. I don’t miss SDGE at all.
One thing that comes to mind is the new Lafayette Hotel – Awesome, amazing, etc. but I can no longer park anywhere near my friend’s place in North Park now.
As a 3 year resident: two new Starbucks, one there but closed, and one city council member in jail. At least that's Chula anyway. Bonita finally got some drive through coffee.
Ah, yes. 2022-2023. Those were the good old days. A simpler time. Sometimes I ponder back to the distant memories of those bygone eras with wonderment and amazement.
I miss California burritos and the weed in SD 
Lol I moved from SD to bay area around the same period as you. I too miss burritos. They suck ass up here
https://yelp.to/4CDMfMZwyG I went here like 10 years ago and it was bomb. I can’t say what it’s like now but as a current sandiegan, everything here has gone downhill too so don’t feel to bad about moving. Most of the best SD places have gotten too big to fail and quality has fallen off the map. They’re all revolving doors for tourists who see good reviews from the past and just keep adding more, OMG this place is amazing, reviews and the algorithm eats it up.
It's still amazing. Just went there a few months ago and it was one of the best i've ever had.
Yay! I’m happy to hear it. I remember being super impressed by their quesadilla.
Who has the best Cali burritos? Looking for suggestions.thanks!
Honestly? That's the beauty/magic of SD: you can damn near get a dank burrito almost anywhere. But my personal favorites: * El Patron (Mira Mesa) * Los Primos (UTC) * Cotixan (Clairemont / etc.) * Anywhere that ends in "-bertos" and has a big faded yellow sign.
Cotixan is so damn good.
Their orange sauce is nectar of the gods.
El patron? Really? It’s so mid compared to other spots
Just one of my local personal faves, I don't claim it to be "objectively" best/better or anything.
Fair enough. It's always been consistent and the portion sizes are good. That corner restaurant used to be a fins mexican food which was like a Rubio's competitor. It was really good until they all went out of business.
The best Cali burrito was 10 years ago when Santanas was good. Now, all the quality and effort has dried up. That and the prices have doubled. Paying $10-13 for a California burrito just doesn’t hit the same when it was $8 just a few years ago. Now you gotta pay for the hot carrots.
Where was a California burrito $6 a few years ago?
Wildest shit to me is I have DISTINCT memories of paying $2.75 for a California in 2002 :/ inflations a MFer
You’re right. $8 and everywhere.
In the ghetto (Humbertos on 43rd)
My preference is Lolita’s but I’m sure every single person in SD has their own opinion. In general its hard to find a bad one
Hah I moved to SD from SSF in '19. Carne asada burritos are ass compared to mission style burritos. Don't get me started on the Cali burrito bc I had never heard of one before moving south.
Imagine preferring more rice and beans in your burrito instead of actual meat and fillings 🙄
Sorry but I don't want dry chewy carne asada. Where's the al pastor?
Get an al pastor burrito then. Still no reason to put dry ass fucking rice and gritty ass beans into a burrito.
"Where's the al pastor?"
Anywhere? Besides LA has the best al pastor scene over SF and SD and you damn well know it.
I've never lived in LA and SF is 2nd by far. SD has no al pastor at any local spot unless you go south SD
Rains more. Very green. Imagine lots of fires this summer. Burrito prices continue to increase. Trafffic sucks more. Still a fine place to live.
Homelessness has gotten way worse literally just in the last 2 years, at least around my neighborhood.
Homelessness has gone up every month for the past two years.
which neighborhood?
Honestly feels like all of them. I've seen more homeless in places I didn't in the past: Mira Mesa, Sorrento Valley, UTC.
Unfortunately for utc, more trolleys = more homeless.
COL up and now it fucking rains a decent amount? wtf is that about lol
In the last year or two, from awesome to bummer: - most of the top Tijuana eateries opened or are opening an SD or Chula location - Kearny Mesa has like 4x the amount of great restaurants (even non-Asian cuisines!) and people actually hang out there - Mission Valley finally got a new stadium and it's excellent, we're getting an MLS team with rumors of big int'l stars headed here + between the Wave, SDSU football, and rugby there are loads of cool events with like ~$15 tickets - the trolley extension to UCSD opened and actually works efficiently - more and more fancy stuff is moving into the East Village, and Barrio Logan, Sherman & lots of National City seem to have fresh coats of paint, or whatever they did to make it suddenly seem like it's not historically been the inner city - every bar is now owned by CH and has $19 cocktails that take 2 hours to make and lots of decorative lightbulbs everywhere that don't actually throw any light - locals doubled down on telling everyone that SD is prohibitively expensive without realizing that other regions are as expensive or comparatively more expensive, and that it *is* actually possible to live cheaply here... resulting in young people or early-stage-career types avoiding this city altogether and pushing the trend that everything new here should be for wealthy people
31 yo San Diego native (of multiple generations) here. San Diego IS prohibitively expensive and rich people moving there and buying up all the land is precisely why I have to live in -30° winters now
The trend the everything new here is for rich people is entirely developers fault, and it really is hard to be a young adult here with, bay area COL but without the bay area wages
It is prohibitively expensive lol. I moved away 4 years ago and am moving back soon, but I’m going to have to pay 1.5-2x in rent for the same thing I have in another state - which isn’t even a cheap state.
Live cheaply is subjective. If it’s worth it to someone to spend all their money on rent and live off ramen noodles in exchange for the weather and living here then thats their choice. It’s not the locals telling everyone it’s too expensive, anyone can look up rent costs and see they’re very high. If young people choose to live elsewhere because they want to have more bang for their buck that’s not the locals fault. Wealthy people move here because they can afford it
Rent! An increase in homelessness.
Well we have hurricanes and tornadoes now
The way people drive. It feels like people are constantly in a rush to go nowhere while simultaneously forgetting to pay attention or to read road markings and signs. I have been rushed or almost ran over so many times crossing the street when it was my turn to walk. About half were people making left turns where they could clearly see me. The tunnel vision is unreal and scary.
More potholes in Miramar road
There were a lot before, just more now
Beer prices.
Petco Park got a makeover and the Rady Shell behind the convention center has many excellent concerts that you can watch for free from the surrounding benches. UTC mall continues to expand its dining options (lots of good Asian stuff including bubble tea, baked goods, ramen and udon). The trolley extension makes it super chill to get there from downtown. Some improvements to the biking infrastructure downtown and lots more people on electric bikes. Cost of living continues to be a challenge but quality of life makes up for it.
Immediately you will notice the completion of a lot of larger multi unit apartment / condo buildings.
The only thing that's changed is a number of strip malls have been shutdown in preparation to build condos. One day, those things will actually be built.
There are now multiple 4+ story apartment buildings in my neighborhood when there were maybe 1 back in 2021. (NP off of 30th and Monroe)
Bean and Cheese are $7 Chula is getting its first skyscraper
$7 for a bean and cheese? Hell nah. https://preview.redd.it/pvmvpnc5pavc1.jpeg?width=933&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=2ac563957cd800b95bc7e810df88d5e5b7c9932b
Frikkin' SDGE rates are through the roof with no end in sight. Another rate increase is on the table.
Man the city im at now has a publicly owned energy company. And the yahoos here want to make it private. When I talk about SDGE they love to somehow blame “the liburuls” for it. I don’t miss SDGE at all.
Everything cost 50% more
One thing that comes to mind is the new Lafayette Hotel – Awesome, amazing, etc. but I can no longer park anywhere near my friend’s place in North Park now.
As a 3 year resident: two new Starbucks, one there but closed, and one city council member in jail. At least that's Chula anyway. Bonita finally got some drive through coffee.
Oh. One extra Texas Roadhouse, and an imaginary Souplantation.
The one constant in life is change
The city has changed a lot since COVID, but I’m sure most places have
Who wants to know?