My Introduction...

Hi Rachel - he's actually doing the residency in downtown LA, in pediatrics. We live in Pasadena though b/c it's more green and safer than that area. Are you and your husband both from SoCal? I think you wrote in another post that you're thinking of going to the Midwest... it probably has a lot of advantages over Ca, esp cost of living wise, but we just can't bring ourselves to move away. My husband grew up in Indiana (before moving to Phx) and doesn't want to go back - I think it's just a crummy childhood and aversion to humidity, though. People do seem friendlier there. We have hardly managed to meet any of our neighbors after 2 years here - they're all off doing their thing and don't seem to want to get to know the newbies on the block. How about in AZ?

Kaaren

Hi Karen,



Yes, both me and my fiance are both from southern CA. The one thing I don't miss about LA is the traffic. But, I do miss the little one of the kind restaurants. Here in Phoenix it seems like there are so many chain places. There's a great pizza place in Eagle Rock called "Julio's Pizza." It's great, you might want to check it out some time.



As for Phoenix, I like it here. I'm really getting used to this weather. It's still a growing area and the job market is pretty healthy compared to the rest of the nation. Also, there's not the big traffic problem in LA and I can't get list because it's a grid. Real estate here is really cheap compared to CA, but the utilities and everything else seems the same. I would say that people get into more accidents here and cost of car insurance is higher. Unlike CA, if you're a resident here you have your license for a very long time. When I first came to AZ, I was shocked to see that my license wouldn't expire until I was 60!



I can relate to you not knowing your neighbors. It's pretty common not to know your neighbors in CA. Here in AZ, I still feel weird if someone says "hi" or wants to talk to me. Coming from CA, if someone did that they usually want something from you which turned out to be true most of the time.



Anyways, I'm glad to meet you on this board. It really helps. If you have any questions about CA or anything else, feel free to write. I worked in LA a few years ago at DreamWorks, SKG and Fox, Inc.



Rachel : )

[DCJenn]

Welcome-



My husband is a 2nd year resident in peds. He's from Southern California (the desert side of LA) as well- went to UCSB after jumping out of airplanes for a few years with Uncle Sam. We're back in ye olde military, where we will stay until they kick him out.



I am from the East Coast- DC in specific and just returned from the monsoons of the weekend. I went from my grandmothers 85th birthday. Yet another family function the beleoved missed! I think they think he's an imaginary husband.



Again- welcome, everyone here is exceptionally cool!



Jenn

Hi Robin,



I've got a quick question for you. Do you have any recommendations of any good restaurants here in AZ? My fiance and I are getting tired of the whole chain restaurant thing. We both really miss those great one-of-a-kind restaurants in LA. Maybe I should cook more often. (ha,ha). Due to work and the lifestyle I'm living, we usually do go out to eat often. If you have any favorite restaurants out here, please let me know.



Thanks,

Rachel (aka "techie")



p.s. Just the other day on tv, I saw an ad for a place called "Organ Stop Pizza" in Mesa. It's a family restaurant. The concept behind this business is to have pizza with entertainment. In this case, it's a person playing an organ while families sit around eating pizza. Isn't that interesting?

Rachel,



You are going to have to give me a little time to get back to you on this one. I will ask some of my friends who have lived here for awhile. Unfortunately, we don't eat out much and when we do, we have stayed with familiar places. What kind of food do you like? There is a neat family run Chinese restaurant close to us that we like. The family is so friendly and the food is yummy too. I will have to ask Russ too. The doctors take him out quite a bit. I am totally jealous! Let me know what you like and I will ask around. Sorry that I am not much help at the moment. Give me time...



Robin

Hi Robin,



We both like japanese and thai food. There's a japanese restaurant down the street from us, but we just don't like the atmosphere (tv blasting, very crowded, etc).



Also, we like seafood (I know AZ may not be the best place). We've been to the "Fish Market" in Phoenix and it's ok.



Thanks for all your help!



- Rachel