Homeward Bound
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Apr.2,2009
It’s official…my family and I will be moving back to Cleveland. Our last day in L.A. will be 4/17, and after that, we’ll be driving back across country while the movers put our stuff into storage for a bit.
Why are we leaving?
We’ve found that L.A. is just not for us. L.A. seems like a great city if you’re single or a couple. There are a lot of things to do, if you’re into the night life scene. We’re not really, and with the kids, it’s hard to get out much. The main reasons we’re leaving are:
- The schools are atrocious. The worst schools I’ve ever had the misfortune to step inside. I’ve never seen a state so proud of something so completely abyssmal.
- It’s too damn expensive. You cannot even USE the car insurance you pay ($260/mo for our cars), because if you are in a single fender bender, the cost will double. It’s why there are so many beaten-up cars on the road. You’re basically throwing money away. And rent…don’t get me started about rent.
- Crime / safety. The LAPD helicopters were over our apartment complex last week for the thrid time in as many months.
- Too many goddamn people.
- We miss proper seasons, a city we can nagivate without reams of maps, proper forests and parks (The Cleveland Metroparks are AMAZING, and should not be taken for granted), our friends and family.
Where will we be living?
We’re settling in with my inlaws in Shaker Heights until we find a place. We’ll likely be renting for a bit, but if we find the right house at the right price, we might buy. Where is yet unknown. We’ll be working that out.
Will there be a party celebrating our return?
I have it on good authority that there will be.
Will you be going to Origins?
I’m going to try, yes.
May I follow along with your Grand Adventure?
I’ll be writing about the trip across county, much as I did when we moved out here. You’ll be able to follow along from the comfort of your own home.
(special thanks to robotskirts for the awesome “How far is Ohio?” graphic, originally from Superpoop.com)
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As someone else who left for many of the same reasons (I think it’s a town for homeless people, single people, or extremely wealthy families and that’s it), I say: Welcome back to the East!
You left out one major reason to leave though: Soul-sucking lack of any culture that is non-Hollywood related.
In any case, have a safe trip!
While Cleveland may not be as glamorous as NY or LA, I like to think its got its charms…
C.K. — You nailed it. It’s an excellent point.
Welcome back, Chris. Took my wife and I four + years to come to the same conclusion.
We didn’t have kids at the time so I can tell you that PS the night life isn’t that great either.
While things didn’t go as planned, you should still be proud of the fact that you did something that many people aren’t brave enough to do – to really see if the grass is greener, rather than just wonder about it.
As someone who has lived in every corner of the land, I know how tough it is, but also what a great adventure. May you find a place to settle that is truly worthy of you and your exceptional family. I look forward to reading the details of your trip eastward.
Chris,
I am very excited you guys are coming back and can’t wait to go out for coffee once you return to get caught up. Keep us updated on where you finally land permanently. I know that the kids at school would love to have Hanna back.
As someone who has lived in southern California his entire life, I can’t completely agree with your points, but I do hear what you’re sayin’. Even as someone who grew up here it can be tough, but I wouldn’t trade my time here for anything.
At any rate, I’ll miss the heck outta ya, big guy. You’ve been a serious inspiration for me and I know you’ll continue to ‘kill it’ out there while making constant ‘game changers.’ But don’t forget to ‘eat your own dog food!’
And all the parental/grandparent figures are CELEBRATING AND SINGING ALLELUIA!!!!!!!
Cleveland the heart of it all
Watch out Westside Market here they come
Not all of California is like SoCal. My area is very beautiful, with good schools, lots of activities for kids and a mild climate (sorry, no seasons to speak of). We have proper forests and parks (see Los Padres National Forest, Point Lobos State Park and Dennis the Menace Playground, for starters). Pollution and traffic are things that happen to other people. (And it’s not just my town; there are large swaths of California that can be described the same way.) So please, don’t tar all of California with the L.A. brush!
I do feel that LA is a tough town. The public schools aren’t very good, and everyone knows it. Traffic is horrible (especially from where you live), and crime in certain areas is bad. (In Sherman Oaks, I think there was once a police chopper over my place, and that was because of a bad wreck on the 101; in Tujunga, on the other hand, we had them every other night.) There are things I like about it, but it wasn’t a place I wanted to spend my entire life.
My insurance went down by 50% when I left LA. It was shocking.
Nicole makes a fair point. All of my comments are about L.A., not Cali. I hear NoCal is amazing, and wish I could have seen it.
Chris, I’m sorry to hear that you have to cross the country again. I’m glad to hear that you took the chance, despite the risks. Best of luck with the resettlement. I hope to see you at Origins.
You know, there have been some nice experiences while we have been here, but in the end, our family did not thrive in L.A. The transition was definitely more than we bargained for, and we thought we had a good idea of what was in store.
For those of you who grew up out here, coming from the midwest to L.A. to live is like landing on Mars. You suddenly realize that you don’t speak the language, everything (including and sometimes especially the landscape) is so foreign looking, and you can’t quite get your footing. In our seven months here, we have had the cops chase an armed suspect through our complex (with SWAT, guns drawn, helicopters, the works — for hours) and countless other helicopter searches, I’ve been threatened by a crazy guy at the neighborhood grocery store, had a minor car accident with a BMW that taught us (thankfully NOT the hard way) about how car insurance really works out here, Logan was nearly hit by a car on Sunset, and the kids have had an awful time trying to adjust to classrooms full of kids (and teachers) who do not speak English very well.
On the other hand I have played fiddle with some great groups and if it were just Chris and I, we might even be staying. But since it’s not just about us, we made the best decision for us and I am very happy about that! Homeward bound!
We will miss you Chris.
Dave, you guys were the best part of L.A. for me.
For everyone else, Dave is part of my gaming group out here, and I will miss them fiercely when I head back. I’ve had so much fun with them…it’s too bad they will not see reason and move to Cleveland.
We each have our “native lands,” and I think it’s important to be in them, or at least have the ability to return to them now and then.
I spent the first nine years of my life outside of Pittsburgh, but I’ve lived in Southern California since 1976. From San Pedro (at the Port of Los Angeles) to San Clemente (the southernmost city in Orange County) and now east to Hesperia, I’ve experienced many different flavors of the Greater Los Angeles Area, or “Southland,” as they call it around here.
It’s not all like Los Angeles, but that’s what you had to deal with, and I can dig the dissonance and dissatisfaction. Frankly, living in the High Desert makes me pine for my beach cities of San Clemente and Long Beach — two places as close to home in my heart as I can find.
I’m very pleased, very happy, that you and your family have the opportunity to return to the home of your hearts, and that you have the support there to make the transition possible.
Bon voyage, and welcome home!
I commend you for surviving the L.A. experience. Just going though LAX was enough L.A. for me. Having lived in many places myself (MI, CA, WA, OR)I know what it’s like to move to strange places. It sounds like you will be happiest back in OH. While it was nice having you in the same time zone for a while, I’m glad to hear you’re going back to your real home.
May the trip back be a good one. Hopefully I’ll see you at Origins this year.
ORIGINS! ORIGINS ORIGINS ORIGINS!!!
My goodness! As I am someone who hates to move, the idea of moving twice in so short a time sets my teeth on edge. Sympathy abounds. I wish I could help pack you.
Sorry it didn’t work out in LA. I’ve been there a few times and liked it each time, but never lived there. Bright blessings upon the road.
For those who might think that these problems are confined to LA, our new neighbors across the street in Cleveland just moved from the “good part” of California for most of the same reasons – horrible schools, crowded, unfriendly, bland landscape, etc. They could have chosen anywhere in the country – they came here! This is the second family who moved out of CA that I PERSONALLY know – can’t be a coincidence!
LA is home, but I understand your reasons. The schools alone are one reason why we’ll probably never go back either.
Good luck! Maybe we’ll see each other at Origins if I can make it out.
Have fun on your ride home! I don’t know about you guys, but Han & I love cross-country trips! I can sympathize about the different cultures, as AZ is worlds away from OH. It took us 2 years to feel comfortable here, and another year to have it finally feel like ‘home’. Good luck!
Seems all those problems would be solved with a better paying job.
Have a safe trip.