A Short Adventure Somewhere
Before my girlfriend and I sign a lease in Los Angeles or San Francisco later this year, we’ve decided to take advantage of the fact that we’re both able to work remotely for the moment by spending a month or two somewhere else — we’ve talked about Vancouver or Seattle or Portland or Sonoma or Big Sur or San Louis Obispo or Ojai or Austin or Oahu or Costa Rica.
Ours is a flexible plan. Were a friend to say tomorrow, “Would you house sit for me this October? I’ve got a lovely balcony that gives a glimpse of the Pacific Ocean,” we’d be inclined to go wherever it was. We require only wireless Internet so that we can do our work and a location that allows us to bring Isabel, my girlfriend’s dog, whose dimensions are as follows:
We are flexible on rent, equally amendable to city and country, slightly prefer somewhere we can drive but are open to flying, and inclined to seize any particularly attractive opportunity that presents itself: a chance to stay somewhere during a festival or a cheap sublet or a guest house with an owner who fancies having a writer in residence or an avocado grove that needs tending or a cozy yurt set down on a beach somewhere, etc.
So I ask you, readers of The American Scene: have you suggestions, leads, warnings, advice, stories about doing something similar, empty condos on the Hawaiian islands, or any other information of interest?
Cape Breton Island or Newfoundland
— Tony Comstock · Sep 5, 08:22 PM · #
The part-time home of my youth, Jalan Segara Ayu, Sanur, Bali, Indonesia.
— Freddie · Sep 5, 10:19 PM · #
Or if you’ll sail my boat back down to the islands you can have it till Christmas.
— Tony Comstock · Sep 5, 10:58 PM · #
I got room in my garage in Madison. You could follow the Badgers and/or the Packers. It is football season you know. $200 a month. You should have some warm sleeeping bags and some way to keep your stuff dry, like waterproof bags or something. Maybe you could arrange something with these pallets I got. Maybe buy some tarps or visqueen.
— cw · Sep 6, 12:28 AM · #
San Juan Islands, if you can find a place you can afford. It’s a long, but doable (and beautiful) drive from California, and really nowhere quite encapsulates “serene” the way, say, Lopez Island does.
— g.w. · Sep 6, 02:36 AM · #
You can’t go wrong with Portland. It’s a wonderful mid-sized city.
— Bryan · Sep 6, 02:47 AM · #
As a Vancouverite I can say that mid-September through late March is non-stop rain around here. So, I’m recommending you come or not come, depending on how you feel about rain.
I will say that the mountains and the water and the forests make this a beautiful place to live, and that we’re a 2-3 hour bus ride from Whistler/Blackcomb, which is also in our favor, I suppose.
— Alex Hoopes · Sep 6, 03:22 AM · #
Washington, D.C. is really nice in the fall.
— Peter Suderman · Sep 6, 04:24 PM · #
Go to Houston. Big city, lots to do and easy to fly from there to just about anywhere else you need to be in the US quickly. And moving to Austin is so 1990s.
— Mark in Houston · Sep 7, 01:28 AM · #
San Luis Obispo is fun, but a little dull for long stretches, and not as pretty/relaxing as a beach town. (My wife grew up there.) If you can find a Costa Rican beach town with reliable internet (possibly difficult) it seems like that would be the place to go for both quality relaxation and focus on work; I believe dogs can come into and out of CR fairly easily (unlike, say, the UK.) But you’re not going to do much else besides relax and work; not much culture/museums/etc. I know you’re not a huge East Coast fan, but my brother still has fond memories of the month he spent in New York working, museuming, etc., before moving to sleepier climes- can’t recall if you’ve spent time in NY or not.
— Luis · Sep 7, 03:59 AM · #
Santa Cruz, California, is just about as nice a place as can be — and within easy driving distance to Big Sur, Carmel, and Monterey, too. I also recommend Portland and Seattle. I /really/ liked Jaco, Costa Rica.
— Erik Vanderhoff · Sep 7, 07:38 PM · #
Man, I’m jealous of that opportunity. For me, I’d rank the options Costa Rica, Vancouver, Portland, Seattle – but I’m outdoorsy and don’t mind the rain. If it’s only for a month or two, I’d be tempted to get an offseason beach house in Seaside or Long Beach or Tofino and just spend the time alone in your thoughts with the sand between your toes.
— AndyW · Sep 7, 09:32 PM · #
File under “Shameless” and “Tasteless” …
— James Luath · Sep 7, 09:41 PM · #
RE: Shameless and Tasteless
The post, or the comments, or both?
— Tony Comstock · Sep 7, 10:17 PM · #
I’ve got an unused condo in Park City, UT. It’s on the market, so you’d need to accommodate the realtor if anyone wants to look at it. But let’s be realistic. That’s not going to happen. You’re welcome to stay there for free, but you’d need to scrounge your own furniture.
— David Adams · Sep 8, 01:20 AM · #
Tony Comstock: The “bleg” or, rather, the “blech.” ;)
Doesn’t Mr. Friedersdorf have any friends?
If he is really so desperate, there is an empty lot not far from my parents’ house on the coast. It doesn’t offer a “glimpse” of the ocean, but I’m sure there are some charming puddles within view. Dogs are most welcome, too, to judge from the refuse that litters the grass. He’d have to bring his own tarp, though, if that’s not too much of an expense for him and his live-in girlfriend.
— James Luath · Sep 8, 06:34 PM · #
If you don’t take that Park City, Utah condo, you’re going to kick yourself. But if you do pass it up, please let me know so I can take it. The American West is a great place to spend any amount of time. A close second? Fall along a great lake in Northern Michigan. Consider Traverse City, Petoskey, and Marquette.
— jonah · Sep 10, 07:28 PM · #
First, my sincere thanks to everyone for the great advice and suggestions — and especially to David Adams for the generous offer. We’ve decided to sublet a place a couple hours north of San Francisco just off Coast Highway.
James Luath, although the Internet is filled with it, I never cease to be amazed by the bile one finds in comments sections. It’s people like you who’ve driven a lot of insightful people away from blogging. And for what?
— Conor Friedersdorf · Sep 11, 09:42 PM · #