From where to where?

[PsyDWannabe]

Hi all,

As someone who is moving almost completely across the country for grad school and has no idea what to expect (except for what I saw during interview weekend), I thought it would be great to start a thread about where you are moving from and to and your feelings about the move. Any tips (where to stay away from, good clubs, best scenery, perfect study areas, best grocery stores, etc) from former and current residents of your destination states/cities/schools are very welcome. Hopefully it will help ease relocation anxiety a tad bit.

---

Members don't see this ad.

 

[psychgirl05]

southern cali to missouri.....yikes! i'm scared!

 

[PsychGirl7]

Great idea! I am moving from NC to State College, PA. Any advice about State College would be great. And if people are going to UNC, Duke, or NC State they can ask me about it since I have lived in this area most of my life.

 

[PsyDWannabe]

I actually am moving from Houston to Chicago. Any and all advice welcome since I know nothing about the Chi except that Kanye is from there and what I saw walking around downtown and Millenium Park during interview weekend. Anyone who wants to know about H-Town can also chime in!

 

[Enlightened1]

Deleted

 

[desertpsych]

Yuma, AZ to Albany, NY. Can't wait to get back to my home state!

 

[krisrox]

I actually am moving from Houston to Chicago. Any and all advice welcome since I know nothing about the Chi except that Kanye is from there and what I saw walking around downtown and Millenium Park during interview weekend. Anyone who wants to know about H-Town can also chime in!

If all you know about Chicago is Kanye and Millenium Park, you're missing out on the GOOD parts of the city : )

 

[krisrox]

I'll be moving from Chicago to Atlanta! Excited, scared, anxious, sad... Any advice on living in A-Town would be appreciated.

 

[PsyDWannabe]

If all you know about Chicago is Kanye and Millenium Park, you're missing out on the GOOD parts of the city : )

Enlighten me, please!! LOL.

Decompressing is obviously going to be a major part of my routine so where/what's fun to go/do?

 

[PsyDWannabe]

Yuma, AZ to Albany, NY. Can't wait to get back to my home state!

WOW, AZ to NY? No difference there Why did you move away in the first place? (if you don't mind sharing)

 

[lexicon]

I'll be moving from Chicago to Atlanta! Excited, scared, anxious, sad... Any advice on living in A-Town would be appreciated.

I live in Atlanta and I love it! I'll send you a PM but if others are coming to GA feel free to ask me any questions you might have.

 

[LGPsychology]

.

 

[KillerDiller]

If all you know about Chicago is Kanye and Millenium Park, you're missing out on the GOOD parts of the city : )

I miss deep dish pizza so much. My best advice to anyone moving to Chicago is to hit up Due's pizza religiously while all the tourists go to Uno's (it's the same restaurant/menu etc.).

 

[krisrox]

I miss deep dish pizza so much. My best advice to anyone moving to Chicago is to hit up Due's pizza religiously while all the tourists go to Uno's (it's the same restaurant/menu etc.).

I'm personally a fan of Giordano's stuffed pizza.

 

[psich]

All this talk of food is getting me hungry...lol

 

[krisrox]

Enlighten me, please!! LOL.

Decompressing is obviously going to be a major part of my routine so where/what's fun to go/do?

I'll give you a run-down of the places I frequent: Wrigleyville bars, Evanston restaurants, running/ walking on the lakeshore path, dodging tourists while shopping the Mag Mile, studying at the Panera on Clark and Diversey, seeing student discount shows in the theatre district, taking the el to work, getting authentic Mexican food in Pilsen, summer reading on North Ave or Montrose beaches...

 

[elphaba]

I'm moving from west Michigan to Salt Lake City, UT.

1500 miles, so I'm definitely nervous! The extent of my experience with SLC is the ~40 hours I was there for interview weekend. I've gotten tips from a couple lovely people on SDN, but if anyone else has info about neighborhoods to look into, good shops or restaurants... or ANYthing else, I'll gladly take anything I can get!

 

[eatsleeppsych]

.

 

[PsyDWannabe]

Wow good post, I grew up in New York City and am now moving to a place my friends call "clan country" (no joke--more than one of my friends has called it that). I'd love to hear what people have to say!

Wow, if you mean "clan" with a k, that is terrifying.....and I say that as an understatement. But good luck, make sure you focus on the school stuff, lol

I'll give you a run-down of the places I frequent: Wrigleyville bars, Evanston restaurants, running/ walking on the lakeshore path, dodging tourists while shopping the Mag Mile, studying at the Panera on Clark and Diversey, seeing student discount shows in the theatre district, taking the el to work, getting authentic Mexican food in Pilsen, summer reading on North Ave or Montrose beaches...

Exactly what I had in mind for the thread.

 

[PsyDWannabe]

I miss deep dish pizza so much. My best advice to anyone moving to Chicago is to hit up Due's pizza religiously while all the tourists go to Uno's (it's the same restaurant/menu etc.).

I'm personally a fan of Giordano's stuffed pizza.

(a la Collins in RENT) Nooooooow weeeee're talking.........

Lol, nice recs, I'll definitely check them out but maybe not as religiously

 

[Brussell]

Anyone who wants to know about H-Town can also chime in!

Although I am from a suburb of Houston, I dont know very much about the city. Can you tell me where some good neighborhoods are to rent apts? Im going to the University of Houston and I want to find an apt in a nicer part of town. Also, where are some good places to go for entertainment or just to hang out? And any GREAT coffee places? And anything else you can think of? Thanks!

I'm living in Austin, TX right now and absolutely love it. If anyone wants to know anything about Austin, let me know!

 

[krisrox]

(a la Collins in RENT) Nooooooow weeeee're talking.........

+80 million cool points

 

[teo3099]

.

 

[neuropsyance]

I actually am moving from Houston to Chicago. Any and all advice welcome since I know nothing about the Chi except that Kanye is from there and what I saw walking around downtown and Millenium Park during interview weekend. Anyone who wants to know about H-Town can also chime in!

Even if you aren't a huge baseball fan, go catch a game at Wrigley Field.

 

[TexaninDC]

I lived in Houston while at Rice + a year or two after and would tell you that since you will be at UH, I would live by the medical center. I lived in an apartment right on MacGregor and Almeda. It was really convenient if you want to do research at the medical center and go to school at UH. I took a summer class at UH and my commute to campus was less than 5 min (which is nearly impossible to find anywhere in Houston). I'd stay west of 288. You should look into West University and Rice Village. I can give you more details if you'd like (feel free to PM with questions) but Rice Village and north of that you'll find great apartments and lots of cool bars/coffee shops. Might be slightly more expensive than most neighborhoods, but I definitely think it's worth the shorter commute time (that area on the highways is terrible) and proximity to nice shops/food/bars.

Although I am from a suburb of Houston, I dont know very much about the city. Can you tell me where some good neighborhoods are to rent apts? Im going to the University of Houston and I want to find an apt in a nicer part of town. Also, where are some good places to go for entertainment or just to hang out? And any GREAT coffee places? And anything else you can think of? Thanks!

I'm living in Austin, TX right now and absolutely love it. If anyone wants to know anything about Austin, let me know!

 

[KillerDiller]

I'm moving from Connecticut to Denver, CO. Any advice on places to live, eat, do, etc would be great

I can't be much help when it comes to actually living in Denver, but definitely check out the downtown area to hang out and go shopping. The Tattered Cover bookstore is great and I love the fact that so many things are right in that area: the mall, Coors Field, Buell Theater, even Elitch Gardens.

Also, while Casa Bonita may not have the greatest mexican food ever, you should definitely go at least once to see the cliff divers.

 

[PsyDWannabe]

Even if you aren't a huge baseball fan, go catch a game at Wrigley Field.

I know nothing about the sport except what is printed about the players in the gossip rags. But yeah, I'll give that a shot! Thanks for the rec.

 

[PsyDWannabe]

+80 million cool points

LOL! trying.........real hard............not............to turn this............into...........a..........RENT.......appreciation..........thread

 

[PsyDWannabe]

Although I am from a suburb of Houston, I dont know very much about the city. Can you tell me where some good neighborhoods are to rent apts? Im going to the University of Houston and I want to find an apt in a nicer part of town. Also, where are some good places to go for entertainment or just to hang out? And any GREAT coffee places? And anything else you can think of? Thanks!

I'm living in Austin, TX right now and absolutely love it. If anyone wants to know anything about Austin, let me know!

Definitely everything TexaninDC said!

And a little tip, on your down time, if you feel like seeing a movie, AMC theaters are $5 before noon. Try and go to the ones in the really fancy suburbs (river oaks, sweetwater, etc); cleaner, quieter, almost always empty (especially during weekdays).

 

[AlaskanJustin]

Hi all,

As someone who is moving almost completely across the country for grad school and has no idea what to expect (except for what I saw during interview weekend), I thought it would be great to start a thread about where you are moving from and to and your feelings about the move. Any tips (where to stay away from, good clubs, best scenery, perfect study areas, best grocery stores, etc) from former and current residents of your destination states/cities/schools are very welcome. Hopefully it will help ease relocation anxiety a tad bit.

Well gee, I went from Anchorage Alaska to Cincinnati Ohio, then from Ohio to Washington DC. Now I go to NYC, but there is a twist:

This summer I am going from DC to Cincinnati, picking up a friend then we are doing a massive road trip: Cincinnati to Colorado (Denverish area) via St Louis and Kansas City, then Colorado to Las Vegas, Vegas to LA, LA to San Fran, San Fran to Portland, Portland to Seattle, seattle to Vancouver BC Canada, then Vancouver to Anchorage AK to sell the car. Then at some point fly back down to DC and take a Uhaul to NYC!

Sounds fun yeah? Going to be massive, 1-2 month trip

 

[AlaskanJustin]

I'll give you a run-down of the places I frequent: Wrigleyville bars, Evanston restaurants, running/ walking on the lakeshore path, dodging tourists while shopping the Mag Mile, studying at the Panera on Clark and Diversey, seeing student discount shows in the theatre district, taking the el to work, getting authentic Mexican food in Pilsen, summer reading on North Ave or Montrose beaches...

Oh man bringing back some memories! Magnificent Mile! My favorite restaurant in the world is Grand Lux Cafe on top of the Ann Taylor on Michigan Ave! Oh the Navy Pier during Halloween is AWESOME! UMMMMM the Ikea in Shomberg!

OH OH OH And the restaurant Orange! They have fruit sushi!

I also really really like Takashi's restaurant, well worth trying

aw I miss Chi Town! Nordstrom's rack and I definitely got along! lol and if you ever get a chance make sure you do one of the water sports on Lake Mich.

 

[AlaskanJustin]

I'm moving from Connecticut to Denver, CO. Any advice on places to live, eat, do, etc would be great

So I know a fair bit about Colorado, especially Denver and if you wanna make the trip, Fort Collins (a really fun little town, GREAT local music, my brother drums in a band there).

I have to look it up, but my sister's friend owns a pizza place in Denver, I was actually planning on visiting this summer. When I get some info together I will post more.

For now, MAKE SURE you visit Garden of the Gods, make your way up to Colorado Springs of course, go see a concert at Red Rocks, ummm just try to enjoy the outdoors even if your not a hiker or whatever its still breathtaking for non-outdoorsy people!

 

[ILGirl]

For now, MAKE SURE you visit Garden of the Gods, make your way up to Colorado Springs of course, go see a concert at Red Rocks, ummm just try to enjoy the outdoors even if your not a hiker or whatever its still breathtaking for non-outdoorsy people!

Or, more correctly down to Colorado Springs. : )

 

[eatsleeppsych]

..

 

[ILGirl]

Thanks for the input! This thread is making me more excited for the daunting move

Also, looking into housing from halfway across the country is a beast. How are other people approaching this? I've started looking into complexs near the university, reading reviews, etc... but they all look pretty questionable so far or radically expensive.

I move a lot, and I always look for apartments online. For me, the key is to only select apartments that have an ample # of pictures. I don't trust the apartments that don't provide pics.

I also always go to the city's police department website. Many cities have a crime map, which will show you how many crimes have been committed in and around an area.

 

[PsyDWannabe]

Well gee, I went from Anchorage Alaska to Cincinnati Ohio, then from Ohio to Washington DC. Now I go to NYC, but there is a twist:

This summer I am going from DC to Cincinnati, picking up a friend then we are doing a massive road trip: Cincinnati to Colorado (Denverish area) via St Louis and Kansas City, then Colorado to Las Vegas, Vegas to LA, LA to San Fran, San Fran to Portland, Portland to Seattle, seattle to Vancouver BC Canada, then Vancouver to Anchorage AK to sell the car. Then at some point fly back down to DC and take a Uhaul to NYC!

Sounds fun yeah? Going to be massive, 1-2 month trip

WOW. Sounds like.......what's that movie where they go on road trip and the journey gets really crazy? (Dude, Where's my car, Planes, Trains and Automobiles, lol, jk) But seriously, sounds like a very, very fun 'summer before grad school' story will come out of it. Better than having to do summer school because your program starts early

I'm hoping you'll have some great tips for a bunch of us when its all over.

Oh man bringing back some memories! Magnificent Mile! My favorite restaurant in the world is Grand Lux Cafe on top of the Ann Taylor on Michigan Ave! Oh the Navy Pier during Halloween is AWESOME!

DUDE!! I had to edit my post cos I'm freakin' freaking out right now! I did exactly those things (and more) with my pals that live in the Chi during interview weekend. To those who are coming there too, the Grand Lux is sooooo awesome! IMO, waaaaaay better than its counterpart Cheesecake Factory, definitely worth checking out. This might be the awesome creme brulee I had there talking but its a REALLY good restaurant Also, downtown/the Mag Mile at night and people watching is so fun!

Also, looking into housing from halfway across the country is a beast. How are other people approaching this? I've started looking into complexs near the university, reading reviews, etc... but they all look pretty questionable so far or radically expensive.

+1

 

[futureapppsy2]

I'm moving from west Michigan to Salt Lake City, UT.

1500 miles, so I'm definitely nervous! The extent of my experience with SLC is the ~40 hours I was there for interview weekend. I've gotten tips from a couple lovely people on SDN, but if anyone else has info about neighborhoods to look into, good shops or restaurants... or ANYthing else, I'll gladly take anything I can get!

Sugarhouse and the other areas around the university are super-nice, but probably to priced up for students these days. Trolley Square is nice mall-like thing, and I much prefer it to the Gateway, JMO. Food... definitely try "the Pie" for pizza (the original location is right by the U). Get someone to acquaint you with some of the bigger points of Mormon culture/influence (e.g., what an RM is, what Family Home Evening is, the liquor laws, etc). My family is all Gentiles (that is, non-Mormon), but it definitely helps to know a bit about the culture, so you aren't utterly bewildered.

 

[school psyc app]

I'll be moving from Chicago to Atlanta! Excited, scared, anxious, sad... Any advice on living in A-Town would be appreciated.

I grew up south of Atlanta...it's an amazing city! You will really enjoy it. GO BRAVES!!!

 

[AlaskanJustin]

Thanks for the input! This thread is making me more excited for the daunting move

Also, looking into housing from halfway across the country is a beast. How are other people approaching this? I've started looking into complexs near the university, reading reviews, etc... but they all look pretty questionable so far or radically expensive.

ILGirl's advice is solid, and interestingly I have found, anecdotally, that apartment guide books and sites like apartments.com are rubbish because everything looks ok.

Idealistically you should make a pile of possible places then go and visit them to make sure of the area, the building etc but since this sounds not possible there might be other ways

A) Is there any way you could contact say 4 or 5 places you liked from your online searches (via Craigslist) and arrange to see them when you get in, then decide from there? I think you would find several places are more than receptive, I mean you wouldnt be signing a lease until you got there anyways, so I dont see why they wouldnt. This worked for me in the past.

B) If that does not seem reasonable, then the next best solution is to contact your DCT, ask for other students' emails and start contacting them and asking them about certain areas. This one is especially nice because if you need or want a roommate maybe you could find one. I know its not necessarily ideal to room with a fellow student right away, but it could be worse!

Anyhoo good luck!

 

[AlaskanJustin]

WOW. Sounds like.......what's that movie where they go on road trip and the journey gets really crazy? (Dude, Where's my car, Planes, Trains and Automobiles, lol, jk) But seriously, sounds like a very, very fun 'summer before grad school' story will come out of it. Better than having to do summer school because your program starts early

Yeah I hope so too, particularly because I plan to film the good parts of the road trip! So I will have a video log of it! And of course I would share with my SDN peeps.

The trip reminds me of the movie Road Trip, except I didnt send my girlfriend a video of me cheating so less dramatic, but I do hope there is some drama on the video log!

 

[Wildcat06]

I'm moving from Connecticut to Denver, CO. Any advice on places to live, eat, do, etc would be great

<--- Native Denverite (you'll realize as soon as you get there that there aren't many of us )

I assume that you'll be moving to the DU area which is where I grew up (less than a mile from the school). It's safe, quiet, relatively inexpensive and easily accessible to downtown via Lite Rail. No reason to live far from campus.

Food = Delish, especially the Mexican. I'm a fan of Las Delicias and Santiago's (both local chains) as well as Tortugas for tortas and you HAVE to try New Saigon, I think it's the best restaurant in Denver and possibly the best Vietnamese outside of Vietnam.

The museums and art galleries in the Golden Triangle area are awesome and have First Friday openings at the beginning of the month. I personally avoid LoDo (downtown) bars at all costs and prefer the scene of Pearl Street (near DU) and South Broadway.

Please PM me for more advice, I'm clearly full of it! Congrats and good luck on the move.

 

[multicultpsyc]

I'm moving from San Francisco to Boston. Any thoughts, suggestions, recommendations anyone?

 

[PsychAddict]

NY to Chicago! Not a huge difference but first time living on my own. Anyone has any suggestions on best neighborhoods for students (nearby cafes, affordable rent, safe to walk @ night, etc.)

 

[PsyDWannabe]

....... to Chicago! Not a huge difference but first time living on my own.

Ditto! and still, so

 

[Wapote84]

St. Louis, MO to Knoxville, TN!

 

[krisrox]

NY to Chicago! Not a huge difference but first time living on my own. Anyone has any suggestions on best neighborhoods for students (nearby cafes, affordable rent, safe to walk @ night, etc.)

I'd suggest Lakeview to anyone looking for a place in Chicago, but it depends on where you're going to school, too. PM me : ) I LOVE talking about my hometown.

 

[PsychAddict]

Ditto! and still, so

hahaha yea i totally know how you feel. i hear there are some really sketchy neighborhoods there. the ones with the cheapest rent of course lol

 

[PsyDWannabe]

hahaha yea i totally know how you feel. i hear there are some really sketchy neighborhoods there. the ones with the cheapest rent of course lol

LOL!! You got that right! I am too young and pretty to be mugged (just kidding~). But I turned 21 about a week ago and its like I have a stamp on my head saying "I know nothing about the real world!", lol. I guess I'm about to find out, huh? I've definitely been doing my research and krisrox is right, Lakeview is pretty 'all the stuff you mentioned' (safe, student-y). It just so happens that where my school is (as with almost all major universities) is kinda sketch. But for Chicago, I heard that Buena Park, Rogers Park, Hyde PARK, Uptown and pretty much near north/north side are the safer areas. Safety is my #1 deciding factor so.........wish me luck! It pretty much depends on where your school is and how much you're willing to commute. I'm used to about a 45 minute commute one-way (for undergrad) so I don't mind it that much.

Good luck in your search and ask away, please! I'm more than willing to share what I've found out (I happen to have a bunch of family and friends that live in the city).

 

[Josie1554]

I will be literally moving 2 feet to go to grad school....I am moving the bed in my room to make more space for a desk.

I already paid my dues long time ago when I moved cross country to get my Master's.

Good Luck to all who have long moves ahead of them

 

[RejectClinical]

I will be literally moving 2 feet to go to grad school....I am moving the bed in my room to make more space for a desk.

Ha! I love it!!

I moved from Chicago to NY/NJ this past year and now it is back to the Midwest (STL)!