RENT 2/5
COMMUTE 3/5
FOOD 4/5
ENTERTAINMENT 3/5
The Windansea house hunt is not something I would wish on even my archenemies. However, if you finally do spot a modest beach house squished between vacation rentals, are willing to convert every room into a triple (couldn’t be worse than the dorms) and can convince a skeptical landlord that your penniless surfer gang is a more worthy cause than that three-person dream family with a magic puke-free baby and better credit than Aladdin, the three-month Craigslist battle will be more than worth it.
First off, San Diego’s least crowded, arguably most awesome strip of sand is your backyard. And if nature isn’t doing it for you, $2 well drinks at the Shack and 24 hours of 7-Eleven Slurpees and Rigoberto’s breakfast burritos are just a late-night stumble away. Nearby Pearl Street is exploding with fresh fish, fruit and exotic staples ‘mdash; Thai, Mongolian, sushi, crepes, Starbucks, you name it ‘mdash; and groceries aren’t much further: Stop by Vons on the way to or from campus, or head 10 minutes south to raid Trader Joe’s and Henry’s in Pacific Beach.
The route to campus may be a tedious obstacle course of Sunday drivers and censorless stoplights, but the MTS bus route 30 heads straight through the Windansea neighborhood for a free half-hour ride to school ‘mdash; break out a textbook or just enjoy your daily dose of unreal coastline views.